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How to Create a Rubric to Assess Student Videos

Jul 25, 2022

Using video in the classroom helps to keep students engaged and add make your lessons more memorable. Students can even make their own videos to share what they've learned in a way that is exciting and fun . But what do you do when it comes to grading students’ video projects?

One of the easiest ways to show students what’s expected of them is to create a rubric breaking down the different elements of a video project. You may have already created rubrics for other class projects — ones that involved posters, labs, or group work. Rubrics for video projects are similar. The medium may be different, but the learning and thinking students do are still there for you to assess.

Ways to assess a video:

You can use video projects at many different levels. Some of the elements in your rubric are going to be the same, whether you’re assigning a video to a high school physics class or using Animoto for a fourth grade vocabulary project.

Here are some things to include when developing a video project rubric:

Content: Clearly state what information and how much of it students should include. For example, in a biography project, students might be expected to include five interesting facts about their person in order to get the highest number of points on the rubric.

Images: Make sure your rubric states how many images you expect in an excellent, good, average, and poor project. You might want to add that those images should be relevant to the topic (e.g. no skateboards in a butterfly video) and appropriate. If you want to emphasize research skills, you could also require they use public domain images or cite their image sources.

Sources While this may not be necessary for very young students, middle and high school student videos can and should include a text slide with their bibliography or an accompanying paper bibliography.

Length: Just as you would set a page limit for an essay, you should set limits on video length, especially if you want to share the videos with the class. That length depends on your project — a simple “About Me” video project can be a minute long, while a more involved science or English assignment could be two to three minutes.

The style and flair of the video itself should really take second place to the student’s process — how a student researched the project, chose images, and organized their information. When your rubric reflects that, you’re truly assessing what a student learned.

Video project ideas

Creating Animoto accounts for you and your students is completely free! Once you have your free account set up, there are endless ways to strengthen your lessons using video. Here are some of our favorites.

Digital scavenger hunt

Take your lessons outside of the classroom with a digital scavanger hunt ! Have your students find specific plants and animals, architectural landmarks, historical features, and even shapes in their real-world environments and photograph them as they go. Then, they can add them to an exciting video that can be shared with the class using our Educational Presentation template.

Video autobiography or biography

Have your students research important figures throughout history or even share their own life stories with a video ! The Self-Introduction template makes it easy to share the most important moments of one's life in a fun and engaging way.

Vocabulary videos

Put new vocabulary into action with a video! You can teach students new vocabulary words and then have students find real-world examples of them in real life. Or, let students share all the new words they've learned over summer break using the Vocabulary Lesson template.

Book trailers

Book trailers are a great way to get the story across in just a few short minutes. Whether starting from scratch on a brand new book or creating a summary of a favorite book, the Book Trailer template makes it simple.

Video presentations

Video presentations are a great way to showcase your learnings without the anxiety of a traditional presentation. They can be used in virtual classrooms or shared "IRL" to supplement student presentations. The Educational Presentation template is versatile, engaging, and easy to customize and share.

Sports recap

Extracurricular activities are part of a well-rounded education. Celebrate wins or even analyze your game with the Sports Recap template! It's a great way to increase school spirit and show students that you care.

Book reports

Hit your reading goals for the semester and make sure the lessons hit home with a book report! Rather than an extensive essay, the Book Report template hits on all the high-notes and most important elements of a particular book.

How are you grading your students’ Animoto videos? Let us know in our Facebook group, the Animoto Social Video Marketing Community .

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Make-a-Movie Rubric

Use this simple rubric to assess students’ movies for content, organization, planning, collaboration, and more.  To edit and customize the rubric to fit your needs, select “File,” then “Make a Copy” OR “Download as.”

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Short Film Rubric

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Free Short Film Project Rubric

Elevate your short film project assessments with our free, ready-to-use rubric! Tailored for middle and high school levels, this four-point grading guide covers storytelling mastery, cinematic techniques, technical excellence, and creativity. Download and streamline your evaluation process for student filmmakers today!

Key Features:

• Comprehensive Criteria: Four-point evaluation for storytelling, cinematography, technical aspects, and creativity.
• Ready-to-Use: Save time with a straightforward rubric for assessing student short films.
• Flexible Application: Suitable for various filmmaking skill levels and classroom settings.

