MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

MARCH 2022

Visiting Filmmakers Series: Joseph Le,

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 

On Wednesday, April 6, Visiting Filmmakers Series is pleased to welcome Action Designer and 2012 Mason alum Joseph Le back to campus, where he will be conducting a Masterclass on his career in Hollywood, followed by a screening of the 2021 Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, on which Le worked as the action designer, and post-screening Q&A.

Masterclass with Joseph Le

Joseph Le will be offering a Masterclass discussing his career.  This event will take place in MTB 1005 and virtually via Zoom from 1:30pm-4:00pm on April 6th. 

Mason ID holders should register for the in-person Masterclass on Mason360.*
Members of the public and Mason ID holders have the option to attend the Masterclass virtually by clicking here (passcode: 082987).*

*Seating is limited, so register today to reserve your place.  Face masks are required in the Music Theater Building at all times.

Film Screening and Q&A

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be screened in the Johnson Center Cinema starting at 4:30pm, followed by a discussion with Le and CVPA dean, Rick Davis. 

Mason ID holders should register for the event on Mason360.**
Members of the public do not need to register in advance but should arrive early to ensure entry.**

**PLEASE NOTE THAT ADVANCED REGISTRATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE ENTRY INTO THIS EVENT.  SEATS WILL BE GIVEN AWAY ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS, SO BE SURE TO ARRIVE EARLY TO ENSURE ENTRY.  ONCE THE THEATER’S SEATING CAP HAS BEEN REACHED, THE EVENT WILL BE FULL.

All attendees must show a green COVID Health Check to enter the Johnson Center Cinema.  Face masks are required. 

To learn more about Le's path from Mason to Marvel, click here. 

Mason Film Festival  

Join us for our annual Mason Film Festival on Wednesday, May 4 - Saturday, May 7 in the Johnson Center Cinema. This year will be our largest student film festival yet, combining films from Fall 21 and Spring 22 semesters into a four-day program. In addition, we’re inviting alumni who were unable to screen their films in-person due to the pandemic. We plan to have the senior showcase on the last day of the Festival, Saturday, May 7th. Our inverted career fair, Meet the Graduates – featuring alumni and graduating seniors -- will be on Friday, May 6th. To keep up with the latest information, visit our Festival website.  

Film at Mason Scholarships 

Are you interested in a scholarship for next academic year? Film at Mason scholarship applications are now open. Submit your application by April 1st, 9:00am EST.
For more information see Eligibility and Guidelines. 
To apply, submit all required elements by the deadline. Part 2 & 3 are combined into ONE pdf document: 

Part 1. Personal Information (includes cumulative GPA, student standing) 
Part 2. Essay (total 500 words max) 
- Why do you want to be a media maker? Tell us why you need to tell your stories through film and video.  
- Describe a recent project (script, film in progress, or completed film) in which you are the writer, director, cinematographer, editor or producer. What was your takeaway? What was the most important lesson you learned while working on this project? 
Part 3. Creative Work (based on concentration) 

- Directing / Producing / Cine / Editing-Sound: provide link to Vimeo or YouTube video, 3–5-minute film reel or clip of the film you describe in your essay. 
- Screenwriting: 5-8 pages of the script of the film you described in your essay.   
Part 4. One page resume saved as “FULL NAME_Resume.pdf" 
CLICK HERE FOR APPLICATION

FREE Virtual Screening:

Guardians of the Forest 

Interested in Indigenous rights, community empowerment, or environmental justice? Join us on April 13 from 6-8 pm EST for a virtual film screening of Guardians of the Forest, followed by a Q&A session with the film’s producer and director, as well as members of the Maijuna Indigenous group of the Peruvian Amazon. The film tells the inspiring story of the Maijuna’s fight for their ancestral lands and cultural survival.
Co-sponsors: FECONAMAI, Institute for a Sustainable Earth, School of Integrative Studies, Environmental Science and Policy Department, Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation, Global Affairs Program, Social Justice and Human Rights Initiative, LEAD, SAIL, Visiting Filmmakers Series, Film and Video Studies Program, the Center for Humanities Research, NAIA, SEJA, OnePlanet, and ACEER. 
Information here. To register for free, visit http://go.gmu.edu/Maijuna. 

The 6th Annual Poe Film Festival

The 6th Annual Poe Film Festiva is now accepting films, music videos, and poetry readings that are the original works of students at universities located in Virginia. Use the Poe Narrative format: one emotion becoming more intense with a twist at the end. Filmed or completed within the last twelve months.  Students may have graduated and still submit. Email submission to SCS1@jhu.edu as a link or .mp4. Deadline is April 11, 2022.

D.C. Premiere of AMANDA 

Written and directed by Ty Cooper, the award-winning film, Amanda, is currently on tour picking up spot dates throughout the region and beyond. After sold out screenings in multiple cities, the film is coming to Washington, D.C. at the E Street Cinema (555 11th St., NW) on Thursday, April 14 at 8pm. 

