It was a busy Spring 2024 semester with a lots of excitement that continued through the summer. Here are some photos from the 2024 Cinema Graduation to start off this newsletter. Congratulations to our wonderful Class of 2024!
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR MIHAELA MIHAILOVA'S EDITED CORALINE VOLUME WINS AWARD
Assistant Professor Mihaela Mihailova’s edited volume Coraline: A Closer Look at Studio LAIKA’s Stop-Motion Witchcraft (Bloomsbury, 2021) won the 2024 Norman McLaren/Evelyn Lambart Award for Best Edited Collection in Animation. The award is administered by the Society for Animation Studies, an international organization dedicated to the study of animation history and theory founded in 1987.
PROF. McBRIDE'S NEW BOOK ON GEORGE CUKOR
Professor Joseph McBride has written a critical study, George Cukor's People: Acting for a Master Director, that will be published in November by Columbia University Press. The queer director of classic films such as Sylvia Scarlett, The Philadelphia Story, Adam’s Rib, A Star Is Born, and My Fair Lady gravitated to socially adventurous, subversively rule-breaking dreamers who are often sexually transgressive and gender-fluid in ways that seem strikingly modern today. Katharine Hepburn told Cukor, “All the people in your pictures are as goddamned good as they can possibly be, and that’s your stamp.”
Q&A WITH RYO MATSUMOTO
On May 17th, our CINE102 Introduction to Contemporary Cinema course (taught by Michel Fraser) hosted a Q&A with Ryo Matsumoto — a 2012 graduate of our undergraduate program. Matsumoto was on the Visual Effects team that won this year's Oscar for Godzilla Minus One.
Photos: Matsumoto pictured with Oscar, and Matsumoto with the director of Godzilla Minus One Takashi Yamazaki.
UNIVERSITY FILM AND VIDEO ASSOCIATION FELLOW: ANNIE PANCAK VOGT
Annie Pancak Vogt, a third year M.F.A. student, was recently named a University Film and Video Association Fellow. The fellowship provides a select group of students with financial support to attend the annual UFVA conference and the opportunity to participate in a Fellows Program that offers professional development and helps graduate students position themselves for the academic job market. In addition to the fellowship, Annie's first-year film, Conceiving Our Future, was selected to be screened during the conference. With this screening, Annie has ensured her film will eventually count toward promotion and tenure as a peer-reviewed work.
M.F.A FILM ACCEPTED BY CHARLOTTE BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
M.F.A. graduate student Jesse Sutterley’s first year film, Velda: A Mother’s Story of Suicide, was accepted by Charlotte Black Film Festival. Jesse’s film is also a semi-finalist for the prestigious Dumbo Film Festival out of New York, and is in being looked at by several additional festivals. In the poignant and thought-provoking short film, Jesse introduced us to a distressed mother, Velda, as she recounts the tragic tale of her son, Michael, who battles inner demons after being sent to war.
LATINO/A/X FILM CLUB ATTENDS MEXICAN-AMERICAN FILM AND TV AWARDS
In May of 2024, Prof. Rafael Flores and the Latino/a/x Film Club attended the Mexican-American Film and TV Awards in Hollywood where their latest collaborative film “We Can’t Breathe” was nominated for Best Short Film. Many alumni and current students who worked on the film attended the red-carpet ceremony where they met legendary filmmakers from the Chicano/Mexican-American community in Los Angeles.
SPRING CONVOCATION
In May of 2024, we hosted our annual Spring Convocation for our graduating seniors in the School of Cinema. We had a great turnout as Director Aaron Kerner and our faculty hosted a celebration to send off our graduating students in true SF state Gator fashion. It was so lovely to see so many friends and family gathering for the 2024 cinema graduation as we celebrated the amazing work our students produced last academic year.
March Community Building Committee Movie Night
The March Community Building Committee Movie Night turned into a fun hang out when the movie was sold out! Hope to see you at future events!
FEMINIST FILMMAKER FELLOWSHIP (F3)
The Feminist Filmmaker Fellowship (F3) aims to provide an open and safe space, virtual or in-person, advocating for womxn and non-binary filmmakers. Our events allow leadership development to flourish by listening to members to help bring their ideas to life.
Follow us on Instagram @feministfilmmakerfellowship for all our updates and to help us make some films.
JOIN QUEER CINEMA COALITION
Queer Cinema Coalition ensures a safe and creative space for LGBTQ+ filmmakers on campus to learn how to make our mark in an industry that doesn’t prioritize our voices. Through guest speakers, screenings/discussions, and community organizing, we build life-long connections to help us survive and thrive as filmmakers at SF State and beyond.
Follow us on Instagram @queercinemacoalition.
JOIN THE ANIMATION SOCIETY
The Animation Society strives to educate and provide an inclusive space for creative SF State students to learn about and discover a love for animation.
Email: animationsocietyatsfsuofficial@gmail.com
Website: Animation Society Wixsite
Instagram: @animationsocietysfsu
Dear Prospective Students:
The School of Cinema offers in-person tours of our facilities. Please make an appointment by contacting the Cinema Office at cinema@sfsu.edu.
- Pablo Riquelme: Production Coordinator
Saturday, June 1, 2024
- Fall '24 CSU Fully Online / AB 386 Incoming Registration Begins
Saturday, July 27, 2024
- Fall '24 Open Registration for All Students Begins
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
- Fall '24 Academic Semester Begins
- Fall '24 College & Department Meetings
Thursday, August 22, 2024
- Fall '24 UNIVERSITY CONVOCATION (Morning)/ College Meetings (Afternoon)
Friday, August 23, 2024
- Fall '24 Academic Workday
Sunday, August 25, 2024
- Fall '24 CSU Fully Online / AB 386 Incoming Registration Ends
- Fall '24 Open Registration for All Students Ends
Monday, August 26, 2024
- Fall '24 First Day of Instruction
- Fall '24 Payment Due Date for All New International Students Including new graduate students
- Fall '24 Adding Classes | Permission numbers ARE NOT required to add most classes Begins