Recent graduates showed their films, met industry experts and alumni and practiced the fine art of networking.
Twenty SVA graduates from 10 film-related academic programs joined members of the College's faculty and administrative staff before the screening of SVA Premieres at the Linwood Dunn theater on June 1 in Hollywood.
Excitement filled the air in Hollywood’s historic Linwood Dunn theater on June 1 as nearly 200 people filed into seats to see SVA Premieres, the annual showcase of film, animation and visual effects thesis projects by newly minted alumni of the School of Visual Arts. This year’s “tight-90”-minute screening of work by 20 recent graduates of 10 film-related SVA undergraduate and graduate programs ran the gamut of styles and subjects, but several connective threads emerged. One was the theme of mortality—hardly surprising, given the pervasiveness of the pandemic in society and culture during the past three years. But Adam Natale, director of the SVA Theatre—who organized the event with Angie Wojak (BFA 1990 Media Arts), executive director of External Relations—was quick to reassure in his welcome remarks. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean these films are heavy,” he said. “In fact it’s quite the opposite with some of these films. They won’t get ya down.”
Indeed, gallows humor rippled through several of the selections, including The Everything Is OK Show, by Milo Ferguson (BFA 2023 Animation), which imagined a variety show where the dead get a chance to fulfill their last wish; How to Kill a Lanternfly, Stefany Yoon Park’s (BFA 2023 Design) graphical exploration of methods of obliterating the beautiful but resistant pests, ranging from a stiletto heel to an atomic warhead; and in Skunk Bite, the festival’s first horror film, by Kelly Quinn and Joseph Rana (both BFA 2023 Film), where a college student contracts the dreaded Zombie Skunk Bite Disease. A more poignant look at the cycle of life was revealed in Dulce by Lok Cheang, Kevin Class and Aleyda Ortiz (all BFA 2023 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects), in which a mother gently answers her young child’s difficult questions about mortality.
This year, three documentaries made the lineup—the most in SVA Premieres’ eight-year history—and two of them explored the healing power of nature, albeit from very different perspectives and environments. What We Discover Along the Way, by Rose Vincelli Gustine (MFA 2023 Visual Narrative; director of operations, MFA Social Documentary Film) focuses on an herbalist tending the Bronx River Foodway, a green oasis offering sustenance, natural medicine and a throughline to ancestry, while Where the Mustang Grapes Grow, by Tristan Anslyn (MFA 2023 Photography, Video and Related Media), is a personal reflection on healing past trauma by reconnecting with the Texas property where he was raised. The third doc, New Masculinities, by Jessy Price (MFA 2023 Social Documentary Film), considered the changing nature of masculinity and its impact on men’s mental and physical health.
Other film and animation highlights in the lineup included The Foreign Patriot, a feature by Mansour Albadran (MPS 2023 Directing) about a Pakistani street vendor’s encounter with his idol and lessons he learned about the American dream, and No Photography, a fast-paced heist story by Lance Haug, Grace Redclift, Ky Tan and Vincent Wang (all BFA 2023 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) about a would-be burglar at a museum who is foiled by a surreptitious photographer looking to capture his own priceless treasures.
The SVA Premieres screening was the pinnacle of a three-day event offering the attending graduates ample opportunities to network, glean insights from industry experts and alumni, and take in both the glamor and workaday functioning of moviemaking. A guided tour of Nickelodeon Animated Studios in Burbank, joined by BFA Animation Chair Hsiang Chin Moe (MFA 2008 Computer Art), BFA Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects Chair Jimmy Calhoun (BFA 2003 Animation) and SVA Director of Career Development Patricia Romeu, featured a moderated conversation with three studio artists who are also SVA alumni. Ian Higginbotham (BFA 2010 Illustration), Jim Mortensen (BFA 2005 Animation) and Andres Nieves (BFA 1989 Film) discussed their own career paths and emphasized that no professional journey is unique. A separate visit to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, devoted to the history, science and cultural impact of the filmmaking industry, covered the film world broadly in its sprawling permanent installation as well as in focused exhibitions on Black cinema, a deep look at Casablanca and production insights and objects from The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.
A closing-day brunch at the Andaz Hotel in West Hollywood drew a number of alumni and industry representatives from film and animation studios, many of whom had attended the SVA Premieres screening, including Amazon Studios, Bento Box Entertainment, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Shondaland, Sony Pictures Animation and Titmouse; talent agencies such as Fourth Wall Management and the Gotham Group; and the nonprofit member organization Film Independent, all of whom networked with the recent graduates. Several SVA chairs, Provost Christopher J. Cyphers and administrative staff, including SVA Alumni Affairs and Development Director Jane Nuzzo and Associate Director Miranda Pierce were also on hand to greet the industry professionals and alumni. Following the brunch, two panel discussions were held about film and animation.
The film panel, moderated by MPS Film Directing Director of Operations Alistair McMeekin, featured creatives from film and television, including Be Water director Bao Nguyen (MFA 2011 Social Documentary Film); co-creator and producer of Netflix‘’ The animation panel, moderated by Hsiang Chin Moe, included Justinian Huang of Amazon Studios, Camille Eden of Nickelodeon, Dawn Yamazi of Illumination and independent writer Todd Casey. Eden stressed the importance of researching a company’s shows and sensibilities—“that will give you a leg up,” she said, adding that “the job description has all the answers to the exam.” Huang said to make an impression on studio executives, “lean into yourself” and stay humble: “Your ego can’t be bigger than your talent.” Casey cautioned young animators not to be too thin-skinned when your work is altered during the process; the industry is collaborative, and each person contributes a different strength to a project. “Know you’re not bad at your stuff if something’s changed,” he said. “It’s a battle of keeping your confidence. Try to find out why.” The potential influence of AI on the industry was also discussed, with panelists assuring grads that nothing replaces a unique and personal point of view. “Recognize your enemy,” advised Huang, “[and] consider harnessing its powers.”