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Congrats to alums Reid Davenport and Meg Smaker, both premiering their films at Sundance 2022!
I Didn’t See You There / U.S.A. (Director: Reid Davenport, Producer: Keith Wilson) — Spurred by the spectacle of a circus tent that goes up outside his Oakland apartment, a disabled filmmaker launches into an unflinching meditation on freakdom, (in)visibility, and the pursuit of individual agency. World Premiere.
Jihad Rehab / U.S.A. (Director: Meg Smaker, Producers: Meg Smaker, Bryan Storkel) — A group of Al-Qaeda members are transferred from Guantanamo to a secretive rehabilitation center for Islamic extremists. World Premiere.
Congrats to alum Kristine Stolakis ('15), her feature documentary Pray it Away will debut on Netflix this Summer. The film was edited by alum Carla Gutierrez ('04) with cinematography by Melissa Langer ('15). Congrats to the whole team!
'Then there’s Mother’s Day, with its attendant helium balloons, spring bouquets, brunch specials, and widespread exhortations to make sure that our mothers—and friends and strangers on social media—know how precious the relationship is. Wills is baffled by how “having mass incarceration, having private prisons to break up families,” could fit in the American narrative that seems to celebrate maternal bonds by bestowing flagship status upon the holiday. “What the f**k do I want to celebrate it for?”'
Watch MOTHER'S DAY by Ellie Wen ('19) on The New Yorker. This was Wen's 1st year spring quarter film in the Stanford MFA Documentary Film program.
Fresh on The New Yorker site: Ted Griswold’s (’20) portrait of lessons in masculinity that take place at a shooting range. FATHER AND GUN was Ted’s 1st year spring quarter film.
Looking forward to seeing films from our program under the stars at the beautiful Frost Auditorium -- exact schedule coming soon, but expect a selection of recent favorites by MFA students in Documentary Film (curated by current students!) and recent feature documentaries by MFA alums.
Three Short Films by first-year students in the MFA program in documentary film. LIve Q&A to follow!
Tuesday, March 23
5 pm PST
link to virtual screening here (only available at above date/time):
https://vimeo.com/event/759931
We are thrilled to announce the Stanford Department of Art & Art History’s presentation of: Eight Spring Films!!
Films by (former) first-year students in the MFA program in documentary film (the pandemic delayed us but it can’t stop us!) Vimeo link in our bio:
Q&A with filmmakers to follow
Friday, March 5
5 pm PST
Un Hermano Mejor by Jon Ayon
Two Latinx brothers in their late thirties, one gay the other straight, meet to reflect on their childhoods in an ultra-religious, immigrant household.
Club Quarantine by Aurora Brachman
Every night during the Covid-19 lockdown, hundreds of people from around the world gather in a massive q***r dance party known as ‘Club Quarantine.’
The Dandelions by Adrian L. Burrell
After crash landing in the future, a black freedom fighter sends a message to the past about the path to liberation.
Internal Sun by Anna R. Japaridze
When homes are drawn apart by time and space, recitations appear towards the deliverance of an eclipse.
The Space Between by Sydney Bowie Linden
Two sisters revisit their past to understand why their mother mysteriously stopped recording home movies.
File Me Away by Michael T. Workman
Lifenaut.com promises its users a chance to become technologically immortal.
Wavelengths by Jessie Zinn
A hotline extends an ear for womxn who are alone with new emptiness amidst the Bay Area’s 'Shelter In Place' order.
April Sucks by David Zucker
Composed entirely of found YouTube vlogs, April Sucks is a collective portrait of teenage boys navigating the isolation and frustration of life in quarantine. @ Stanford University
Please join us Friday February 26th, at 5 PM PST, for a screening of four short films by the (formerly) first-year students in the MFA program in documentary film! This winter MFA documentary film screening was originally scheduled for March 2020, but was postponed as a precautionary measure in response to the coronavirus. We are now pleased to be able to present these films online. This screening will take place on Vimeo with a Q&A with filmmakers to follow.
A link to the screening is in our bio!
Fragile Vessels by Jon Ayon & Anna R. Japardize
Residents of California reflect on their emotional responses to inhabiting a time marked by ecological collapse.
Look at Mama by Sydney Bowie Linden & David Zucker
An Instagram-perfect house, 303k followers, and two kids with one of the rarest genetic diseases in the world. You know, a typical mommy-blogger.
Favor and Grace by Adrian L. Burrell & Michael T. Workman
After the ex*****on of her nephew at the hands of the Vallejo Police, Angela seeks justice
The Gallery That Destroys All Shame by Aurora Brachman & Jessie Zinn
One evening in L.A., a group of womxn gather to learn how to take back the speculum. @ Stanford University
The Fall 2020 MFA Documentary Film Screening is here!
This year, the first year MFA students faced the daunting task of filmmaking during the pandemic. Despite the obstacles, they crafted 6 remarkable films. As is required in the first quarter, all films were shot on 16mm black and white Bolex film. A virtual screening of these films by the first-year MFA students is happening Tuesday, December 8, 5:30-6:30 pm PST.
There will be a Q&A with the filmmakers following the screening!!
Michael Rubbo was a student at Stanford in the 60s and has had a 50 year career in documentaries since, including some classic documentary films at the NFB (Waiting for Fidel, Margaret Atwood- Once in August). Rubbo has just released a series of videos reflecting on his work and methods. We recently acquired the entire series for our MFA students at Stanford Library -- check it out below!
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/michaelrubbosdocojourney
Watch Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz's ('17) powerful short Status Pending on NBC's Meet the Press at AFI Festival. Priscilla says about the immigration lawyers in the film,
"They really care about their communities, not just in their professional lives but in their personal lives. Something that drives my work is featuring relatable “normal people” who do little things or big things that make a difference."
Watch the short film Huntsville Station, directed by MFA faculty and program director Jamie Meltzer and alum Chris Filippone (‘18) at the upcoming @doubleexposurefestival oct 14-18 #dxiff2020