 |
 |
|
| MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2026
| |
|
Mason Film Festival 2026
The 2026 Mason Film Festival will take place in the Harris Theatre on May 8th and May 9th, 2026.
This year, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Film and Video Studies (FAVS at 20) with exciting events that will take place during the Mason Film Festival.
FAVS at 20 recognizes the growth of Film and Video Studies over the last two decades and honors alumni from the FAVS B.A., FAMS and FAVS minors, and MAIS concentration in Film and Video. Our events will give alumni a chance to catch up, share new projects, old stories, and future goals
Registration is open! Please register for each event separately.
| |
Important Information regarding Saturday May 9th events:
The Advanced Fiction Filmmaking Showcase on Saturday, May 9th may sell out. You must register to attend. We recommend reserving seats as early as possible.
Check-in & Entry
The afternoon opens at 1:00pm with the Alumni Roundtable, directly before the Advanced Fiction Showcase. Guests registered for both events will receive a Special Access wristband during their initial check-in. Attending the Alumni Roundtable ensures early check-in and early entry to Harris Theatre for the remainder of the afternoon.
For more information and to view the events schedule, visit our event website.
| |
Meet Our Poster Designer
Cole Rawson is the graphic designer behind the poster and visual identity for the 2026 Mason Film Festival and FAVS at 20 celebration.
Cole is a junior FAVS major with a concentration in Directing. He has worked as a graphic designer and photographer for over seven years, currently with the Film and Video Studies Program. Cole has also participated in more than a dozen professional and student film sets, both in front of and behind the camera. Outside of filmmaking, his interests include baseball, music, movie poster design, and LEGO.
| |
Mason Film Festival:
Emerging Filmmaker Award
The Emerging Filmmaker Award recognizes FAVS 499 students who have completed most of their coursework and are nearing graduation. The recipient(s) of this award will demonstrate artistic excellence, advanced technical skills, and exceptional potential in the film industry.
Requirements:
- Open to students in FAVS 499 (Apex) Career Seminar.
- Students submit an Artist Statement and two work samples. The work samples must have been made in a FAVS class.
- Work samples can include fiction, documentary, TV and digital, experimental, and music video work, script, pitch deck, or reel.
- Film/Reel/Video – 10 minutes or less (not including credits)
- Script – 10 pages or less (may include an excerpt)
- Pitch deck – 10 pages or slides or less
Portfolio Deadline: April 20, 2026
Jury: The portfolios are juried by Film alumni and industry professionals. The winner(s) will be announced at the Mason Film Festival.
| |
Visiting Filmmakers Series
| |
Thank you to everyone who came to support our Spring 2026 Visiting Filmmakers Series. Filmmaker Mahrya MacIntire visited George Mason for two events. On March 24, she showed her film, An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th, followed by an engaging discussion hosted by Sam Lebovic. She also stopped by a FAVS film production class to discuss themes from her work-in-progress, Muscle Memory, including how individuals and communities can process trauma and navigate neurodivergence through movement and somatic practices. Mahrya discussed "nontraditional" camera placements, editing, and sound techniques, while also addressing the management of overwhelm and anxiety on
set through coping strategies like breathwork.
| |
Registration Reminder
Summer registration has begun. Seats are still available in the following FAVS courses:
| |
FAVS 250 Business of Film
Session F | Online Async
Instructor: Professor Lisa Thrasher
This course provides an overview of the film and television industry from a business perspective. Students learn basic filmed entertainment business practices and protocol, including film financing, copyright & trademark, anti-trust, trademark, IP licensing, agents & managers, entertainment unions & guilds, film distribution, and marketing techniques.
| |
FAVS 255 Film Production
Session A | Tuesdays and Thursdays
10:30-3:00pm | AB 1007
Instructor: Professor Ben Steger
This course is a hands-on methods course in film production. Through practice, reading, film viewing and discussions, you will be introduced to the art and activity of digital filmmaking across film genres. Reading, writing, and production assignments help students plan for their creative choices.
| |
FAVS 280 Screenwriting: Introduction
Session C | Online Async Instructor: Professor Amanda Kraus
This course is an introduction to screenwriting through lecture, discussion, and critiques of exercises and written works. By the end of the semester, each student will have produced a variety of analyses and/or blueprints for creative projects including short fiction, scripted television, collaborative fiction, and other forms.
| |
Academic Advising Appointments
Fall 2026 registration is around the corner. Be sure to check your registration time ticket on Patriot Web. Registration starts on April 14th.
To schedule an academic advising appointment, please email interim advisors Samantha Sinagra (sbeach2@gmu.edu) and Cynthia Fuchs (cfuchs@gmu.edu) with your name, availability, and reason for appointment.
We recommend you review Mason Degree Audit and Fall 2026 classes on Patriot Web before meeting.
| |
Local Film Festival: Bethesda Film Fest
April 10-11, 2026 | Bethesda, MD
The Bethesda Film Fest the only film festival in the region that exclusively features documentary shorts made by local filmmakers. The lineup consists of documentary
films that cover a range of topics, from a young Ukrainian refugee who finds solace in her music, to a historic swim from the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
For more information and tickets: www.bethesda.org/bethesda-film-fest/
| |
Faculty and Alumni Achievement
| |
From left to right: Shawn Malangyaon (FAVS alum), Paul Douglas Michnewicz (Director of Arts and Culture, RCC), Rebekah Wingert-Jabi, Bodhi Bryan-Roig (FAVS alum) and Olivia Williams (FAVS alum).
| |
Professor Rebekah Wingert-Jabi and a team of FAVS alumni recently filmed This Land: An Evening with Lara Downes and Judy Collins. The performance features Downes on piano and Collins performing beloved hits that explore "American promise."
The captured performance will be developed into a short documentary produced by Rebekah and edited by alum Bodhi Bryan-Roig. The film also highlights Lara's preview of "Life," a five-minute solo piano piece by Valerie Coleman, which was co-commissioned by the Reston Community Center ahead of its premiere at Lincoln Center.
| |
Faculty Accomplishment
Professor Lisa Thrasher served as an industry expert for an online workshop hosted by Mason Korea’s student Film Club, "Take 5."
| |
Staff Spotlight
Ronae Jones, Marketing and Events Coordinator, is receiving the Rising Star Award at George Mason University’s Outstanding Achievement Awards. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional potential and growth within their role during their brief time at the university. The recipient shows initiative, dedication, and a clear trajectory toward future leadership and success.
Help us celebrate Ronae on Tuesday, April 14 in Dewberry Hall from 10:00am-11:30am at the award ceremony.
| |
Film Opportunities and Resources
Festival Submissions:
Student Program:
- Venice Intensive Student Program (September 1-September 9, 2026)
The Venice Intensive is a student program hosted by The American Pavilion (AmPav) at the Venice International Film Festival. It is designed to immerse students and emerging filmmakers in the world's oldest film festival through industry screenings, cultural excursions, and networking with film professionals.
Late Deadline: July 6, 2026. Apply here.
| |
Did you miss our last newsletter?
Check out the archives here.
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
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 George Mason alumni. Keep up-to-date on all the current Film at George 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
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