Why Choose This Rubric:

• Clear Assessment: Easily evaluate and provide constructive feedback on key filmmaking elements.
• Aligned with Standards: Ensure your assessments align with project goals and learning objectives.
• Enhanced Feedback: Help students understand their strengths and areas for improvement.

Perfect for:

• Teachers assessing student short films
• Filmmaking workshops and clubs
• Anyone seeking a simple, effective rubric for evaluating short films

Download Now:

Empower your students with constructive feedback. Download our Free Short Film Project Rubric and enhance your assessment process effortlessly!

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Taylor Film Students Place First in 2024 Broadcast Education Association

• By: Anna Mitchell
• Published: May 15, 2024 9 am

In the 2024 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts, Taylor University placed first among Documentary Programs for the second year in a row.

Winners in the 2024 Festival helped Taylor hold onto its top rank for Documentary programs. In the Micro-Documentary category, Justice Bower, Chloe Gard, and Enoch Eicher’s “orang.utan.” won first place, focusing on the endangered species in Borneo. In the Short-Form Documentary Category, “Beyond Silence,” by JP Susantio, Thane Syswerda, and Nate Conkel, placed second for their story about an audiologist couple who provide hearing care around the world.

Taylor students also ranked 

• Fifth among the top winning audio programs
• Fifth among the top winning film and video programs
• Eighth among the top winning overall programs

Taylor University students have submitted work to BEA since 2006. In 2022, BEA began providing rankings to schools based on their students’ achievements in the past five years. Taylor University has done well in the past, and that helped them with their ranking in 2024.

“It’s such an honor to be recognized by BEA. I believe docs (documentaries) give a voice to people who need more representation,” said junior JP Susantio, Film and Media Arts major .

For this competition, Taylor University Film students submit 10-15 minute pieces. Most documentarians have a year to work on this kind of project, but these students had just three months. 

Kathy Bruner, professor of Film and Media Arts and Stephen Bailey, assistant professor of Film and Media Arts, worked hard to prepare their students to make good documentaries. 

On her syllabus, Bruner puts Proverbs 31:8-9: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (NIV). 

“Taylor Film and Media Arts students understand the responsibility of telling someone’s story” Bailey said. “It is an honor to have an organization recognize the students’ creative, thoughtful, and respectful work.” Bailey teaches an International Production course that has created award-winning documentary work.

Bruner noted the rise in documentary popularity. She said that documentaries use the same storytelling methods as fictional narratives and show character development, plot development, and plot twists just like fictional stories. However, rather than fiction, the films depict the truth. 

“The truth is stranger than fiction,” Bruner said. “And I love nonfiction because I'm compelled by real people's stories. And it's such a privilege to be able to tell other people's stories and to honor them in that way.”

Taylor’s Film & Media Arts program prepares future storytellers for work in film, television and video production. The program gives students hands-on filmmaking experiences using state-of-the-art technology and has earned more than 950 awards and recognitions at regional and national levels. 

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Film Festival Enables Students to Put Ideas Into Action

May 15th, 2024

Middle school students from across Howard County gathered at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Kossiakoff Center on May 7 for the 2024 Movies That Matter (MTM) Film Festival. The event featured a selection of films made by students enrolled in Gifted and Talented (G/T) instructional film seminars at their respective schools.

To be eligible for inclusion in the festival, the student films had to communicate a positive or helpful message, explains G/T Resource Teacher Karen Saunderson.

“The idea is for students to make films that are about issues that are important to them and to move their audience to take action in some way,” Saunderson says. “Some students may do this by creating a film that serves as a public service announcement, while others may use their film to share a compelling message or to inspire others.”

Films shown at this year’s MTM festival covered a range of subjects. For example, Bonnie Branch Middle School (BBMS) student Mabel’s film, “Don’t Gossip,” addressed the ill-effects of gossiping, while her peer Saarah’s film “One Piece at a Time” stressed the importance of people doing their part to help keep the environment clean. Other film subjects included friendship, the negative impact of rumors and gossip, and the importance of self-confidence.

During the festival, students had the opportunity to view and provide written feedback on four different films. They also took part in discussion groups and got to know students from other schools.

