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CVPA Announces Recipients of the 2026 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards

Emily Schneider — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:40:21 +0000

CVPA Announces Recipients of the 2026 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards Emily Schneider Mon, 02/02/2026 - 11:40

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�鶹��Ƶ’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) announces the recipients of the seventh round of its Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards.

Two alumni were chosen based on the artistic excellence, career impact, and feasibility of their proposals and will receive financial, marketing, and production support to have their projects presented by the College at a �鶹��Ƶ Arts venue during the 2026–27 season.

“The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is one of my favorite things within the broad spectrum of �鶹��Ƶ Arts. Every year we are lucky to be able to support, from among a very competitive group of applicants, some strong and compelling works of art, and this year’s are no exception,” stated College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Rick Davis. “They both happen to live in the film area this time, a testament to the vitality and accomplishment of that program and its graduates.”

Kenge BaNikongo (BA Theater, BA Film and Video Studies '21) Photo provided.

Kenge BaNikongo

BA Theater, BA Film and Video Studies ’21

Kenge BaNikongo received the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award and $5,000 in commissioning support for Wingz. A comedy-drama television series about fairies in the modern world, the script centers on a second-generation fairy grappling with the impacts of her magical abilities on her and her family as they navigate everyday life. The script explores the complexities of family and identity within the immigrant experience through a new lens, while incorporating a lighthearted element of fantasy. A storyteller at heart, BaNikongo wrote and directed three successful short films as a student at George �鶹��Ƶ, including Ring Ring, which was nominated for Best Writer and Best Lead Actress at the 2021 Couch Film Festival. The pilot episode script for Wingz was well-received at numerous industry festivals and competitions and will be filmed with the support of this new funding. Beyond her personal projects, she is currently a Production Coordinator for National Geographic, where BaNikongo collaborates on the development and creation of programming for National Geographic and Disney+. Thinking back about her experiences at George �鶹��Ƶ and what shaped her the most, BaNikongo remembered working to find and then refine her voice in a scriptwriting class with Professor Heather McDonald. “For the first time, I decided to write a dramedy just for fun. To my surprise, Professor McDonald really enjoyed it, and so did my family. I realized I knew what my ‘voice’ was; but I didn't think people would enjoy it. After being turned into a short film, that dramedy went on to do well in competitions and encouraged me to continue my writing journey! Now writing, acting, and directing are my passions as I continue to pursue projects that are true to my ‘voice’.”

Taj Kokayi (BA Film and Video Studies '22). Photo provided.

Taj Kokayi

BA Film and Video Studies ’22

Taj Kokayi received the Young Alumni Creative Development Award and $2,500 in commissioning support for The Ghost Writer, an Afrofuturistic body-horror short film examining the seductive and corrosive influence of generative AI on the creative process. Kokayi’s success in the Afrofuturism genre is well-documented; his 2020 experimental short, Woken From A Dream, won awards for Best Experimental and Best VFX and was selected for 15 international festivals. His follow-up film, White Mirror won awards including Best of Fest, Audience Award, and Best Short Screenplay. Kokayi is a fierce advocate for community and cooperative work, and founded an independent production company and writers group that gives young creatives an avenue to tell their own stories. Kokayi worked at The Daily Show with Trevor Noah before graduating from George �鶹��Ƶ, and followed that role with a stint as an NBC Page working at Focus Features and The Tonight Show. Community was an integral element of Kokayi’s experience of George �鶹��Ƶ, “Whether it was in Black Student Alliance (BSA); the Black, African-Heritage, and Caribbean Coalition (BLACC); the Film Advisory Board; or as a Resident Advisor, I always felt like I had a family on campus. I had countless memorable experiences at �鶹��Ƶ, and it's why I considered campus a second home. That's why I felt strongly about applying to the YACP program. I know that �鶹��Ƶ takes care of their own, whether they're still on campus or not.”

Over the past six years, 20 CVPA alumni have been granted awards anywhere from $2,500–$5,000 to support the creation of a new artistic work for projects in film, dance, visual art, music, and game design. To be considered for this year’s award, applicants must have graduated from CVPA from the class of 2015 and after. Proposals could include original new work in any art form suitable for performance, exhibition, or screening in a �鶹��Ƶ Arts venue. The size, length, duration, magnitude, and content are at the artist’s discretion. Potential venues include George �鶹��Ƶ’s traditional theater spaces, galleries, and cinemas, but proposals for non-traditional venues, including digital spaces, were also considered.

