Congratulations to the students, alumni, faculty, and staff who achieved so much and recieved awards and honors during the Fall 2020 semester! Despite unprecedented times, we continued to create. Take a look at everything the Tisch Community has accomplished!
Institute of Performing Arts:
ART & PUBLIC POLICY
Anna Deavere Smith, Art & Public Policy Professor, was elected to an Honorary Fellowship to Oxford University's Harris Manchester College in recognition of her significant contributions in theatre, education, and civic engagement
Dr. Victor Peterson II '14 (MA, Arts Politics) published a piece in the Journal of Black Studies called, "Autophagy"
Hentyle Yapp, Art & Public Policy Professor, released a new book called, Saturation: Race Art, and the Circulation of Value
Dr. Ella Shohat, Art & Public Policy Professor, was nominated and awarded a prestigious Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin)
Grace Aneiza Ali, Art & Public Policy Professor, released a new book called, Liminal Spaces: Migration and Women of the Guyanese Diaspora
Pato Hebert, Professor of Art & Public Policy, was featured at the Arts & Culture Research Lab Observatorium in Athens
Christopher Cole '17 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV)/ '19 (MA, Arts Politics) won a SFFilm Grant for Rolling Stone
Dance
Andy Teirstein, Professor of Dance, received the 2020 CBA Fellowship for his project, The Folk Influence on Ballet and Contemporary Dance
Rashaun Mitchell, Associate Arts Professor of Dance, and alum Silas Riener (MFA, Dance) received the 2020 CBA Fellowship for their project, OPEN FIELD
Mary John Frank ‘13 (MFA, Dance) received support from the Kaleidoscope Fund for her VR/360 film, FROM SEA TO RISING SEA
Maxfield Haynes ‘18 (BFA, Dance) was interviewed for Dance Magazine
GRADUATE ACTING
Nikiya Mathis '08 (MFA, Grad Acting) won Best Hair & Wig Design at the Antonyo Awards for For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Aujanue Ellis '95 (MFA, Graduate Acting) joined the cast of Warner Brothers’ King Richard
Sterling K. Brown '01 (MFA, Grad Acting), Mahershala Ali '00 (MFA, Grad Acting), Marin Hinkle '91 (MFA, Grad Acting), Daniel Goldfarb '95 (BFA, Kanbar, Film & TV) / '97 (MFA, Kanbar, Film & TV), Matthew Shapiro '06 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV), and Sono Patel '13 (BFA, Dramatic Writing) were nominated for Emmy Awards their roles in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Danai Gurira '04 (MFA, Graduate Acting) signed a two year deal with ABC Studios
Bob Kirsh '87 (MFA, Grad Acting) was nominated for Emmy Awards for A Very Brady Renovation
Billy Crudup '94 (MFA, Grad Acting) won an Emmy Award for The Morning Show
Mahershala Ali '00 (MFA, Grad Acting) won an Emmy Award for We Are The Dream: The Kids Of The Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest
PERFORMANCE STUDIES
Michelle Castañeda, Performance Studies Assistant Professor, received a TOME Grant to support an open access edition of her book Imaginary Rooms: The Mise-en-Scène of Immigration Law
Deepa Somasekhara Pillai (M.A. '20) and Yi Wang (M.A. '20) were awarded the 6th and 20th places respectively in the Cannes International Film Festival - Mobile Movie making category
Naïma Mazic ‘20 (M.A, Performance Studies) presented her thesis project PoLy-FleXion, a film re-performing feminine diagonals, at the Living Away Fest
M.A. Candidate Yaneirie Rondon's (Performance Studies) short film The Walk Home was an Official Selection at three festivals: Hip Hop Film Festival, BlackFilm.com, and NYCA (New York Cinematography Awards)
Ariana DiValentino ‘18 (M.A., Performance Studies) had an article published by Best Damn Writing entitled, "The Screams Of Women In Film And What “Twin Peaks” Can Teach Us About It"
B.A. Candidate Bobbie Boettinger (Performance Studies) released a single, "Wusgood", which received a write up on BuzzMusic's website
B.A. Candidate Garet Weissenborn (Performance Studies) was awarded the Marc and Ruti Bell Public Service Scholarship
Alex Halligey ‘13 (M.A., Performance Studies) published a book, Participatory Theatre and the Urban Everyday in South Africa: Place and Play in Johannesburg
Fred Moten, Professor of Performance Studies, received the highly prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship
Kantara Souffrant ‘10 (M.A., Performance Studies) was appointed the Curator of Community Dialogue at The Milwaukee Art Museum
Ph.D. Candidate Camila Arroyo's (Performance Studies) short film OME was selected for the 14th International Contemporary Dance Festival of La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennial)
Elsa Lepecki Bean ‘20 (B.F.A, Performance Studies), Federico Mostert ‘20 (B.F.A, Performance Studies), and Adam O'Connell ‘20 (B.F.A, Performance Studies) were featured in American Theater Magazine as part of a brand new theatre festival: Post Theatrical
Lindsay Benacka '13 (M.A., Performance Studies) was nominated for a Heart of Yuma Award for Outstanding Community Leader, presented by the Arizona Community Foundation