“Movies That Matter was such a rewarding experience. Not just in the sense of being able to see your finished project on the big screen, but the whole process of creating the film itself. Working in a group or individually, I have learned many skills for filming and how to connect on a different level with my friends in film,” says Folly Quarter Middle School (FQMS) student Kara, whose film “Dare to Be Different” was shown at the festival.

For BBMS student Saarah, the highlight of the festival was seeing different students’ approaches to film-making. As she says, “The thing I enjoyed the most was being able to see other students’ films, and see many different techniques and film styles.”

BBMS student Mabel agrees, adding that “Watching everyone else’s creations helps me get ideas, and I can build off their films and create my own!”

BBMS G/T Resource Teacher Kara Nanni says that the event provides a valuable forum for students to express themselves.

“The Movies That Matter Film Festival is an incredible opportunity for [middle school students’] voices to be heard through the means of their original films in front of an audience of their peers,” she says.

In addition, MTM serves as the culmination of months of hard work, says FQMS G/T Resource Teacher Vincente S. D’Antuono.

“The art of visual storytelling through our middle school film production seminars is a journey that begins with creative middle schoolers conceptualizing a positive message they’d like to portray to peers. It continues with researching the topic, writing a script, drawing storyboard plans, hours of building relationships while capturing film and editing with colleagues, and ending with a memorable production to share with our communities.”

G/T Instructional Seminars , such as the film seminar, are open to all interested middle school students. Additional information can be found online.

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UB student takes unexpected path to win film award

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Jessica Fisher with some of the clay figurines from her stop motion short film, “Not so Ordinary.” The film won the “Best Animated Film” award at the 2023 Buffalo International Film Festival. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

By JACKIE HAUSLER

Published May 9, 2024

Ever since high school, Jessica Fisher's path at UB was planned to a T. She would major in biological sciences and attend graduate school to become a dentist. However, once she arrived, she soon found an unexpected path forward. Fisher now has turned to her talent using polymer clay and her camera to create stop-animation films, Etsy shop items and an entertaining TikTok channel, @Jaygotclay .

Biological sciences was her first love, but Fisher felt a tug on her heartstrings when she took a film class during the spring semester of her first year. She continued to major in biological sciences but took courses from the Department of Media Study whenever she could — just for fun.

At the beginning of her junior year, she rented a UB camera for coursework in DMS 105: Basic Documentary. She used the camera to make her first film about her best friend Maddy Eberhard, a member of the USA National Sled Hockey Team. Suddenly, she felt the momentum of her dreams changing while also recognizing that her love of science remained intact. “Majoring in biological sciences was always an easy choice for me, but while taking this documentary class, I realized I also absolutely loved being behind a camera,” she says.

Fisher says she grew up in “a very science-based family. My mom and dad both work in health care, my brothers majored in biology and my oldest brother is now in medical school.”

After devoting her first two years to biological sciences, she took the leap in 2022 and applied for a second major in media study. “When I added the second major, my creativity blossomed,” she recalls. “The balance between the arts and the sciences works great for me. I found switching back and forth between biological sciences and media study always got me equally excited to return to the other.”

Her brother, Chris, was tuned in to her eager spirit for the arts. As a Christmas present in December 2022, he gifted her “DragonFrame,” a stop motion animation software.

Shortly after learning the software, she created “Not so Ordinary,” a stop motion short film about a ramen dumpling boy and his adventures outside of his bowl. Fisher explains the premise of the film: “From cereal to pasta, the dumpling’s taste for adventure is not satisfied until he realizes that his ramen bowl was the perfect place.”

Fisher’s ability to hand-craft the clay figurines, combined with her storytelling, filming and editing skills, made the piece incredibly unique. “My brother, Joseph, worked on the sounds of the film with me and it turned into something really special for both of us.”

The world premiere of “Not So Ordinary” took place at the 2023 Buffalo International Film Festival and to the Fishers’ surprise, the film won the “2023 Best Animated Film” award.

“Winning the award further ignited something in me,” says Fisher. “It felt like it was a sign that I was on the right path, and it ended up being the extra push I needed.