During the 2024–25 award cycle, Brianna Camp (Art and Visual Technology ’23) received the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award and $5,000 in commissioning support for Flare: Finding a Sense of Place in the Chronically Ill Body. This work will consist of a series of large-scale oil paintings, each accompanied by documentary photographs and poetry and will be exhibited on campus in Fairfax during 2026. Marina Vianello (Dance ’18) received the Young Alumni Creative Development Award and $2,500 in commissioning support for Three Generations of Bach, an intergenerational multimedia dance work. Vianello is working with her mother, Andrea Skowronek, a retired professional dancer, to recreate and blend together inspiration from an original dance work that Skowronek developed early in her career, set to music accompaniment from her own father. A performance of this work will premiere on campus in Fairfax during 2026.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists, and by donors to George �鶹��Ƶ’s previous Giving Day, including Shugoll Research.

�鶹��Ƶ the 2026 Award Recipients

Kenge BaNikongo(she/her) is a writer, producer, actor, and director who has a deep love of storytelling, which drew her to becoming a filmmaker. She gained a degree in Film Directing and Producing from �鶹��Ƶ in 2021, and her films have garnered her several accolades over the years. Through writing and directing comedy-dramas, she has found her voice in storytelling. Her fiction style is influenced by several directors and writers, such as Issa Rae and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. After graduating from George �鶹��Ƶ, she has been working for National Geographic/Disney, telling dynamic true stories based on history, culture, science, food, and exploration. Her passion for storytelling expands to all aspects of media as a freelance writer, director, and producer. She also works as an interviewer for Young Entertainment Magazine. During her time at George �鶹��Ƶ, she also received her Bachelor’s in Theatre Performance - Acting, and continues to act in short films and do voiceovers. No matter what, she is always creative!

Taj Kokayi (he/him) Taj Kokayi is an award-winning filmmaker and producer. His 2020 Afrofuturistic short film, Woken From A Dream, made the official selection for 15 film festivals across the world, winning five awards, including Best Experimental Film. His follow-up sociopolitical drama, White Mirror, has won awards including Best of Fest, Audience Award, and Best Short Screenplay. During his time at �鶹��Ƶ, he was a finalist for the Princess Grace Award for Film, was named George �鶹��Ƶ’s Black Artist of the Year (2020) and Social Media Activist of the Year (2021), and in 2022, he received the Spike Lee Directing Award. In 2022, he worked as an Intern and Production Assistant for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, before becoming an NBC Page at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. He has worked on the sets of features films, documentaries, music videos, corporate shoots, and alongside Academy Award-nominated directors.

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Film students spread the mission of a local nonprofit through the power of storytelling

Shayla Brown — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 17:57:37 +0000

Film students spread the mission of a local nonprofit through the power of storytelling  Shayla Brown Wed, 01/07/2026 - 12:57

�鶹��Ƶ film and video studies major Aryaman Kantawala knew that getting real-world experience was an essential part of building his career. But he wasn’t expecting to get as much creative free rein as he did on his most recent project. 

Kantawala is directing a student-produced documentary about  the nonprofit DC Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports children with cancer, as well as their families. 

The opportunity to direct the documentary came courtesy of Entertainment 2 Affect Change (E2AC), an organization that provides creative students and individuals the opportunity to use storytelling to share the mission and impact of local nonprofits.

Kantawala working on the documentary film. Photo provided.

E2AC is partnering with chapters from Delta Kappa Alpha (DKA), a national cinematic arts society open to all majors, including the George �鶹��Ƶ  chapter. 

“We talked to [E2AC], and they gave us some guidelines, but mostly they gave us a lot of freedom,” said Kantawala, who is part of the E2AC Student Fellowship program. 

Kantawala has mapped out the arc of the film, which will be shown at a DC Candlelighters’ fundraising event in March 2026. 

“We’re making a narrative of a family whose child was diagnosed with cancer, and our documentary will center on their lives and how they were impacted by this. Then we'll show how they found this amazing organization,” said Kantawala, a sophomore Honors College student and the networking chair for George �鶹��Ƶ’s DKA chapter. 

“We’ll show some of the organization events and then at the end of the documentary, we’ll loop back to the original family to see how the child is doing,” he said. 

Mel Moya-Jaldin is a senior film and video studies major with a concentration in producing and a minor in business who is also working on the film as a producer. She joined George �鶹��Ƶ’s DKA chapter in the fall of 2023 and is now the president.  

“I was very excited to hear about a huge national organization like E2AC wanting to work with young filmmakers and actually taking that initiative,” said Moya-Jaldin. 

Mel Moya-Jaldin (front, center) with other Delta Kappa Alpha members. Photo provided.

“From the first meeting, whether it was with the organization’s presidents or volunteers, I felt like I was connecting with a wider community, which is where you’d start for any kind of project, but especially nonfiction, documentary film work.”

Moya-Jaldin says she hopes to learn more about the logistical and business side of filmmaking as well as improve her public speaking skills so she can become more comfortable pitching films, “and also supporting any filmmakers that might be a little bit shy to put themselves out there," she said. 

“I’ve had two opportunities this semester to make videos similar to the one we’re making for DC Candlelighters. Thankfully, I’ve been able to apply the knowledge I’ve obtained from DKA and my courses to the work I’m doing for E2AC,” she said. “I'm learning about what it takes to work with a nonprofit and make content for them in real time, which is really cool.” 