M.A. Candidate Chulsoon Jang (Performance Studies) screened his film, Atlantic City, at the Mastic Beach Mini Indie Virtual Film Festival (MBMIFF)
Tiffany Maderas ‘12 (M.A., Performance Studies) premiered her documentary film Ya Habibi, The Story of a Song at the 2020 Havana Habibi Festival
Mark Lockwood ‘17 (M.A., Performance Studies) was awarded the LGBTQ Collections Award Fellowship at the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University
Sikivu Hutchinson '99 (Ph.D., Performance Studies) received the 2020 Harvard Humanist of the Year award
Stephanie Troyak (Performance Studies) starred in a NAC Dance documentary
B.A. Candidate Noah Witke Mele (Performance Studies) was a featured co-choreographer in the groundbreaking solo show, A Singular They, filmed at NECCA
Anurima Banerji ‘10 (Ph.D., Performance Studies) was named the 2020 recipient of the prestigious de la Torre Bueno Prize® for her book, Dancing Odissi: Paratopic Performances of Gender and State
Candidate Adham Hafez (Ph.D, Performance Studies) premiered the film Cairo Kitkat Club at La Mama Theatre and Goethe Institut New York
Eva Reyes ’20 (M.A., Performance Studies) premiered her new work, Light of Ours
Candidate Raymond Pinto (M.A, Performance Studies) performed in Untitled (Unintelligible ██████ ██████)
DRAMA
Aziza Barnes '14 (BFA, Drama) won Best Play at the Antonyo Awards for BLKS
Michael Benjamin Washington '00 (BFA, Drama) won Best Solo Performance at the Antonyo Awards for Fires in the Mirror
Kamal Sinclair '99 (BFA, Drama) was listed as one of Black Public Media’s Top 40 Game Changers
Jasmine Johnson '19 (BFA, Drama), Peter Kim '97 (BFA, Drama), and A'shanti Tyree '15 (BFA, Drama) were selected for the 2020 Rising Leaders of Color Program
Stephen H. Carter '90 (BFA, Drama) and Carmen Cardenas '09 (MFA, Design for Stage and Film) were nominated for an Emmy award for, Succession • This Is Not for Tears
Jessica Padilla (Drama) was nominated for an Emmy Award for Pose • Acting Up
Tanya Barfield '92 (BFA, Drama) and Ryan Fleck '00 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) were nominated for an Emmy Award for Mrs. America
Jason Sherwood '12 (BFA, Drama) won an Emmy Award for The Oscars
Erin B. Mee, Assistant Arts Professor in the Drama department, gave a lecture at IIT Mumbai entitled, "Online Digital Performance During COVID”. It was attended by more than 3,000 people in India, Nepal, Turkey, and across Europe
Ken Davenport '94 (BFA, Drama) was nominated for a Tony Award for Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
Lauren Patten (Drama) was nominated for two Tony Awards for Jagged Little Pill
Ato Blankson-Wood '06 (BFA, Drama) was nominated for two Tony Awards for Slave Play
Justin Levine ‘07 (BFA, Drama) was nominated for a Tony Award for Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Lady Gaga (Drama) was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Rain On Me and Chromatica
Lauren Patten (Drama) was nominated for a Grammy Award for Jagged Little Pill
Will Van Dyke ‘05 (Drama) was nominated for a Grammy Award for Little Shop Of Horrors
GRADUATE MUSICAL THEATRE WRITING
Michael R. Jackson '03 (BFA, Dramatic Writing) / '05 (MFA, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) won Best Book at the Antonyo Awards for A Strange Loop
Kim Jinhyoung and Marcus Perkins (Cycle 28, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) were accepted into the 2020 O'Neill National Music Theatre Conference for their new musical TWO NIGHTS & THREE DAYS
Sara Cooper, Adjunct Faculty Member in the department of Graduate Musical Theatre Writing, won the Grand Jury Prize in Barnstorm Media's BOLT competition for her new TV pilot, POLYANNA
AriDy Nox (Cycle 27, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) was accepted into the Public Theatre's 2020-2022 Emerging Writers Group
Sara Cooper, Adjunct Professor in the department of Graduate Musical Theatre Writing, and alums Danny Ursetti and Lauren Taslitz (Cycle 26) were amongst the winners of the NAMT 15-minute Musical Challenge
Alvin Eng (Cycle 5, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) was awarded a 2020 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Nonfiction Literature for,The Last Emperor of Flushing’s Final Communique
Rachel J. Peters' (Cycle 14, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) libretto of her one-act opera, NO LADIES IN THE LADY'S BOOK, is available for sale and performance licensing, courtesy of E.C. Schirmer
Durra Leung '20 (MFA, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) and Sam Rosenblatt '20 (MFA, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) were interviewed by Broadway World
Jaime Lozano (Cycle 18, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) released a new album with Broadway Records to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
Jessie Field and Brandy Hoang Collier (Cycle 29, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) launched Living Room Stories!