“The fact that my film meant something to somebody else and they liked it meant everything to me to keep going.”

During her time at UB, Fisher also connected with Sama Waham, assistant professor in the Department of Media Study and an international award-winning director, producer and cinematographer. “One day I talked with Professor Waham after class and from there we formed a bond. She took me under her wing,” says Fisher.

Fisher’s experience continued beyond her own films when Waham invited her to work on a project, a feature-length film that Waham had started filming in 2023.

“I was struck by her eagerness to learn, intellect and insightful contribution during in-class discussions,” Waham explains. “Jessica’s exceptional professionalism and delightful personality made me hire her as one of my first student assistants and interns.

“Her devotion, work ethic and brilliant energy were just remarkable on set, despite the demanding tasks and nature of work on these projects,” she adds. “Jessica is, by far, one of the most diligent and committed students that I have ever had the pleasure to meet and mentor.”

This month Fisher will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in both biological sciences and media study with a concentration in production. She has her sights set on being a director and animator, and plans to continue to hone her skills by taking an animation class and applying to competitive MFA programs for fall 2025.

Fisher was eager to share some parting advice to UB students. “Follow your heart. Talk to your professors if they do things you’re interested in doing and ask them about their stories. You might be surprised where it takes you.”

In addition to her studies, Fisher is very involved on campus. She is a member of Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), a College Ambassador and was featured in the college’s “Wingin' It!” video series in which current students give “hot takes” on a variety of topics. She also works at the Regal theatres.

Her clay art and films can be found on YouTube , TikTok , Etsy and her website .

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OHIO students, alumni and global creators screen world-class selections at 51st Athens International Film + Video Festival

The Athens International Film + Video Festival recently returned and provided Ohio University students and community members with a large selection of diverse and global films.

Alex Semancik | April 24, 2024

For 51 years, the Athens International Film + Video Festival has given filmmakers a venue to share their work. Creators from around the world recently gathered in Athens, Ohio to display and discuss their films at the historic Athena Cinema .   This year’s festival featured a world-class array of special events, film screenings and after-parties.

The Athens International Film + Video Festival (AIFVF) took place from April 8-14, 2024, and featured over 215 films representing more than 50 countries in competition. Fourteen feature length films and a variety of short films were screened throughout the week. All screenings and events were free for students due to the generosity of Arts for Ohio .

“It’s nice to come and get a wide range of experiences that you don’t normally get in most American theaters,” said Sarah Comer, a sophomore studio art student at Ohio University. “Cultural experience—you get to interact with stuff you wouldn’t normally interact with. It’s a very personal experience, a lot of the filmmakers come and have Q&A’s, so you get to talk to them about their processes.”

Visiting AIFVF artists included Jackson, Ohio born and raised director, Nicole Riegel, who presented “Dandelion,” festival alumna and jury member Jodi Wille with her feature documentary “Welcome Space Brothers,” New York City-based filmmaker Dylan Mars Greenberg, who presented her genre-bending fantasy feature “Spirit Riser,” filmmaker and activist Sabaah Folayan who directed “Whose Streets?” and internationally recognized experimental filmmaker and director of “Polycephaly In D,” Michael Robinson to name a few.

OHIO Involvement

The AIFVF is directed by Ohio University Associate Professor of Instruction and Director of the Athens Center for Film and Video, David Colagiovanni, with assistance from OHIO Doctoral Student in Interdisciplinary Arts–Film Studies Terra Talamh, OHIO Doctoral Student in Interdisciplinary Arts—Film Studies Josh Vieth, OHIO alumna and Hospitality Coordinator Kelee Riesbeck and many more. Additionally, the AIFVF staff is mainly composed of Ohio University student volunteers.

“It's a week to look far outside and inside of Athens and see what connects us all,” said Colagiovanni. “Putting together the festival is a highlight of my year and takes a tremendous amount of work from students, staff and myself. When people come into to see a movie, and filmmakers come from all over the world to be here representing their film, it really makes all the effort worth it.”

Vieth, who was an assistant programmer, agrees and notes that the AIFVF is a week that means a lot to film students as well.