The film has connected audiences on a substantially deep level. A simple, yet relatable film about trauma, cancer, loss, love, community and art. Cooper tags the film, "The Art of Life." A painter who lost her mother to cancer at the age of 9 years old is creating a collection for her work to be considered by a local gallery. As she struggles to complete the final piece, she finds love in a local coffee shop, but is forced to face the unresolved trauma of her mother's death. 

The event will consist of a 45-minute screening followed by a 45-minute panel discussion with the writer-director, Ty Cooper, lead actor, Paige Rion, and supporting actors. 

Tickets can be purchased here. 

Alumni Spotlight 

Alicia Rodriguez is a recent graduate of George Mason University (2020). She double-majored in Film and Video Studies and Integrative Studies with a concentration in Social Justice and Human Rights. During her time in the Film at Mason program, she worked on both fiction and nonfiction projects, as well as in the field as a cinematographer, camera operator, editor, PA and photographer for outside production companies, nonprofit organizations, and musicians in the DMV area and NYC. 

Her first documentary, “Cultivation and Community,” focused on urban agriculture in D.C., was selected for the 2018 Best of Film at Mason and screened at Community Stories Film Festival. In 2019, Alicia was the only undergraduate awarded the highly competitive and prestigious Princess Grace Scholarship Award for her experimental documentary film, "A Diasporic Boricua."  She was also the recipient of the 2018 NATAS Capital Emmy Student Production Award for Short Form – Fiction for the role of Director of Photography on "Close Call" (dir. Kauri George). 
 
Alicia’s work centers on creating spaces for people who have been historically silenced. As a second-generation Boricua with Nuyorican parents, her experiences with the diaspora and the erasure of narratives have contextualized her approach to storytelling. Alicia continues to build relationships with other filmmakers and develop her craft.  

After graduation and during the pandemic, Alicia served as the 1st AD on "Hess" (2021), which landed in the Cannes International Pan African Film Festival and Toronto Independent Film Festival. Furthermore, since graduation, her work as a documentarian and cinematographer thus far has taken her to Toronto, Copenhagen, and beyond on her first feature documentary project which has an expected release date of 2023. She continues her work as a freelance cinematographer and documentarian in the DC metro area, NYC, and internationally. 

Faculty and Staff Achievement 

We are proud to announce that two Film at Mason employees have been announced as award winners at George Mason University’s 2022 Outstanding Achievement Awards Ceremony.  
Samantha Sinagra is the winner of the Exceptional Support Award. As our FAVS family knows, all aspects of the program move through Sam. We appreciate her ingenuity, creativity, generosity, kindness, and apparently boundless energy. We are thrilled that she is recognized by the greater Mason community for her hard work, her commitment, her remarkable emotional intelligence, and her patience. We commend her as well for earning her Master's degree in Arts Management last year. We are grateful beyond measure to know her. 
Professor KJ Mohr is the winner of the Adjunct Faculty Service Award. Professor Mohr has worked as an adjunct faculty member for Film at Mason for seven years. She's been instrumental in developing FAVS 225's resources, and she also teaches a Curating Course of her own invention. She has worked as well for the Visiting Filmmakers Series, as a curator, session host, and coordinator. We thank her for her thoughtfulness as a teacher and colleague, her brilliant insights, relentlessly even keel, and her understanding and promotion of curating is an art. 

Congratulations to our exceptional Film at Mason team members. We are proud to be working with you. 
Pictured left to right are pitch scholarship recipients from the 2021 Fall Film Showcase: Charles Grass, Mat Ross, Taj Kokayi, and Kate Kinkead.

Support Student Scholarships  

As part of our initiative to increase scholarship funds for next year, we are offering sponsorship opportunities to companies and individuals who want to support the Mason Film Festival and Mason’s Film and Video Studies Program and its students.  All monies will go to the Film at Mason Scholarship Fund to support 2022-2023 scholarships and tuition assistance for Film and Video Studies majors. The fund offers several tiers and benefits at the Mason Film Festival. For more information, visit here. 

Make your gift by Monday, April 25th for public recognition at this year's Mason Film Festival, running Wednesday, May 4 to Saturday, May 7, 2022. 
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A GIFT TODAY

Film Opportunities and Resources  

Open Submissions   

Learning Opportunities and Workshops   

  • National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences: Face Time with the Pros – Face Time with the Pros is a collection of online seminars designed to help students learn how to be better storytellers, perform on camera, and find out what hiring managers are really looking for.  April 5-7, 2022, from 7:00pm-9:00pm.  FREE, but registration is required.  Click on link above to register. For more information, visit here.
  • Locarno Residency – Offered through the Locarno Film Festival, this is a new tutorial pathway for young filmmakers working on their feature-length directorial debut. The Residency provides tutorial assistance and a first-feature development support screenwriting program, with both online sessions and in-person group workshops in Locarno.  Application deadline: May 2, 2022 

Scholarship Applications 

Internship and Job Opportunities 
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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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