Ben Bonnema and Jahn Sood (Cycle 21, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) were amongst several writers to create a new immersive theatrical experience called, THE ARTISTIC STAMP
Deborah Brevoort, Adjunct Faculty Member in the department Graduate Musical Theatre Writing, and alumni Matt Boresi (Cycle 11, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing), Peter Hilliard (Cycle 11, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing), and Rachel J. Peters (Cycle 14, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) worked with the Decameron Opera Coalition to help create Tales from a Safe Distance
Marjorie Duffield (Cycle 10, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) and Helen Park (Cycle 22, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) wrote songs for the Netflix film OVER THE MOON
Sean Patrick Flahaven, Adjunct Associate Professor in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing department, was nominated for a Tony Award for Jagged Little Pill
Sean Patrick Flahaven ‘97 (MFA, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing), Nathan Tysen ‘01 (MFA, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing), and Daniel Messe ‘93 (MFA, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) were nominated for a Grammy Award for Amélie
Sara Cooper (Cycle 18), Jenny Giering (Cycle 6), and Niko Tsakalakos (Cycle 17), were each recipients of Barrington Stage Company’s inaugural Spark Grants
Anna K. Jacobs (Cycle 17), Eric Price (Cycle 18), Tidtaya Sinutoke (Cycle 22), Katya Stanislavskaya (Cycle 17), Royce Vavrek (Cycle 16), and Julianne Wick Davis (Cycle 16) were published in Lotte Lenya Competition Songbook
OPEN ARTS & COLLABORATIVE ARTS
Rob Benevides, Distinguished Teacher of Open Arts, and student Rocio De Leon Pantoja (Open Arts) were interviewed on ABC7 New York News
Olivia Whelan-O’Farrell (Open Arts) was cast as the supporting role in This Side Up
Angela Pietropinto, Distinguished Teacher in Open Arts, starred in the film Earth Mother
Donna Cameron, Open Arts Faculty Member, had her multimedia cinema featured in a new anthology, "Making Images Move: Handmade Cinema and the Other Arts"
MV Carbon’s (Open Arts, Collaborative Arts) audio experience, Striatum, was featured on DIA Art Foundation’s Artist Playlist Program
DESIGN FOR STAGE & FILM
Allen Lee Hughes '79 (MFA, Theatre Design) won Best Lighting Design at the Antonyo Awards for A Soldiers Play
Clint Ramos '97 (MFA, Design for Stage and Film) was nominated for a Tony Award for The Rose Tattoo
Allen Lee Hughes, Associate Arts Professor in the department of Design for Stage & Film, received the Ming Cho Lee Lifetime Achievement Award at the Henry Hewes Design Awards Ceremony
Paul Steinberg, Arts Professor in the department of Design for Stage & Film, received a Hewes Award for his work on Judgment Day at the Park Avenue Armory
Kalina Ivanov '83 (BFA, Design for Stage and Film) / '89 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was featured in Architectural Digest for her work in Lovecraft Country
Marina Reti '07 (MFA, Design for Stage and Film) was nominated for an Emmy Award for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel • It's Comedy Or Cabbage
Jane Cox ‘98 (MFA, Design for Stage & Film), received a special citation as part of the design team for Fefu and Her Friends at the 2020 Hewes Awards
Allen Lee Hughes, Associate Arts Professor in the Design for Stage & Film department, was nominated for a Tony Award for A Soldier's Play
INSTITUTE OF EMERGING MEDIA:
NYU GAME CENTER
Eric Zimmerman, NYU Game Center Professor, was awarded the 2020 Mega Grant
Matt Parker, NYU Game Center Professor, was awarded the 2020 Mega Grant
Zack Zhang '15 (MFA, NYU Game Center) was a 2020 IndieCade nominee for, Signal Decay
Uti Azulay '20 (BFA, NYU Game Center) and Julia Del Motto '20 (BFA, NYU Game Center) were 2020 IndieCade nomineesfor, Swordswallower
Kat Aguiar '19 (MFA, NYU Game Center), Nobonita Bhowmik '19 (MFA, NYU Game Center), Francesca Carletto-Leon '19 (MFA, NYU Game Center), Jordan Jones-Brewster '19 (MFA, NYU Game Center), Carol Mertz '19 (MFA, NYU Game Center), and Jack Schlesinger '19 (MFA, NYU Game Center) were 2020 IndieCade nominees for, We should talk.