“The DKA environment is really inspiring. Everyone is so knowledgeable and they really uplift the organization. I decided to focus on producing and hopefully eventually enter a leadership position within the organization and am very happy to have made it this far,” said Moya-Jaldin, who is partnered with Kantawala for the E2AC Student Fellowship program. 

The students say working with E2AC is a really good opportunity for young filmmakers who are trying to get their foot in the door while also supporting an important cause. 

“Their goals are definitely something that's aligned with me personally because I really want to find my footing in the filmmaking industry, but also make an impact on my community,” Moya-Jaldin said. 

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George �鶹��Ƶ student uses his passion for filmmaking to give back

ckearney — Wed, 07 May 2025 19:43:49 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ student uses his passion for filmmaking to give back ckearney Wed, 05/07/2025 - 15:43

�鶹��Ƶ Film and Video Studies student James Bah will graduate with a pretty impressive resumé.

James Bah (center right) directing his senior film, The Lick. Photo provided

At the 2024 Best of Film at George �鶹��Ƶ showcase, he screened his music video, The Show, which he directed for rapper Bobby Feeno, also known as former NFL running back Arian Foster. Bah, who was a content creator and uploading his own videos, met Foster when they were both streaming on the platform Twitch, and made a cameo appearance in the video.

“He reacted to one of my videos and we eventually got acquainted. I started editing content for him when I was still in high school,” said Bah, who is from Washington, D.C.

Bah traveled to Houston to direct the music video. “It was a fantastic experience and it still feels surreal that it happened. It was also my first time participating in Best of Film and a lot of people seemed to really enjoy it.”

The music video was also featured at the Washington West Film Festival in October.

The College of Visual and Performing Arts senior started off with an editing concentration before transitioning to a directing focus. “As a kid I didn't have cable, so I would watch highlights on YouTube and then I started to recreate those highlights and really got into editing,” said Bah.

After attending predominantly Black schools growing up, Bah wanted to connect with other Black filmmakers, “so I founded the Black Filmmakers Association (BFMA), whose mission is to bring together Black storytellers on campus,” said Bah.

James Bah (left) directing a film project. Photo provided

“A lot of the times you’ll see the same producers, directors, and cinematographers working on multiple projects together. The experience of being on set, that networking and collaborative culture, is essential in the film industry. BFMA provides us with those kinds of opportunities to get more projects on our reels,” said Bah, who is the president of the organization.

In addition to the Best of Film showcase, Bah has participated in numerous George �鶹��Ƶ film events, either featuring his own work or supporting the work of his peers and professors.

In 2024, Bah was the moderator for Professor Nikyatu Jusu’s film Nanny at George �鶹��Ƶ’s Visiting Filmmakers Series. “I was nervous at first, but I’d watched the film multiple times and we have a good relationship, so after a while it just turned into a conversation and was smooth sailing from there,” said Bah.

“Professor Jusu has been such an instrumental figure into my development and into my craft. I joke all the time that she’s my ‘auntie’ because we're both Sierra Leonian,” said Bah, who took FAVS 475 Advanced Fiction Directing with Jusu.

Bah said his early academic advisor Lori Yi and current BFMA faculty advisor Leonard Collins were also really impactful in supporting him throughout his academic journey.

“James is a really passionate filmmaker. I’ve enjoyed so many of his projects, but my favorite is his senior thesis project, The Lick, about the challenges of growing up in Southeast D.C. Even with just the first draft, I was in awe. He has a gift and he has something special with this film,” said Leonard Collins, BA Film and Video Studies ’20, a FAVS adjunct professor and teaching assistant.

“I see James giving back to the students of George �鶹��Ƶ and his community as an award-winning director, producer someday,” said Collins.

Bah has already been on a professional set as a location assistant on the Academy Award-nominated Netflix film Rustin. He learned about the opportunity while working at the nonprofit Life Pieces to Masterpieces as a videographer and mentor to grade school students.

“Location assistants are next to production assistants where they're essentially handymen doing what’s needed in order to keep everything on set moving. I spent a couple of weeks working 14-to-16-hour days on set. It was a lot of work, but I loved the experience. I was grateful for the opportunity and I had a blast,” said Bah.

In addition to working at Life Pieces to Masterpieces, Bah also worked at George �鶹��Ƶ’s Student Technology Assistance and Resource Lab, and did digital storytelling work for Project Create and CityWorks D.C.

“After graduation, I hope to be working with an organization where I can use my creative ambition to give back to community and help others by any means,” said Bah.

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This alumna was a production supervisor for the Oscar-winning film "Anora"

Shayla Brown — Fri, 02 May 2025 20:17:28 +0000

This alumna was a production supervisor for the Oscar-winning film "Anora"  Shayla Brown Fri, 05/02/2025 - 16:17

Only five years after graduating from �鶹��Ƶ, alumna Rhyan Elliott, Film and Video Studies ’20, was recently a production supervisor for the five-time Oscar-winning film Anora (2024), directed by Sean Baker.  