“It’s particularly an exciting week for the School of Film, one that most students say is a highlight of the school year,” said Vieth. “During festival week the student body comes together and has an incredible opportunity to meet visiting filmmakers who are eager to connect. It’s a beautiful week for the art of film and one I’m always proud to be a part of. Our school and city are all the better for having 51 years of AIFVF.”

Students of the film festival practicum and media arts management courses also help curate what plays in the festival and coordinate logistics. Along with artists and community activists, students make up a fall prescreening committee that watches all the films and videos entered in the competition. After all entries have been watched, the pre-screeners evaluate all entries to determine films to include in public screenings. The event planning portion takes place each spring. Ohio University Junior Lydia Smith is one of many students who enjoyed both courses.

“I did the screening portion back in 2022, I’m now working on social media,” said Smith. “ The weeks in spring we were talking about logistics regarding the cinema, organizing the films into blocks, finding ones with common themes and setting the time for them, any other sort of accommodations like picking up filmmakers from the airport and making sure everything was arranged for people to come visit the festival. I’m a media and social change major, but I like the festival so much that I take the class for fun.”

Beyond experiential learning through hands-on film curation and event management, several Ohio University students, as well as alumni had films play throughout the festival. The largest concentration of student and alumni films was in the “O-hi-O” block which featured short films created exclusively by Ohio directors. Ian LaBarge, a graduate of OHIO’s Master of Fine Arts in Film program, said it was an honor to have his film “Belongings” play in the AIVFV.

“Short films can be hard to find an audience for, so having a festival like this where many seats are filled is such a privilege,” said LaBarge.  “ I wouldn’t have been able to make this film without Ohio University, they provided all the tools, connections and a lot of knowledge. Every moment, choice, feeling only came from the ideas and skills I built upon here at OU Film.”

2024 Awards

Winners of the 2024 AIFVF were chosen by an independent jury, with awards including Academy Qualifying status in select categories. This year’s jury members included: Dylan Mars Greenberg ,  Sabaah Folayan ,  Michael Robinson and  Jodi Wille . Cash prizes were awarded by jurors, in four categories: documentary, experimental, narrative and animation. 

The following films received awards:

• 1st Prize Narrative Short (Academy Awards® Qualifying) “ 250km ,” Director: Hasmik Movsisyan, Narrative, Armenia
• 1st Prize Animation Short (Academy Awards® Qualifying) “ Flutz ,” Director: Ryan McCown, Animation, USA
• 1st Prize Music Video “ Miles Davis – What’s Love Got to Do With It ,” Director: Irina Rubina, Music Video, Germany, USA
• Programmers Prize (Given by the Assistant Programming Team: Terra Talamh and Josh Vieth) “ After The Ringing of The Bell,”  Director: Shahrzad Ebrahimi, Experimental, Iran
• Film House (for Visionary Filmmaking) “ Photosynthesis ,” Director: Brian Zahm, Experimental, USA
• From the Booth (Given by the Projection Team: Rachel Allegra, Dan Bruell, Dan Moray) “ A Body Called Life ,” Director: Spencer MacDonald, Documentary, Poland
• Directors Prize (Given by Festival Director: David Colagiovanni) “ Visible Mending ,” Director: Samantha Moore, Animation, UK
• Ohio Student Film Award “ In English, & Then Spanish ,” Director: Madeline McSteen, Documentary, USA
• Special Jury Mention “ White Grass ,” Director: Justin Kim WooSŏk, Documentary, Mongolia
• 1st Prize Documentary Short “ Fata Morgana ,” Director: Daood Alabdulaa, Documentary, Qatar
• 1st Prize Experimental “ Living Reality ,” Director: Philip Thompson, Narrative, USA
• Black Bear Award (for Best Use of Sound and in Honor of John Butler) “ Amplified ,” Director: Dina Naser, Narrative, Jordan
• Special Jury Mention “ The Role ,” Director: Paolo Chianta, Animation, UK
• Special Jury Mention “ Shedding ,” Director: Nicolau, Narrative, Brazil
• Special Jury Mention “ Antipolis ,”   Director: Kaspar Jancis, Animation, Estonia

Founded in 1973, the Athens International Film + Video Festival has been presenting the best in international film for 51 years. Known globally as a festival that supports cinema from independent, underground and marginalized populations, the AIFVF represents the values that we share as a community. For over five decades, the festival has embraced experimental, narrative, animation, and documentary, short-form and feature length films from every corner of the globe.