Dylan Nelkin '20 (MFA, NYU Game Center), Palmmy Sivarapornsakul '20 (MFA, NYU Game Center), Chapin Boyer '20 (MFA, NYU Game Center), and Siddarth Govindan '20 (MFA, NYU Game Center) were 2020 IndieCade nominees for, Zenith Junction
ITP & IMA
Addie Wagenknecht (MA, ITP) was featured in Bitforms
Yeseul Song (ITP) was profiled in TestSet
Adaora Udoji, ITP Adjunct Faculty Member, was profiled in Parentology for her virtual reality work
Kira Snyder '98 (ITP) was nominated for an Emmy Award for The Handmaid's Tale
MH Rahmani (MA, ITP) was accepted at the poster section of ACM SIGGRAPH 2020 Conference for his ITP thesis entitled, reFrame: An Alternate Paradigm for Augmented Reality
Ashley Jane Lewis and Emma Rae Bruml Norton (MFA, ITP) were selected as 2020-2021 CultureHub resident artists
Surya Mattu (MFA, ITP) launched Blacklight, which is a website that runs a real-time inspection of potential privacy violations on a given website
Sharang Biswas (ITP) was just nominated for an IndieCade award for Honey & Hot Wax: An Anthology of Erotic Art Games
Ziv Schneider (MPS, ITP) created a virtual Instagram influencer, which was included in IDFA DocLab's Digital Storytelling Competition
Tiri Kananuruk (MPS, ITP) and Sebastián Morales Prado (MPS, ITP) participated in an exhibition at The National Gallery of Singapore
Shantell Martin's, Adjunct Faculty Member in the ITP department, was featured in Culture Type, “Lines: Shantell Martin's First Monograph Documents Her Prolific Drawing Practice”
Students Yiting Liu, Sihan Zhang, and Schuyler Devos (ITP) shared their work at the Empire State Maker Faire 2020
Matt Romein, Faculty Member in the ITP department, collaborated with resident Lydia Jessup, alums Emily Lin and James Hosken, and second-year student Cezar Mocan on VIRTUALIS, which became an official #IDFA2020 selection for @DocLab's Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction
Eric Forman (MPS, ITP) was featured in the FUTURE LIFE - FICTION design competition with his work, Dis/Connect
Second-year student Erik van Zummeren (ITP) launched his project, RadiTube.com
Diana Freed’s (ITP) research was featured in Wired and WebMD
CLIVE DAVIS INSTITUTE OF RECORDED MUSIC
Emily Warren '15 (BFA, Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music) was nominated for a Grammy Award for Don't Start Now, Dua Lipa
Arca '12 (BFA, Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music) was nominated for a Grammy Award for Kick I
Robert Glasper, Adjunct Professor in the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Better Than I Imagine and F*** Yo Feelings
Andrew Watt (Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music) was nominated for a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non Classical
David Biral (aka Take a Daytrip) '15 (BFA, Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music) produced Future Nostalgia, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards
Clive Davis, Founder of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, spoke with Bruce Springsteen on the first episode of Bruce Springsteen's Letter to You Radio
Nija Charles (Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music) took the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for co-writing Rain On Me, by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande
Rhea Pasricha '09 (BFA, Clive Davis Institute) was listed on Billboard's “40 Under 40 List”
Nija Charles (Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music) served as Songwriter on five tracks that were nominated for Grammy Awards
Alan Silverman, Adjunct Professor in the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, mastered four finalists that were nominated for Grammy Awards
Sofia Rei, Assistant Art Professor in the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, was a special guest vocalist on Thana Alexa's album, ONA, which was nominated a Grammy Award
PHOTOGRAPHY & IMAGING
Hank Willis Thomas '98 (BFA, Photography and Imaging) and Professor Bayeté Ross Smith (Photography and Imagining) shared their work in Vogue’s "10 Black Artists on Life in America Right Now"
Tyler Mitchell '17 (BFA, Photography and Imaging) was recently featured in a full-length article in the New York Times
Bryan Denton (Photography & Imaging) was shortlisted for the Visa D'Or Prize through Visa Pour La Image for his work documenting the effects of climate change on monsoon season in India for the New York Times
Student Eric Hart Jr (Photography & Imaging) and 2019 Future Imagemaker Steven Tovar-Campos were among the twelve young photographers included in an article from the Washington Post, "We Can't Go Back to Normal"
Hank Willis Thomas '98 (BFA, Photography and Imaging) was interviewed by Hyperallergic
Lorie Novak, Professor of Photography & Imaging, and Deborah Willis, Chair of Photography & Imaging, had their words and images featured in The Guardian
Bayeté Ross Smith, Faculty Member in the department of Photography & Imaging, was a recipient of the 2020 Meero Grant in partnership with FOTODEMIC
Anna Betts, Angelica Negron, and Ellen Shuan (Photography & Imaging) were featured in the Elle Magazine's article "Fall Fashion, Through the Eyes of 2020 Graduates"
Student Ashley Pena (Photography & Imaging) photographed actor Jodie Turner-Smith for a Vogue Magazine feature
Student Ashley Pena (Photography & Imaging) photographed up-and-coming actor Corey Night for the New York Times Style section
Student Eric Hart (Photography & Imaging) was featured in Rolling Stone and Men’s Health magazines
Alan Chin’s (Photography & Imaging) photo essay about Chinatown's recovery and adaptation to changing circumstances was published in The Nation
Student Denise Stephanie Hewitt (Photography & Imaging) had her photos featured in a Converse campaign