“I've always been interested in telling stories, but everything really started happening for me when I got to George �鶹��Ƶ,” said Elliott. 

Rhyan Elliott. Photo provided.

When she first arrived on campus, Elliott joined the student organization Delta Kappa Alpha (DKA), which focuses on the professional growth of students who hope to work in the cinematic arts. 

Although Elliott initially pursued a screenwriting concentration and had hoped to work in video game production, she soon realized she liked working in film production. 

“[With] DKA, I learned a lot more about myself as a creative artist and discovered that I also loved the office side of things, since we’re required to do a lot of different paperwork for events and things like that,” said Elliott.

Elliott credits George �鶹��Ƶ professor and award-winning filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu and her course FAVS 475 Advanced Fiction Directing for inspiring her. 

“Professor Jusu was very influential to me as a creative artist. I did a couple of projects for George �鶹��Ƶ’s Best of Film that are the results of her classes and guidance,” said Elliott. 

The two projects were the student short film Close Call, which won a student Capital Emmy and the short film, Always Carry a Bible, which she screened at the Washington West Film Festival for. 

“I had the pleasure of teaching Rhyan and was immediately struck by her unshakeable confidence and ability to harness a room,” said Jusu. 

“She is a talented, unique storyteller and thinker who bravely made her way to New York after graduating from �鶹��Ƶ. It comes as no surprise that she found her place in the crew of such a poignant indie film.”

George �鶹��Ƶ’s Film and Video Studies Program also requires its students to complete an internship before graduation. 

Rhyan Elliott (bottom right) with the Anora film crew. Photo provided.

 “I went to New York in summer of 2019 and worked on two films, Naked Singularity and Black Lady Goddess, as a production assistant, and everything just snowballed from there,” said Elliott, who has worked on multiple indie films, television shows, and A24 productions since graduating. 

She was also a health safety officer on sets in the wake of the pandemic. 

“We started pre-production for Anora in November 2022, so this has been a years-long journey,” said Elliott. 

As production supervisor, Elliott worked closely with the film’s line producer, managing the finances and budget of the film, and making sure that spending was on track with projections. 

“The cast and crew members are still pretty close, so we had an Oscars watch party at a really cool bar in New York,” said Elliott, who also attended the film’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France. 

“It’s surreal to think that this little movie that we put all of our blood, sweat, and tears into and worked so hard and passionately on is now on the big screen and receiving so much praise. There have been so many big moments that you don’t realize are building up to something so amazing,” she said. 

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This alumna’s first feature film is all about Him

Shayla Brown — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:43:42 +0000

This alumna’s first feature film is all about Him Shayla Brown Thu, 03/27/2025 - 09:43

�鶹��Ƶ alumna Rebecca Wahls’ directorial debut film Him centers on the last five contestants of a reality dating show, who discover that their potential “soulmate” isn’t what he seems to be.

"The screening was a really special opportunity to share the film with the George �鶹��Ƶ community, from my old classmates to current students. It was fun to talk with the students who asked such detail-oriented questions during the Q&A and after the screening," said Wahls, BA Theater ’15.

Rebecca Wahls (right) and Kira Omens on set of Him. Photo by Madeleine Murphy.

Wahls received the 2024 Young Alumni Creative Development Award from the Young Alumni Commissioning Project (YACP) for the film, which was screened in the Johnson Center Cinema on March 21.

“We immediately realized this was a topic that inspires big time conversation because a lot of people really don't know much about how reality TV works behind the scenes. For example, contestants aren’t allowed to have their cell phones with them, which is a big part of the film’s plotline,” said Wahls, who is also a writer and producer.

“The core theme of Him is that women in particular have to put on various masks in the different areas of their lives. In this scenario, the face that's being put on them is completely outside of their control,” she said.

Filming took place in January 2023 in Sedona, Arizona, over the course of 17 days. This film, which Wahls describes as an “anxious comedy,” is a partnership between Wahls and Tess Higgins. Higgins originally wrote the story as a stage play, which was previously directed by Wahls in Washington, D.C.

“There are always three movies: the one that you write, the one that you shoot, and the one that you ultimately edit that ends up being the final product. Every step of the way, Tess and I would reach out to people [for advice],” said Wahls.

“We went into production and reached out to everyone we knew who had successfully shot a feature film. Now we're going into editing or music, so we reach out to everyone who has successfully done that. Every round of that there are fewer and fewer people to reach out to, so I think it's a huge achievement to have finished it as quickly as we did and as well as we did,” she said.

After the film was finished, they began submitting it to festivals and sought distribution for it.

A still of the film Him. Image provided.

Wahls said she and Higgins applied for the YACP funds so they could hire a lawyer for the protection and distribution of the film.

