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| MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 2021
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Winter Warm-up Recap
Thank you to everyone who came to the Winter Warm-up and Production Fair. Our senior directing students pitched their films for FAVS 499 Senior Project. If you missed signing up to work on virtual positions for student films, click on the interest form button below.
Sign-ups will be posted on the FAVS Blackboard page
Organizations > Film and Video Studies > Production Interest Links
We ended the fun-filled event with break-out rooms and a lively game of Kahoot Movie Trivia.
Congratulations to our top 5 winners: Mauricio Reyes, Jazzmyn Carter, Charlie Grass, Nathan Ridings, and Alexis Taylor, as well as our door prize winners: Amber Menifee, Brandon Payne, Jeremy Hodge, Sanders Evans, and Jaime Tejada.
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Visiting Filmmakers Series Online: Black Lives Matter
The Visiting Filmmakers Series (VFS) is online this spring. Since 1995, the Series, curated by Interim Program Director Cynthia Fuchs, has featured a variety of films and guests at the Fairfax campus. This semester, the Series is focused on social justice, racial equality, and Black Lives Matter.
For more information and to register for the Series on Zoom, click on the below images. The Visiting Filmmakers Series is free and open to the public.
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Luchina Fisher with Mama Gloria
When: Feb 26, 2021 6:00 PM EST
Mama Gloria celebrates a Black transgender elder's resilience and joy. Fisher began her career as a journalist for People, the Miami Herald, The New York Times, and O, The Oprah Magazine.
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Hank Jones: Hollywood TV Writing
When: Mar 11, 2021 7:30 PM EST
With experience on shows like Dear White People, The New Edition Story, and blackish, Jones also wrote episodes of Motown Magic and the short film “Masculine/Masculine." He is currently a staff writer on the Netflix comedy series Family Reunion.
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Stefon Bristol with See You Yesterday
When: Mar 16, 2021 1:30 PM EST
A graduate of NYU's Graduate Film School, where he studied with Spike Lee, Bristol's first feature film, See You Yesterday (currently on Netflix), won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.
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Joyce Sherri with “Beauty” and "Forever"
When: Friday, March 26, 2021 6:00 PM EST
Award-winning Filmmaker and Virginia native Joyce Sherrí earned her MFA in Filmmaking from the Tisch Graduate Film program at New York University in 2016. Mentored by Kasi Lemmons, she made “Beauty,” a Southern gothic reimagining of The Beauty and The Beast.
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Student Advisory Council Workshops
The Film at Mason Student Advisory Council will be hosting several virtual workshops throughout the semester. Meet with fellow film students and get your questions answered by Film at Mason staff, faculty, and alumni. Topics include resume building, job searching, film festival strategies and more! Zoom links will be coming soon.
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Student Spotlight
Film at Mason student Taj Kokayi won two awards (Best Student Short and Best Experimental/Travel/Time-lapse Short) at the January 2021 Royal Wolf Film Awards for his film Woken from a Dream. Taj made the film last semester in FAVS 399: Afrofuturism and their Kin, taught by Professor Nikyatu Jusu.
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Professor May Santiago will be a panelist for the Politics of Horror PhD Workshop on Wednesday, February 24th 7pm-8:30pm EST. For more information and to register, for free, visit this link.
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Film at Mason alum Joseph Yates (’15) had an acting role in Episode 5 of the first season of HBO’s Lovecraft County. The episode is titled “Strange Case” and was directed by the amazing Cheryl Dunye. Currently, Joseph is working as an Extras Casting Associate for a Netflix hit tv series.
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Film at Mason alum Adam Harris (’08) works as a senior editor for CVW Event Productions in Washington DC. During the pandemic Adam helped his company transition to online events. Working on virtual game shows, graduation ceremonies, and galas, his team has been finding unique ways to transition live events to remote formats. His team has managed programs with VIPs including Prince Charles, Angelina Jolie, Mika Brzezinski, and Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In addition, they’ve recently partnered with institutions such as the Library of Congress, Ken Burns, and The Smithsonian Institute.
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This Friday, February 19th at 7:30pm Film at Mason Alum and Technical Coordinator Andrew Jorgensen will be presenting his film The Sun and the Medicine Man. Andrew was one of the award recipients of the CVPA Young Alumni Commissioning Project. Join him for the live screening and conversation taking place on the Center for the Arts’ website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. See the event site here.
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When a Mexican-American family living in a small suburban motel receives a mysterious healing potion from a medicine man, their world begins to change
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Check out the trailer here:
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Filmmaker Fridays
February is Black History Month. Check our social media pages as we continue to highlight the work of Black filmmakers and their impact on society and the history of art.
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Cicely Tyson was a legendary actress and producer whose work paved the way for countless Black actors, filmmakers, and artist. She was a pioneer of the industry and a role model for hundreds of Black actors and viewers, whose acting spans over six decades. In 1972, she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Sounder and in 2019, 45 years later, she received an Honorary Academy Award. She won 3 Emmys, and earned another 14 nominations. She passed away on January 28. She will forever inspire artists around the world.
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John Singleton was a filmmaker and actor, known for his works such as Boyz N the Hood, Shaft, Poetic Justice, and many others. He was nominated for 2 Oscars & 2 Emmys, and had an active career for over 3 decades. Singleton passed away in 2019. His legacy lives on, in the many artists he influences. And you can see his ongoing work on the Hulu series, Snowfall, which he helped to create.
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Film Opportunities and Resources
Learning Resources
- Financial Wellbeing For Artists will be held on Feb 23, 2021. This online workshop is sponsored by Creative Capital. Cost is $12.50-$25 to register.
- Angle on Producers is a podcast series of intimate and honest conversations with producers from all corners of the entertainment industry. Past guests include Eva Longoria, Alana Mayo, Deniese Davis, Barbara Muschietti, Erin O'Malley, and Stephanie Allain to name a few. The podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify.
- The Inclusion Resource Map from the Sundance Institute is a searchable storehouse of opportunities and programs available to U.S.-based artists from underrepresented communities.
Open Submissions
- PBS announces an open call for Emerging BIPOC Filmmakers. Full details will be released on PBS social channels and their website on March 1st.
Film Festivals & Conferences
- The 11th annual RVA Environmental Film Festival is going on now at RVAEFF.org. The festival is free, but registration is required.
- Nordic Women in Film is a five-week series of free digital film screenings and conversations, where bold, creative, and distinctive female voices are examined, amplified, and celebrated. Register for free at the link.
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We want to hear from you! If you have news you would like to contribute, please send it to film@gmu.edu. We are looking for regional film events and updates from Film at Mason alumni. Keep up-to-date on all the current Film at Mason news at film.gmu.edu.
Film and Video Studies
College of Visual and Performing Arts
4400 University Dr. MSN 5D8
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-993-3287 | film@gmu.edu
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