Deborah Willis, Chair of Photography & Imaging, was awarded The Royal Photographic Society Award for Outstanding Service, for her sustained research into photography’s multifaceted histories
Paul Mpagi Sepuya (Photography & Imaging) photographed designers Rebecca Henry, Akua Shabaka, and Kenneth Nicholson as part of VOGUE Magazine's November issue
Rian Dundon, Alan Chin, and Alice Proujansky (Photography & Imaging) were awarded a Magnum Foundation Fund, which supports the development of their short-term visual projects related to the 2020 US election
Anna Betts (Photography & Imaging) photographed current DPI students for Buzzfeed News
Rose DeSiano (Photography & Imaging) displayed an installation called, Reflect & Refract: A Public Monument to Democracy, at the Cleveland Downtown Public Library
Student Eric Hart Jr. '22 (Photography & Imaging) photographed Beyonce’s Ivy Park
Student Tony Wang (Photography & Imaging) screened his film, Liberated, at the New York No Limits Series 2020 Summit
Deborah Willis, Chair of Photography & Imaging, and Alum Hank Willis Thomas (Photography & Imaging) photographed Patti LeBelle for the New York Times
Students Yuanqing Xie (Photography & Imaging) and Yvette Fu (Photography & Imaging) were featured in a FutureLab 2020 exhibition "Space Dust" in Shanghai, which was curated by Professor, Snow Yunxue Fu
Wafaa Bilal and Bayeté Rose Smith, Photography & Imaging Professors, were selected for The 2021 Creative Capital Award for their respective projects
The Photography & Imaging student publication, ISO Magazine, released FLUX: Fall 2020
Wafaa Bilal, Photography & Imaging Professor, opened a solo show at House of Wisdom in Sharjah
Joseph Rodriguez, Photography & Imaging Faculty Member, published two monographs, TAXI and LAPD: 1994
Yolanda Cuomo, Photography & Imaging Professor, collaborated with her students to design and create two online magazines, POI and Wave
MAURICE KANBAR INSTITUTE OF FILM & TELEVISION:
GRADUATE FILM
Student Art Parnitudom (Graduate Film), shot the film PIECES & BITS, which was selected for the Austin Asian American Film Festival
Spike Lee, Professor of Graduate Film, was listed as one of Black Public Media’s Top 40 Game Changers
Giuliana Monteiro '17 (MFA, Graduate Film) received a 2020 SFFILM Rainin Grant for Estrada para Livramento (Road to Livramento)
Student Zenzele Ojore '21 (Graduate Film) was selected as a 2020 Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellow
Kevin Kai Ming Wang's (MFA, Graduate Film) thesis film, Taipei Suicide Story, was chosen for the prestigious Festival de Cannes' Cinéfondation Selection 2020
Nicole Kassell '02 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) and Damon Lindelof '95 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) were nominatedfor an Emmy Award for Watchmen
Andrij Parekh '02 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) was nominated for an Emmy Award for Succession • Hunting
Karishma Dev Dube (MFA, Graduate Film) was named a finalist for the Narrative (Domestic Film Schools) Student Academy Award for the film, Bittu
Spike Lee, Professor of Graduate Film, released Da 5 Bloods on Netflix
Kasi Lemmons, Professor of Graduate Film, joined the 2020 cycle at the Universal Writers Program as a Program Ambassador
Alfonso Herrera Salcedo (MFA, Graduate Film) shot Entre tú y Milagros, which premiered at the 77th Venice Film Festival's Orizzonti short films competition
The following members of the Graduate Film community had their films featured in BFI 2020: Chloé Zhao, Chuko Esiri, Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, Spike Lee, Karishma Dube, Elegance Bratton, Jovan James, and William Stefan Smith
Spike Lee, Graduate Film Professor, had his film David Byrne’s American Utopia open at TIFF 2020. Alums Chloé Zhao and Reinaldo Marcus Green (MFA, Graduate Film) also had films featured at the festival
Rhys Marc Jones (MFA, Graduate Film) was nominated for a BAFTA Cymru Short Film Award for the film Pale Saint
Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo ’14 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) won the Audience Award for Narrative Feature and the Grand Jury Prize for Best International Narrative Feature at Outfest Film Festival for his film, Los Fuertes (The Strong Ones)
Terrance Daye ’20 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) won the Special Programming Award for Emerging Talent at Outfest Film Festival for the film, -Ship: A Visual Poem
Che Grayson ’19 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) won the Special Programming Award for Artistic Achievement at Outfest Film Festival for the film, Magic Hour
Karishma Dube '19 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won a 47th Student Academy Award for her film, Bittu
Chloe Zhao (MFA, Graduate Film) won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival for her film, Nomadland
Emilija Gasic (MFA, Graduate Film) won Best Serbian Film Award at ProFiFest2020 and the Audience Choice Award at the International Film Festival Cologne for her film, The Wait
Daniel Patterson, Adjunct Professor in the department of Graduate Film, served as the DP on Miss Juneteenth, which won Best Feature Narrative at this year’s BlackStar Film Festival
Chloe Zhao (MFA, Graduate Film) won the Golden Lion for Nomadland at the Venice Film Festival
Haley Elizabeth Anderson (MFA, Graduate Film) showcased her film, Pillars, at The Black Women’s Film Conference
Spike Lee's, Professor of Graduate Film, film David Byrne’s American Utopia was acquired by Universal Pictures
Nicole Kassell '02 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) and Damon Lindelof '95 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won an Emmy Award for Watchmen
Andrij Parekh '02 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) won an Emmy Award for Succession • Hunting
Nisha Ganatra’s (MFA, Graduate Film) comedy Real People was developed at ABC Signature