“This grant was really essential, and we couldn’t be doing what we’re doing without it,” she said.

The film premiered at the Sedona International Film Festival and has been screened at nine festivals total, including the Richmond International Festival, the Three Rivers Film Festival, the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, and the Ampersand International Arts Festival at the College of William & Mary, where Higgins graduated from in 2015.

In addition to Wahls, there are several other George �鶹��Ƶ alumni involved in the film. The lead character Jenna is played by Kira Omans BA Theater ’17, and behind the scenes, Eric Stenmark, BA Film and Video Studies ’13, was the VFX supervisor; Noah Peterson, BA Theater ’18, was first assistant director; and Keenan Gibson, BA Theater ’18, was a production assistant.

Other cast members include Sydney Battle, a co-host of the "Diss and Tell” podcast; Kyle Prue, a TikToker with 1.2M followers; and Troy Baker, a voice actor who originated the voice of ‘Joel’ on The Last of Us video games.

Left to right: Tess Higgins, Margaret Berkowitz, and Rebecca Wahls. Photo by Madeleine Murphy.

Wahls is also active in George �鶹��Ƶ’s Acting for Young People (AFYP) program within the �鶹��Ƶ Community Arts Academy (MCAA).

“From the moment I met Rebecca in her freshman year, she stood out as vibrant and whip-smart,” said AYFP artistic director and MCAA executive director Mary Lechter, who was one of Wahls’ first acting teachers. Lechter and Wahls have remained friends and collaborators.

“I am in awe of Rebecca’s wisdom, artistry, vision, and humanity, and am proud to support her in this and every endeavor,” Lechter added.

“Mary continues to be one of the most influential people in my life and is a huge supporter of this film along with her husband, Kevin Murray. When I think about my [George] �鶹��Ƶ family, it's them,” said Wahls, who will direct The 39 Steps for MCAA’s Advanced Actors' Showcase this summer.

After graduating from George �鶹��Ƶ, Wahls cofounded the nonprofit theater Who What Where Productions. She also earned her Master of Fine Arts in directing from Carnegie Mellon in 2023 where she was a John Wells Fellow. She currently teaches Acting for the Camera, Musical Theater, and Adaptation at Duke University as an artist-in-residence.

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Film and Video students take home Capital Emmy Student Production Awards

Shayla Brown — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 13:59:06 +0000

Film and Video students take home Capital Emmy Student Production Awards Shayla Brown Tue, 02/11/2025 - 08:59

Students from �鶹��Ƶ’s Film and Video Studies Program collaborated in the classroom to create films that earned them their first Capital Emmy Student Production Awards. These awards, sponsored by the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, recognize outstanding achievement in video production in the region.

“I knew I loved editing my whole life. When I was a little kid, I thought ‘I'm going to be a famous YouTuber and make videos,’” said senior film major Xavier Jimenez, who received an award in the commercial category for “Media Production Program: Behind the Scenes.”

Xavier Jimenez directing his promotional video. Photo provided.

“It wasn't until my senior year [in high school] that I realized editing kind of falls into film, and I started researching more about videography and cinematography,” said Jimenez, who has a minor in photography.

During his junior year, Jimenez took COMM 358 Multi-Camera Studio Production with Department of Communication instructor David Miller at the Student Video Center.

“That semester was my first time meeting Professor Miller. I showed him some of my previous video work of our basketball and soccer teams, and asked if I could borrow the Sony FX3 camera,” explained Jimenez, who also creates content for George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics.

Miller was thoroughly impressed by Jimenez’s videography skills, permitting him to use the new camera on the condition that he create a “behind-the-scenes” promotional video for the course aimed at prospective students. This project, directed, shot, and edited by Jimenez with Miller’s guidance, ultimately earned him his first Emmy Award.

“I always tell my students that the only prerequisites for my course are curiosity and hard work. I noticed that right away in Xavier,” said David Miller, who is the media production coordinator in the Department of Communication. “Honestly, Xavier appears to have an innate talent, and giving him additional challenges and opportunities will only help him reach new heights—he’s just that good.”

The promotional video was finalized in May 2024, and Miller submitted it to be considered for the award.

George �鶹��Ƶ alumnus Mauricio Alarcon, BA Film and Video Studies ’24, also received a Capital Emmy Student Production Award in the Fiction-Long Form category for his film “La Vida.”

Mauricio Alarcon (center) directing his film, "La Vida." Photo provided.

He wrote and directed the film under the guidance of his supervisor, Film and Video Studies professor Thomas Britt. Alarcon created the film across three semesters involving two courses: FAVS 498 Development for Senior Project and FAVS 499: Senior Project.

“I wrote about 10 drafts of the script with Professor Britt and I received meaningful feedback every time,” said Alarcon. “It was nice to always have him in my corner supporting and reassuring me that I could do it. He helped me make sure the story could be told in the most impactful way.”