The Athens International Film + Video Festival is administered by The Athens Center for Film and Video, a project of the College of Fine Arts at Ohio University.

Professor and Former Student Collaborate on Film Depicting Heartfelt Conversation on Alzheimer’s

• May 15, 2024 May 15, 2024
• Angelita Faller
• Arts & Culture Featured Homepage News
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In a heartfelt exploration of love and loss, a UA Little Rock faculty member and alumnus have joined forces to create a compelling short film inspired by the professor’s own experience with his mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s.

The film, “The Forms of Things Unknown,” was written by Frank Thurmond, a faculty member in the Department of English at UA Little Rock, and directed by Dylan Pojar-Weatherly, a former student of Thurmond’s who graduated from UA Little Rock in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication.

“For me, it was an opportunity to work with a student whose filmmaking I really admired and who I knew understood the subject matter,” Thurmond said. “At the same time, I’m gratified to give Dylan a chance to showcase more of his work. I hope this will propel his career forward. That is ultimately what it’s all about as a teacher. You want to inspire students to develop their craft and help them move forward in their career.”

The 10-minute film will debut during the Made in Arkansas Film Festival. It will be shown at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Ron Robinson Theatre. All-day passes for the film festival are $20.

“I am really proud of the piece,” Pojar-Weatherly said. “It’s a very genuine story, and it’s definitely different from other projects I’ve worked on before.”

The collaboration between Thurmond and Pojar-Weatherly started during the spring 2022 semester. Pojar-Weatherly, then a senior at UA Little Rock, was taking Thurmond’s screenwriting class when he asked his professor if he would share some of his own screenplays with the class.

“It meant a lot to me that Dylan was curious about my work,” Thurmond said. “I brought in a script for a short film about my experience with my late mother, who had Alzheimer’s. The reason I came back to Arkansas in 2009 was to care for her.”

Pojar-Weatherly felt an immediate connection with Thurmond’s script. At the time, he was working on his capstone project, a short film called “ The Meadows ” that highlights a daughter struggling to care for her father who has Alzheimer’s. This film also premiered during the Made in Arkansas Film Festival in 2023.

“I remember reading the script for the first time, and I remember connecting with the script right away,” Pojar-Weatherly said. “I was honored that Mr. Thurmond asked me to be a part of the project. Alzheimer’s is something I am familiar with through my grandparents.”

The film, which was filmed in the UA Little Rock School of Nursing’s Center for Simulation Innovation, delves into the emotional journey of Thurmond’s final conversation with his mother, capturing the poignant moments of connection and reflection amidst the shadows of the terrible disease.

“The way that Dylan shot the film and the way the actors brought the story to life captures my final moments with my mother on her deathbed,” Thurmond said. “It’s going to be an overwhelmingly emotional experience for me. The theme of it is so universal. So many people have some connection with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and caregiving. It’s something that many audience members will relate to.”

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BYU animation short film ‘Student Accomplice’ premieres at Varsity Theatre

BYU animation seniors premiered their short film and capstone project “Student Accomplice” on May 15 in the Varsity Theatre for a crowd of more than 400 students and loved ones. 

The film uses 7,000 individual images just under five minutes, telling the story of a driving test gone wrong. A nervous teenage girl and her old, but rather tranquil driving examiner go through the motions of the exam when their vehicle is hijacked by a burly bank robber.

The film takes the audience along for the ride as the robber compels the girl in the driver’s seat to outrun the police while her nonplussed examiner continues his assessment.

The chase is punctuated with physical comedy that garnered laughs from the crowd of adults and children alike. 

“Student Accomplice” has been a year and a half in the making, and the student animators involved in its production have been anticipating the day when they can finally show their creation to the world. 

In the days leading up to the premiere, Delaney Reed, a recent computer science graduate and character rigger for the project, said she just hoped people would like it. 

“I feel like we’ve spent so much time with the film that I know all of the jokes and every beat of the story … sometimes I forget that, like, it’s funny,” Reed said. 

Spencer Baird, the director of the film, expressed similar sentiments.