Thesis Student Rashad Frett’s (Graduate Film) 2nd Year film K.I.N.G. won Best Short Film at this year’s Caribbean Tales Film Festival
Matthew Myers (MFA, Graduate Film) produced a new Netflix thriller, Intrusion, under Outlaw Productions
Barry Sonnenfeld (MFA, Graduate Film) directed a new untitled musical-comedy series for Apple TV+
Omar Zúñiga’s (MFA, Graduate Film) The Strong Ones had it's New York Premiere in the International Narrative feature competition at NewFest 2020
Nikyatu Jusu, Laura Moss, Jean Pesce, and Lucy Walker (MFA, Graduate Film) were named 2020 Rooftop Films Grant recipients
The American Film Festival announced several Graduate Film students as 2020 US in Progress Wrocław participants: Prashanth Kamalakanthan, Artemis Shaw, Joseph Sackett, Joy Jorgensen, and Erin Vassilopoulos
Chloé Zhao (MFA, Graduate Film) received the Irving M. Levin Award For Film Direction at the 2020 SFFilm Awards
Raed Alsemari, Che Grayson and Kevin Wilson Jr. (Graduate Film) were selected for Starlight Media’s new "Stars Collective” program
Elegance Bratton (MFA, Graduate Film) directed the documentary, Hellfighters, for Five Fifty Five and Rainshine Entertainment
Cary Joji Fukunaga (MFA, Graduate Film) directed three episodes of Masters Of The Air for Apple TV+
Student Sofia Camargo (MFA, Graduate Film) was awarded the Official Jury Award at the NALIP's Latino Media Fest for her second year film, Al lado del río (By the River)
Juan José Campanella (MFA, Graduate Film) directed and executive produced the first two episodes of the Amazon-ordered, Lightyears
Reinaldo Marcus Green (MFA, Graduate Film) directed and produced Wild Rabbit, a Hulu’s drama series
Spike Lee, Graduate Film Professor, was named the 34th American Cinematheque Award recipient
Andrij Parekh (MFA, Graduate File) signed a one-year exclusive television deal with HBO
The 32nd NewFest announced the winners of the Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award: Akonchong’s Mercury Afrograde, Bratton & James’s Buck, and Daye’s -Ship: A Visual Poem
Lydia Dean Pilcher (MFA, Graduate Film) made her directorial debut with Radium Girls
Student Nagham Osman (Graduate Film) was announced as a finalist for the 2020/21 CAMERAderie Initiative by Women in Media
MFA Candidate Yi Tang (Graduate Film) and alum Haley Elizabeth Anderson (MFA, Graduate Film) won Grand Jury Prizes at AFI Fest 2020
Rene van Pannevis (MFA, Graduate Film) debuted his film, Looted
Chloé Zhao (MFA, Graduate Film) and Mollye Asher ‘99 (BFA, Drama)/ ‘14 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) were nominated for a IFP Gotham Award for Nomadland
Carlo Mirabella-Davis ‘08 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) was nominated for a IFP Gotham Award for Swallow
Joseph Sackett (MFA, Graduate Film) and Joy Jorgensen (MFA, Graduate Film) won the Wroclaw U.S. In Progress Award for Sackett’s feature film, Homebody
Spike Lee, Graduate Film Professor, directed a new musical from his co-written screenplay about the Pfizer drug Viagra
Sameh Zoabi, Graduate Film Professor, executive produced Sony Pictures Television and Showtime’s new TV series, Dinner at the Center of the Earth
KEFF, Jacqueline Dow, and Sheldon Chau (MFA, Graduate Film) were selected for the 27th edition lineup at the Slamdance Film Festival
Raven Jackson, Maria Altamirano, Nicholas Ma, and Jamie Dack (MFA, Graduate Film) were chosen for the Film Independent Fast Track 2020
Cary Joji Fukunaga (MFA, Graduate Film) created a new production grant to support historically underrepresented voices and to promote BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or people of color) stories in the film industry
Maria Altamirano (MFA, Graduate Film) was selected by Film Independent for the 2020 Producing Lab Fellowship
Joshua James Richard (MFA, Graduate Film) was awarded both the Golden Frog and FIPRESCI International Critics Prize at Camerimage
Chew Chia Shao Min (MFA, Graduate Film) and Joant Úbeda (MFA, Graduate Film), won the Audience Choice Award at the 31st Singapore International Film Festival for the film Sementara
Kasi Lemmons, Professor of Graduate Film, developed Skydance Television’s Ring Shout
A.V. Rockwell’s (Graduate Film), directorial debut, A Thousand and One, was backed by Focus Features
Carole Rothman '72 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) was nominated for a Tony Award for Grand Horizons
Nicole Kassell (MFA, Graduate Film) directed and executive produced HBO’s and Sky’s darkly comic horror series, The Baby
Erin Vassilopoulos (MFA, Graduate Film), Alexis Gambis (MFA, Graduate Film), Kate Tsang (MFA, Graduate Film), and Lucy Walker (MFA, Graduate Film) had their films accepted into the the 2021 Sundance Film Festival
Samina Akbari (MFA, Graduate Film) and Sontenish Myers (MFA, Graduate Film) were SFFILM Rainin Grant finalists
UNDERGRADUATE FILM & TELEVISION
Lewis Erskine, Assistant Arts Professor in the Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, was listed as one of Black Public Media’s top 40 Game Changers
Jacqueline Glover '88 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was listed as one of Black Public Media’s top 40 Game Changers
Sam Pollard, Faculty Member in the Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, was listed as one of Black Public Media’s top 40 Game Changers
Charlie Redd '14 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated an Emmy Award for Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Vince Gilligan '89 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) and Thomas Schnauz '88 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) were nominated for an Emmy Award for Better Call Saul
Eric Becker '04 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards
John Perez '85 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy Award for The Oscars