Britt, whose guidance covered everything from the initial script draft to the final sound mix, said he was proud, but not surprised by Alarcon winning an Emmy Student Production Award.

“It was a pleasure to work with Mauricio across three semesters on this project,” said Britt. “His vision for the film was strong from the beginning, so much of what I did was intended to help him bring that to the screen without losing his enthusiasm or purpose for the film.”

Alarcon has many excellent qualities, said Britt, but one that stands out is his follow-through.

“At every stage of the filmmaking process, he showed that he could deliver on that ambition, so he always backed up his goals with results that meant he did not have to compromise,” Britt said.

Alarcon’s film centers on a 17-year-old boy named Jorge who is the son of immigrants and whose aspirations to make his high school soccer team are halted by his father’s sudden absence and having to take care of his younger sister, Alarcon said.

Mauricio Alarcon (center) directing his film, "La Vida." Photo provided.

“I wanted to diversify the Latino American narratives. The Latino population in the DMV is primarily Central American, meaning El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras. I was lucky enough to work with Xavier, who's also El Salvadoran, as assistant camera,” said Alarcon, who minored in global affairs.

Alarcon’s film crew was made up of fellow film majors who he met during his time in the program. He was able to secure his locations through connections in the Arlington community, filming at his elementary school and local apartments buildings, as well as on George �鶹��Ƶ’s soccer fields.

“La Vida” was shown at the �鶹��Ƶ Film Festival, the Georgia Latino Film Festival, International Kolkata Short Film Festival, and the Chandler International Film Festival.

Alarcon, who hopes to continue telling Latin American narratives, is currently in grad school at Loyola Marymount University studying film and television production.

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Alum advocates for authentic storytelling in the film industry

Shayla Brown — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:01:28 +0000

Alum advocates for authentic storytelling in the film industry Shayla Brown Mon, 11/18/2024 - 10:01

Since graduating from �鶹��Ƶ, alum Alex Plank, BA Film and Video Studies ’10, has worked professionally on films and television series as an associate producer and actor. Plank is also an autism activist who works toward more authentic neurodiverse representation in media.

“I want my work to show audiences that autistic people have our own stories to tell, which I think general audiences will relate to and benefit from learning from,” said Plank, who founded WrongPlanet.net, the largest online community for autism, while still in high school.

Alex Plank being interviewed by student Madison Koren. Photo by Samantha Sinagra.

Plank recently worked as an associate producer and actor on the film Ezra. The film follows the parents of an autistic son, Ezra, played by actor Willian A. Fitzgerald, as they go through a divorce. Ezra’s father, played by Bobby Cannavale, takes him on an adventurous road trip where they encounter old friends and new places. Plank plays a doctor assisting the family after the titular character has an accident.

Also appearing in the film are Rose Bryne, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert De Niro, and Tony Goldwyn, the director of the film. Getting to know Robert de Niro was a highlight, Plank said.

On October 22, Ezra was screened at the Johnson Center Cinema as part of George �鶹��Ƶ’s Visiting Filmmakers Series. Plank did a post-screening Q&A where fans and fellow George �鶹��Ƶ students heard about his experience on set, during which he acted as a consultant, guiding the cast and crew throughout the filming process.

“William is such a great person and actor, and I wanted to make sure to give him space and freedom while we were filming,” said Plank. “I remember for one scene, he was wearing a dinosaur costume and in between takes he kept turning back and forth, swinging his tail around.”

“He would stop while filming, but it was so natural. I showed it to Tony [Goldwyn] and he loved it so we kept that movement in the film,” he explained.

Other works of Plank’s include acting and/or producing on ABC’s The Good Doctor and FX’s The Bridge.

Plank says his courses with College of Visual and Performing Arts professors Cynthia Fuchs and Ed Gero were essential in preparing him to take on jobs such as these.

A still from the film Ezra featuring actors, from left to right, Robert de Niro, Bobby Cannavale, and William A. Fitzgerald. Photo by Bleeker Street Media LLC.

“Alex is very self-aware, and he knows how he operates. He's managed to turn that into a remarkable career,” said Gero. “He's also a terrific role model for so many people. I'm so proud and grateful that I was able to have an impact on him.”

Gero said that the importance of social and physical cues in acting is something he and Plank worked on a lot during their time together in his courses.

“Responding to physicality or facial gestures is a different experience for Alex, so how do we navigate that?” said Gero, who taught Plank in an Acting I course. “Together, we developed a physical vocabulary where we would look for a gesture or change of voice perhaps; some kind of cue that would give you the information for us to ask ‘how do I interpret that?’ and communicate to an audience that you've received it.”

Gero and Plank have kept in touch since Plank graduated from George �鶹��Ƶ, which included Plank traveling to Pasadena to see Gero portray Antonin Scalia in The Originalist.

“I was just so delighted that he was even aware that I was doing this,” said Gero.

