- What Will They Think of Next Film Festival
- Skia International Film Festival
- Hollywood South Urban Film Festival
- International Social Change Film Festival
Film Production Student Success
Student Success
Our film production students and alumni have found success in Georgia’s thriving film industry, earning awards and recognition for filmmaking and screenwriting.
2023
"The Prairie Dog That Met the President," an opera film created in a music/film collaboration that had its first screening last spring, became an "Official Selection" of the Nature Without Borders Film Festival where it received an "Award of Merit." The film also became an official selection of the International Migration and Environmental Film Festival in Toronto, Canada. The film was a collaborative effort among music, film, and theatre faculty and their students. The film was also featured as part of a panel at the National Opera Association meeting in Houston, Texas, where film and music faculty discussed collaborating to create the project.
2022
Maria Morales-Perez's film, "One thing I can taste" was an award-winner at the Bobcat Film Festival, 2022.
Corey Davis '22 had a successful year. His short film, "Poison," was featured in IndieWrap's newly released book, Short Films - A Non-Exhaustive List of Highly Creative Shorts, a book that features more than 200 short films from all over the world, ordered alphabetically from A to Z. The book is a celebration of the diversity and creativity found in the world of short films. From animation to live-action, comedy to drama, and everything in between, the book showcases a wide range of styles and genres."
In addition, the film was screened at the Atlanta Black Film festival, and is currently the recipient of 44 awards across many different categories.
Gabriela Lopez '22, has had a successful film festival run with her powerful short film, "Stuck." The film won an Honorable mention award at the Top Shorts Film Festival.
The film also screened at the following:
Mason Gillard '22 had had a great festival run with his short film, "Out Of Order."
The film has screened/won awards at the Atlanta Underground Film Festival, Key West Film Festival, Tennessee International Film Festival, Route 66 Film Festival, and many others!
Here's the complete list of screenings and awards for "Out of Order" :
Southern Shorts Awards - Best Made In Georgia Award Of Excellence
Route 66 Film Festival - Best Student Film
Atlanta Underground Film Festival - Best Sci-Fi Short Nominee
Atlanta Underground Film Festival - Best Student Short Nominee
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival - Semi-Finalist
Tennessee International Indie Film Festival - Official Selection
Central Florida Film Festival - Official Selection Hollywood
Florida Film Festival - Official Selection
Peachtree Village International Film Festival - Official Selection
Key West Film Festival - Jury Award Nomination
Film production alumni Dennis Gould '22, Emily Antoine '20, and Khara Seeley '22, edited a documentary which aired on Georgia Public Broadcasting, in June, 2022. Watch the trailer here:
As If We Were Ghosts reconstructs the history of segregated high school athletics from the 1940s to the 1960s alongside the simultaneous movements for civil rights and justice. The film brings together a team of athletes, coaches, cheerleaders, and bands to provide unique perspectives on historical events while bringing to light the astounding accomplishments of African American athletic programs in the South. This story unfolds through the voices of NBA legend Walt Frazier, former NFL players Otis Sistruck, and Monk Johnson, championship coaches, band directors, cheerleaders, and amazing Black athletes whose high school exploits were never recognized outside of their neighborhoods.
Check out the project website.
2021
Film production major, Corey Davis, had two short films screened by the Atlanta Black Film Festival, 2021. The two films were Red, the story of two friends who become lovers and discover what it truly means to hold
on to the precious moments and Scissors, in which an African American girl is struggling with her mental health due to a traumatic
event she has experienced. She must come to terms with her emotions and seek help
before she reaches a boiling point. The films screened at the AMC Camp Creek and 4
Points Hotel in Atlanta as part of the four-day festival. Red was nominated for Best Short film. Corey also won a best Actor award at the Accord Cinefest
2020
Film production majors competed with films made by students at over 50 other universities including Emory University, Stanford, New York University, and others in Campus Movie Fest's Terminus competition in summer 2020. A team of CSU Film majors won the national award for "Best Visual Effects" for their film, "Double Tap Me."
Film production major, Kayla Marcus's senior capstone film, "Nothing but the Truth" was a semi-finalist in the 2020 Top Shorts Film Festival, and winner of awards of merit for Directing, Editing, and Cinematography from the Southern Shorts Awards. Her film is also an official selection of the New York International Film Awards, and the Lift Off Global Network.
Film production major, David-Dennis Morgan was awarded an Honorable Mention award by the L.A. International Film Festivals Indie Short Fest for his senior capstone film, "Perfect."
Terrance Lomax's short film, Healthy Mind, had a successful film festival run in 2020 (supported by the College of Arts and Sciences' U.C.A.R.E. grant) with screenings at Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival, the San Antonio Black International Film Festival, the Whistleblower Summit and Film Festival, and the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Terrance also recently screened his film at the Sycamore Place Gallery in Decatur.
Film Production major, Celeste Smith, won multiple awards and recognition for her short screenplay, “Moonlight Blues.” The script recently won “Best Short Script” at the Independent Shorts Awards, the “Outstanding Achievement Award: Short Script” from the Cult Critic Movie Awards and an “Honorable Mention: Short Script” from the New York Movie Awards. The script was also a finalist at the European International Film Festival and the Rome Independent Prisma Awards and was an Official Selection of the Austin Screenplay Awards.
2019
Film production major Marina Hernandez-Gomez was selected to be an intern for Univision in Los Angeles for summer 2019. While in Los Angeles, Marina also participated in the Academy Gold program. She attended industry panels and events and was mentored by a Visual Effects Producer, Joyce Cox. Marina writes of her mentor that "Some of her work has been in the films Titanic, The Great Gatsby, Avatar, and The Jungle Book." Marina says that it was "an exceptional experience filled with unforgettable memories at Univision and The Academy Gold Program. I gained first-hand knowledge of working in the entertainment industry, while growing personally and professionally towards my career goals in the Visual Effects department." Watch a video about Marina's experience here.