Robert Malone '09 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy award for Devs
Kyra Thompson '86 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy award for The Voice
Joseph Gerbino '12 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy Award for RuPaul's Drag Race Out Of The Closet
Thomas Lennon '92 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) and Robert Ben Garant (Drama) were nominated for an Emmy Award forReno 911!
Ravi Nandan '99 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) and Marika Sawyer '05 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) were nominated for an Emmy Award for John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch
Allen Kelman '77 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy Award for 73rd Annual Tony Awards
John Skidmore '08 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy Award for A Black Lady Sketch Show
Jeremy Tchaban '03 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy Award for Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Melina Matsoukas '03 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) and Laura Kittrell '08 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) were nominated for an Emmy Award for Insecure
Hillary Olsen '94 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for Emmy Award for Top Chef
Shauna McGarry '05 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy Award for BoJack Horseman
Ben Kutchins '00 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy Award for Ozark
Mark Paone '82 (Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) and Devin Delliquanti '06 (BFA, Drama) were nominated for an Emmy Award for The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Brad Gilson '99 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) and David Jammy '97 (MA, Cinema Studies) were nominated for an Emmy Award for Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize For American Humor
Zoe Schack '04 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) and Jason Baum '08 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) were nominated for an Emmy Award for Beastie Boys Story
Nanette Burstein '94/’04 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV / MFA, Grad Film), Timothy Moran '10 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV), and Tal Ben-David '92 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) were nominated for an Emmy Award for Hillary
Devin Concannon '12 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy Award for The Last Dance • Episode 1
Nicholas Biagetti '12 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) and Geoffrey Richman '97 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) were nominated for an Emmy Award for Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness • Cult Of Personality
Richard McGuinness '82 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for an Emmy Award for Saturday Night Live • Host: John Mulaney
Gianfranco Rosi '88 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) presented his film Notturno at Venice International Film Festival
Talia Smith '19 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won a 47th Student Academy Award for her film, Umama
Matias Mariani (BFA, Undergraduate Film & Television) released Shine Your Eyes on Netflix
Daniel Antebi '18 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won a SFFILM Grant for On the Mat
Giselle Bonilla (Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was selected as a 2020 Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellow
Lynne McVeigh, Professor in the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, was awarded the 2020 Mega Grant
Student Anatola Araba for won Kaleidoscope's June edition of the Black Realities Grant for her project AFRO ALGORITHMS
Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah (BFA, Undergraduate Film & TV) was named a finalist for the Alternative/Experimental (Domestic and International Film Schools) Student Academy Award for the film, To the Girl that Looks Like Me
Tyler Mitchell (BFA, Undergraduate Film & Television) launched his first monograph, I Can Make You Feel Good
Donald Conley (BFA, Undergraduate Film & Television) and Sehaj Sethi (MFA, Graduate Film) were two of four people chosen for Screenwriters Colony's October Feature Writers
Matt Porter ’10 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) received a U.S. Narrative Short Special Mention at Outfest Film Festival
Emma Seligman ’17 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay: U.S. Narrative at the Pitfest Film Festival
Glen Kenny, Undergraduate Film & Television Professor, released a new book, Made Men: The Story of ‘Goodfellas’
Susan Sandler, Undergraduate Film & Television Professor, premiered her documentary, Julia Scotti: Funny That Way, at NewFest
Nia DaCosta (BFA., Undergraduate Film & TV) was listed as one of Variety's "Hollywood’s New Leaders 2020"
Jeremy Tchaban '03 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won an Emmy Award for Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Damon Lindelof '95 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won an Emmy Award for Watchmen • This Extraordinary Being
Eric Becker '04 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won an Emmy Award for Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: "All In The Family" and "Good Times"
John Perez '85 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won an Emmy Award for The Oscars
Charlie Redd '14 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won an Emmy Award for Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
John Canemaker, Undergraduate Film & TV Professor, was interviewed for Time Magazine's Special Edition on Disney
BFA candidate Josh Leong '22 (BFA, Undergraduate Film & Television) premiered his film, The Other Side, which was accepted into 10 major festivals