Plank is also a public speaker who has attended international conferences and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, on the Committee for Disability.

“I think it’s important to also look at diversity in disability and make sure we’re representing autistic people who don’t necessarily look like me,” said Plank.

Connect with George �鶹��Ƶ's Alumni Association

In This Story

Alex Plank

Edward Gero

Cynthia Fuchs

This content appears in the Spring 2025 print edition of the �鶹��Ƶ Spirit Magazine with the title "Advocating for Authentic Storytelling in the Film Industry."

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Young Alumni Commissioning Project helps CVPA grad share her grandfather’s story through film

Shayla Brown — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 16:50:06 +0000

Young Alumni Commissioning Project helps CVPA grad share her grandfather’s story through film Shayla Brown Tue, 02/20/2024 - 11:50

Award-winning composer and songwriter William (Bill) Salter is the subject of the feature-length documentary, Just the Two of Us, named after his Grammy Award-winning hit song. He is also the grandfather of the filmmaker and �鶹��Ƶ alumna Jada Salter.

Jada Salter (right), Bill Salter (middle right), and family. Photo provided.

Salter created the film after receiving a 2021-22 Young Alumni Commissioning Project (YACP) from �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) and with encouragement from her professors as well as former classmate and executive producer on the film, Taylor Spears. Salter premiered the documentary at �鶹��Ƶ on Feb. 3, as her 87-year-old grandfather watched remotely on Zoom.

“I really enjoyed the freedom of creating what I had envisioned in my head. I sat down [to write] my vision for the film and did not hold anything back,” said Salter, who majored in film and video studies with a concentration in editing.

The application process for the YACP “happened overnight,” said Salter, who said she learned of the project the same day applications were due. “It’s all a blur now, but Taylor called me, and we spent all night just writing and writing trying to figure out the best way to describe this film that we had no idea how we were going to make.”

Thanks to the commissioning project, 16 CVPA alumni have been granted awards anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 in the past five years to support the creation of new artistic works in film, dance, visual art, music, and game design.

Salter got the idea for the documentary after hearing Will Smith’s remake of the hit song that was originally performed by Bill Withers and written by her grandfather, Withers and Ralph MacDonald. She made a post on Tik Tok explaining her family’s history with the song, which gained a lot of attention. “Just the Two of Us” was simultaneously going viral on the social media app at the time.

As a child, Salter wanted to be a singer, so her grandfather tried teaching her how to play the guitar. But she struggled to get the hang of it.

“He told me ‘You don't have to be a singer. You don't have to be on stage directly. You can do something like me behind the scenes.’ Now I'm doing that and I'm very happy he gave me that advice,” said Salter, who transferred to �鶹��Ƶ from Rutgers University in 2018 and graduated from �鶹��Ƶ in December 2020.

Although Salter’s film mainly focuses on her grandfather, who was born in Harlem, New York, in 1936, it also heavily features other family members and accomplished musicians, who impacted her grandfather’s life and career.

Featured individuals include Salter’s ex-wife and Jada’s grandmother, Olive, and musicians including Dennis Collins. The film also includes footage of accomplished Motown artists recording and performing songs written by Salter and his partners.

“I wanted to show just how much of a passion piece this film is to me; how it would honor my grandfather and his legacy,” said Salter. “I am his biggest fan, so I wanted to shed light on him and his work as not many people know who is responsible for so many songs that are listened to worldwide.”

Following the screening at �鶹��Ƶ, Salter spoke with �鶹��Ƶ film professor Lisa Thrasher about the film. Salter said her film editing classes with faculty members Maura Ugarte and Amanda Kraus helped with her storytelling and script writing.

“The best part of the film was seeing the love of her family and the way Jada conveyed how her beautiful family is a huge part of American history,” Thrasher said.

Salter, who is currently a video producer at the U.S. Department of Justice, is brainstorming future projects including travel videos, more artists’ stories, and other professionals who have done groundbreaking work behind the scenes, “so they can get the shine they deserve,” she said.

In This Story

Lisa Thrasher

Maura Ugarte

Amanda Kraus

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This content appears in the Fall 2024 print edition of the �鶹��Ƶ Spirit Magazine with the title "Just the Two of Them."

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�鶹��Ƶ film student’s inclusive festival celebrates its second year

Shayla Brown — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 20:27:11 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ film student’s inclusive festival celebrates its second year Shayla Brown Fri, 01/05/2024 - 15:27

As a film student at �鶹��Ƶ, Roberto Ferreira De Araujo wanted to celebrate diversity and highlight the full spectrum of experiences represented by the LGBTQ+ community.

During his first semester at �鶹��Ƶ in fall 2022, Ferreira De Araujo and two of his classmates created the Here and Queer Film Festival as a final project for KJ Mohr’s FAVS 399 Curating and Programming course.

Roberto Ferreira de Araujo posing with the 'Here and Queer Festival' poster during on screening day. Photo provided.

