School of Cinema announces new George and Judy Marcus Endowed Chairs
By Strategic Marketing and Communications
Filmmaker, scholar to join faculty in fall semester San Francisco State University has named Artel Great and Mayuran Tiruchelvam the George and Judy Marcus Endowed Chairs in the School of Cinema. They will join the University as assistant professors in cinema in the fall of 2020, bringing with them extensive backgrounds in both filmmaking and cinema scholarship.
Great and Tiruchelvam will lead new projects and coursework within the School of Cinema and contribute to the overall intellectual life of the University community, the Bay Area and beyond, says School of Cinema Director Celine Parreñas Shimizu. Tiruchelvam, who often features underrepresented groups in his own films, will teach filmmaking through a social justice lens. Great, whose scholarly work delves into the intellectual history, critical discourse, and aesthetics of Black cinema and visual culture, will teach courses in African American film studies.
Both new faculty members say what drew them to San Francisco State is the University’s ongoing commitment to social justice and equity, as well as the world-class School of Cinema. “In collaboration with students and colleagues at the School of Cinema, I hope to honor that tradition of resistance,” Tiruchelvam said.
“I look forward to teaching about the rich contributions, culture and politics of Black cinema in both the American context and across the African diaspora,” Great said.