Yonatan Weinstein '16 (BFA, Undergraduate Fim & Television) premiered his series, Valley of Tears, on HBO Max
Damon Lindelof ‘85 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) and Nicole Kassell ‘02 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film) were nominated for an IFP Gotham Award for Watchmen
Jean Tsien ‘83 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for a IFP Gotham Award for 76 Days
Zipora Trope, Undergraduate Film & Television Professor, joined the Other Israel Film Festival with My Dearest Enemy
Student Chelsea Heard (Undergraduate Film & Television) was interviewed by Shoutout SoCal
John Canemaker, Professor of Undergraduate Film & Television, interviewed Master Animator, Glen Keane, about his work on Netflix's, Over the Moon
Jason Baum '07 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was nominated for a Grammy Award for Beastie Boys Story
Sam Pollard, Professor in Undergraduate Film & Television, was honored with the DOC NYC 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award
Louis Leterrier '96 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV), Ritamarie Peruggi '80 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV), and Jeffrey Addiss'01 (BFA, Drama) won an Emmy Award for Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance
Vince Gilligan '89 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won an Emmy Award for Better Call Saul Employee Training: Legal Ethics With Kim Wexler
Michael Melamedoff '01 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) won an Emmy Award for Motherhood on Black Women OWN The Conversation
Susan Sandler, Professor in the department of Undergraduate Film & Television, was featured in the New York Times
Susan Sandler, Undergraduate Film & Television Professor, directed the documentary, Julia Scotti: Funny That Way, which was recognized by the New York Times
Sam Esmail '98 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was listed on Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 50 Most Powerful Showrunners”
Vince Gilligan '89 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was listed on Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 50 Most Powerful Showrunners”
Misha Green '06 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was listed on Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 50 Most Powerful Showrunners”
Damon Lindelof '95 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was listed on Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 50 Most Powerful Showrunners”
Nia DaCosta '11 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) directed the latest film in the Marvel universe, Captain Marvel 2
John Canemaker, Professor in the department of Undergraduate Film & Television, spoke at the 80th anniversary of Walt's groundbreaking symphonic masterpiece Fantasia (1940)
Noga Pnueli '07 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV) was recognized on “The Black List” for her script, High Society
CINEMA STUDIES
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded Pratt Institute $600,000 to support the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education Network (DPOE-N) in collaboration with New York University’s MIAP Program
Marina Hassapopoulou, Assistant Professor of Cinema Studies, received the 2020 Mega Grant
Gina Mingacci '93 (BA, Cinema Studies) was nominated for an Emmy Award for Killing Eve
The National Film Preservation Fund (NFPF) awarded a grant to the Flaherty Seminar to fund the preservation of Saul Levine’s Notes on an Early Fall
Student Claire Fox was named the second Post-Graduate Fellow by the Regional Media Legacies (RML) Team
Mark Lee '84 (BFA, Cinema Studies), Adam Zell '16 (BFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing), and Scott Rudin (Tisch Dean’s Council) were nominated for a Tony Award for The Inheritance
Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing
David West Read '10 (MFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing) was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards for Schitt's Creek
Archie Gips '97 (MFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing) was nominated for an Emmy award for McMillion$
Phil Gurin '83 (MFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing) was nominated for an Emmy award for Shark Tank
Chisa Hutchinson ‘10 (MFA, Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing) was awarded Best Narrative Feature at the DC Black Film Festival for The Subject
David West Read '10 (MFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing) won an Emmy Award for Schitt's Creek
Isaac Aptaker '08 (BFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing) and Elizabeth Berger '08 (BFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing) were listed on Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 50 Most Powerful Showrunners”
Oskar Eustis, Associate Arts Professor in Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing, was nominated for a Tony Award for Sea Wall/A Life
Adam Zell '16 (BFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing) was nominated for a Tony Award for Slave Play
Michael R. Jackson '03 (BFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing)/'05 (MFA, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing), Ben Bonnema'12 (MFA, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing), and Christopher Staskel '12 (MFA, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing) won the 2020 Fred Ebb Award
Sarah Gancher, Alumna and Faculty Member in the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing, received the New York Times Critics’ Pick for her play, Russian Troll Farm
Zach Dean '05 (MFA, Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing) was recognized on “The Black List” for his script, The Gorge