“Growing up, I didn't see a lot of films with queer characters, and when I did, they always involved crimes, violence, and diseases,” said the film and video studies major. “I struggled to find a film that I really loved, so I attempted to find those films with this festival.”

“Roberto is building a safe and celebratory space for communities at �鶹��Ƶ in particular. It comes at a crucial time with the majority of students being in their late teens and early twenties,” said Mohr, who is the director of the Maryland Film Festival and the director of programming for the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Florida. 

“It's such a crucial moment in one's life to be grappling with these issues and to feel that net of support can be, frankly, a matter of life and death,” she said.

Ferreira De Araujo found inspiration to create the festival after completing an internship with the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in the summer of 2022, where he was involved in programming films, he said.

“I knew that I wanted to make something around films and showcasing films,” said Ferreira De Araujo, who transferred to �鶹��Ƶ from Northern Virginia Community College and is graduating this spring. “I would spend 40 hours a week just watching films and writing notes about it, creating lists of the themes and how would that be presented.”

The first festival was such a success that Ferreira De Araujo decided to hold a second iteration this November in the Johnson Center. “I received such positive feedback [last year] and noticed a strong interest in a second edition. It motivated me to start working on this year's programming,” he said.

The 2023 festival featured short films from all over the world including work from �鶹��Ƶ students and faculty, including Djola Branner, director of �鶹��Ƶ’s School of Theater, whose film, Mighty Real, was shown at the festival.

“It’s important to me to show more queer films and have more representation. I'm trying to put content out there that I wish I had when I was [younger],” said De Araujo. “These films not only provide entertainment but also contribute to meaningful conversations surrounding queer experiences.”

“I wanted people to [leave the festival] with the assurance that no matter what, they would always have a community out there that celebrates and supports them,” he said.

Additional reporting by Katarina Benson.

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The Student Academy Awards recognized this student-directed film

Shayla Brown — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:56:06 +0000

The Student Academy Awards recognized this student-directed film Shayla Brown Mon, 11/06/2023 - 12:56

Andrew Opitz first came to �鶹��Ƶ as a freshman over a decade ago. After taking a hiatus from school, he graduated from the Film and Video Studies (FAVS) Program in May 2023. Opitz’s film, Jazz, which he directed for his senior capstone, was a semi-finalist in the Student Academy Awards Alternative/Experimental category.

^{“Jazz started years ago when I first came to �鶹��Ƶ as a student. I would be driving, and little ideas would come into my head, but they were very skeletal, shallow ideas,” said Opitz.}

Film and Video Studies students at the Best of Film at �鶹��Ƶ 2023.

Photo by Emily Schneider/CVPA

"Film was the first art that swept me off my feet. Music inspires me just as much,” said Opitz, who enjoys listening to different eras of music from the 40s to the 70s.

Opitz describes the film as a story about a jazz musician, “trying to get to a show and we’re under the impression that he’s playing in front of thousands of people at this theater,” said Opitz, “but when we get there, he’s playing on the street. That little twist that he is technically playing at that theater and in front of lots of people who are passing by was all I had. The hard part was fleshing it out.”

Opitz’s film, along with seven of his classmates' films, was featured at the annual �鶹��Ƶ Film Festival, hosted by FAVS program director Cynthia Fuchs.

Although Opitz’s film received much acclaim after its release, he and his team faced challenges throughout the filming process.

“There are problems every which way you turn, especially with student films where it's very spur of the moment and you do what you can. Problem solving is probably the biggest job of a lot of the people on the set. That's the nature of filmmaking,” said Opitz.

Andrew Opitz during the Q&A portion of Best of Film.

Photo by Emily Schneider/CVPA

Iana Lee, a senior film and video studies major with a concentration in producing, joined the production team of Jazz in the early stages after signing up at one of �鶹��Ƶ’s production fairs.

“�鶹��Ƶ has a great filmmaking community. Everyone is very much motivated to be making films and everyone wants to get involved, which is very helpful when you need to pull people together for a film crew,” said Lee. “The professors at �鶹��Ƶ are knowledgeable and experienced in filmmaking. They will support you through the process and that was what I needed, so we're supported from all sides of the community, which is nice.”

Rebekah Wingert-Jabi is a Peabody Award-winning filmmaker and adjunct professor in �鶹��Ƶ’s FAVS Program.

"There is deep talent and ability among the film students at �鶹��Ƶ,” said Wingert-Jabi who helped the students to make small edits including color and sound adjustments to their films. “These tweaks can make the difference between a film that is almost where it needs to be and a film that is polished. Andrew had the patience to go through that tedious process with Jazz, and it clearly paid off."

“It’s been a saga getting to the finish line, but I finally did it,” said Opitz.

Learn more about �鶹��Ƶ's Film and Video Studies

Film was the first art that swept me off my feet. Music inspires me just as much.”

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Rebekah Wingert-Jabi

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