When asked what part of the film he was most proud of, Baird said, “Well, I guess just today, hearing people laugh at the parts we (wanted them to) … that’s just super cool to have something that you spend hours trying to craft and hopefully it’s funny to people. And then when they actually find it funny, that’s pretty great.” 

The common theme among all the student animators interviewed was an appreciation for each other as a team. The collaborative nature of the program drew the students together.

“We’re like family,” Connor Murray, soon-to-be graduate and animator for the film, said. “To get to see your family succeed with you is very heartwarming.”

Many of the short films made by previous BYU animation students have won Student Academy Awards and Emmy Awards. “Student Accomplice” will be submitted for these awards in the coming weeks. 

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Spring 2024 Film Festival Recognizes Student Innovation and Talent Across Genres

May 13, 2024

At Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY), students gain valuable career skills as they screen their original films to a live audience and before a panel of esteemed film industry judges.

On May 5, the BMCC  Cinema Arts Club  presented the Spring 2024 Student Film Festival in BMCC’s plush Theatre 2 at 199 Chambers Street.

“We had a good crowd, roughly 120 people total,” says Media Arts and Technology Professor and documentary filmmaker Anastassios Rigopoulos . “Ninety films were submitted and 79 played in competition.”

Each BMCC film festival is elevated by the seriousness with which it is judged. The 2024 Spring Film Festival judges were location manager and DGA member Ellen Athena Catsikeas; actor and producer Alfredo Huereca, and director Sara Seligman.

“The judges took time away from their own busy careers and carefully watched many hours’ worth of films,” says Professor Rigopoulos. “They took copious notes and deliberated for almost three hours to determine the winners and honorable mentions. I was present during the Zoom deliberation and was touched to see they had studied each and every film in depth and were able to expertly pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of each film.”

Festival judge Ellen Athena Catsikeas is an assistant production manager and DGA location manager with 25+ years of experience in film and TV. Her recent credits include Tesla with Ethan Hawke, which was a Sundance Award winner; To Dust with Matthew Broderick, which was a Tribeca Film Festival Award winner and Trouble No More , a feature-length documentary on Bob Dylan, which premiered at the New York Film Festival.

Alfredo Huereca, an international actor born in Mexico, has received several Best Actor awards from the Spanish Critics Association in NYC and from HOLA-NY. He was also nominated as Best Actor by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle in 2020. Mr. Huereca wrote, produced and starred in Cadena Perpetua (Life Sentence), a short film that was the Official Selection in 18 international film festivals, from which his film received 11 awards. He has appeared in shows including Law and Order: Organized Crime Unit, The Blacklist ; Netflix’s Monarca and Daughter of Two Mothers (first two seasons).

Sara Seligman was born and raised in Mexico and moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue her dream of becoming a filmmaker. After graduating from the New York Film Academy, she worked in production, development and post-production in film, television and advertising. Her directorial feature debut, Coyote Lake , starring Adriana Barraza and Camila Mendes, made its mark with a premiere on HBO. Ms. Seligman is now directing episodes 105 and 106 of the MGM series “Hotel Cocaine,” set to premiere June 16.

The student winners of the 2024 Student Film Festival span every film genre, and are as follows:

BEST FICTION FILM

Magnet by Hein Win Kyaw

Honorable Mentions: Every Hour Wounds, the Last One Kills by Gennesis Gomez and The Sadists by Jacob Pohorelsky

BEST DOCUMENTARY

The Story Behind the Plate by Abigail Guzman

Honorable Mentions: Hidden Histories: Specter of Srebrenica by Mark Hamer II and  Beyond the Borderline by Daiane Quicine

BEST ANIMATION

Stay by Emilia Purwandi

Honorable Mentions: Rat Ninja by Yailenis Rodriguez Diaz and Dance, Don’t Walk by Duncan Morimoto Brown

BEST CLIENT-BASED FILM (COMMERCIAL OR PSA)

Chocofreta by Nicholas Schmolovsky

Honorable mentions: Black Lab Café by Lolita Sanchez Carrion and Made in BMCC: Portrait of Katelyn Walrond-Scott by Hanna Lomakina, Valeriya Fadeyeva, Becky Lamming and Kevin Smith for Career Connected Learning

BEST MONTAGE OR EXPERIMENTAL FILM

Zombie Montage by Helen Miranda

Honorable Mention: The Nerves Reminded Me by Frank Glass

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Balance by Jerome “King Joffy” the Director

BEST DIRECTING (TIE)

Katherine Monroy for The Closet Letter and Hanna Lomakina for Made in BMCC: Portrait of Katelyn Walrond-Scott

BEST ACTING

Yanxi Deng for Imposter in Sheep’s Clothing

BEST SCREENPLAY

Katherine Monroy for The Closet Letter

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Mark Hamer II for Hidden Histories: Specter of Srebrenica

Honorable Mention: Hanna Lomakina for Made in BMCC: Portrait of Katelyn Walrond-Scott

Ralph Marquinez for Let It Out

Honorable Mentions: Chuck Rockford and Brenton Oeshle for The Nerves Reminded Me and

Elizabeth Hernandez for Box

BEST EDITING

Briana Ceron for Talk to Her

Honorable Mentions: Jacob Pohorelsky for The Sadists and Daiane Quicine for Anatomy of a Marriage

VIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Stony SOS x Hidden Julez: Like U by David Lynch

MVRP FOUNDATION RISING STAR AWARD

David Lynch

The Rising Star Award is presented by the Michael Vincent Rosen Peptone Foundation ( MVRP ) at each BMCC Film Festival in memory of the late Michael Vincent Rosen-Pipitone, a BMCC student and talented actor, writer, artist and comedian.

Just in! BMCC students and alumni garner awards at CUNY Film Festival, May 11 and 12

In addition to the award-winning students at the BMCC 2024 Student Film Festival, a number of BMCC students and alumni were finalists and winners in the CUNY Film Festival , held May 11 and 12.

The finalists included Javier Chen, Roberto Cohetero Flores, Renzo Esposito, Raul Flecha Villasboa, Miles Fogle and Korie Tristan Prince.

From those finalists, four winners emerged.

Roberto Cohetero Flores walked away with Best Cinematography for Hollow-ween.

Renzo Esposito was awarded Best Documentary, Undergrad, for Talk Louder.   Also, he won Best Narrative, Undergrad, for Très Chic .

Korie Tristan Prince was awarded Best Screenplay for Sacramentum.

BMCC Professor Robert Würzburg was among the judges.

Photo credits: Etiquette Studios

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

On May 5, the BMCC  Cinema Arts Club  presents the Spring 2024 Student Film Festival in BMCC’s Theatre 2 at 199 Chambers Street

About 120 people attend the event; 90 student films are submitted and 79 compete

Judges are location manager and DGA Ellen Athena Catsikeas; actor and producer Alfredo Huereca, and director Sara Seligman

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Extended Deadline: Stimpson Prize for Outstanding Feminist Scholarship

2025 Catharine Stimpson Prize for Outstanding Feminist Scholarship

The University of Chicago Press and Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society are pleased to announce the competition for the 2025 Catharine Stimpson Prize for Outstanding Feminist Scholarship. Named in honor of the founding editor of Signs, the Catharine Stimpson Prize is designed to recognize excellence and innovation in the work of emerging feminist scholars.

The Catharine Stimpson Prize is awarded biennially to the best paper in an international competition. Leading feminist scholars from around the globe will select the winner. The prizewinning paper will be published in Signs, and the author will be provided an honorarium of $1,000. All papers submitted for the Stimpson Prize will be considered for peer review and possible publication in Signs.

Eligibility: Feminist scholars in the early years of their careers (fewer than seven years since receipt of the terminal degree) are invited to submit papers for the Stimpson Prize. This includes current graduate students. Papers may be on any topic that falls under the broad rubric of interdisciplinary feminist scholarship. Submissions must be no longer than 10,000 words (including notes and references) and must conform to the guidelines for Signs contributors (see http://signsjournal.org/for-authors/author-guidelines/ ).

Extended Deadline for Submissions: June 15, 2024.

Please submit papers online at http://signs.edmgr.com . Be sure to indicate submission for consideration for the Catharine Stimpson Prize. The honorarium will be awarded upon publication of the prizewinning article.