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Motion Pictures

Second Annual SMIFF Shines a Spotlight on International Filmmakers

By Karina Valdes For three nights, the Bill Cosford Cinema is setting the stage for established and emerging short filmmakers to showcase their work during the Second Annual Shorts Miami International Film Festival (SMIFF). The juried festival awards cash prizes to the most engaging films, including a $2000 Best of the Festival award. "We are proud to host this international film festival. This festival offers a range of diverse global perspectives, which may challenge and delight as we experience this special opportunity to witness the best contemporary short films produced [...]

2024-01-24T13:12:21-05:00January 24, 2024|Motion Pictures, School of Communication|
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Film ‘Aguadilla’ Depicts Migrants’ Tumultuous Journeys to Puerto Rico

By Caroline Val Professor Tom Musca and a crew of School of Communication students and alumni spent the summer producing a feature-length film inspired by the stories of Dominican immigrants who flee to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, seeking better opportunities. As Tom Musca sat on the balcony of a longtime friend’s home, with the town of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico in the distance, he suddenly noticed a rustling in the trees beneath them. When he inquired about the commotion to his friend Noel Quiñones, a pilot and film colleague, the gentleman coolly [...]

2023-09-22T14:57:28-04:00September 22, 2023|Motion Pictures|
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Alumnus Sketched and Fulfilled His Dream Job

By Brandi Troup From Florida and the University of Miami to California, Dustin Romero brought his artistic talents, ambitions, and dreams with him. And now he is a character layout artist for “The Simpsons.” A proud alumnus of the University of Miami, Dustin Romero is a character layout artist for the longstanding show “The Simpsons.” Though his path to California hasn’t been linear, working in the realm of art was Romero’s fate. “I would draw all the time,” he said. “My mother used to joke that I was born with [...]

2023-08-25T12:17:38-04:00August 25, 2023|Motion Pictures|
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Crafting Films to ‘Unjudge,’ Celebrate Humanity

By Michael R. Malone Student filmmakers in the School of Communication “Human Book” project have generated short films, all entries in the Canes Film Festival, that challenge stereotypes, celebrate resiliency, and bring the best of humanity into sharp focus. Charged with using their cameras to tell the stories of extraordinary individuals, student filmmakers in the M.F.A. Documentary program have crafted short narrative films that explore a spectrum of inspiring personalities—a Ukrainian ballet dancer, a reformed felon in Coconut Grove, and entrepreneurial sisters who share their love for dance. The films [...]

2023-05-01T12:44:39-04:00May 1, 2023|Motion Pictures|
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Film Professor Shares Top Film Picks for Ramadan

By Abbie Bernet Sana Haq, assistant professor in the Department of Cinematic Arts, shares her top suggestions for films to watch this Ramadan that celebrate Muslim stories and experiences. Last week, we entered the holy month of Ramadan, and I have a few films to recommend. In case you're interested in getting to know more about Muslim life and experience in the U.S. and abroad. The Battle of Algiers (1966) "The Battle of Algiers" (1966), Igor Film and Casbah Film I'm going to kick off the list with [...]

2023-03-29T12:01:30-04:00March 29, 2023|Motion Pictures|
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Motion Pictures Student Shares Experiences from SBIFF

By Jules Crosby Thirty undergraduate students from across the country recently spent an extended weekend in California participating in this year’s highly selective Santa Barbara International Film Festival Film Studies Program. Jules Crosby, a motion pictures major in the screenwriting track, was chosen for this experience where he was granted access to the festival’s screenings, panels, seminars, and other experiential events that provided learning and networking opportunities outside of the classroom. The University of Miami School of Communication provided funding in support of Crosby’s representation of the school in the [...]

2023-03-08T17:18:52-05:00March 8, 2023|Motion Pictures|
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The 40th Annual Miami Film Festival Glitters with Support from the School of Communication

By Karina Valdes The 40th annual Miami Film Festival (MFF) is rolling out the red carpet from March 3-12, showcasing films created by a diverse set of filmmakers from across the world. The festival unites Miami’s local filmmakers and cinema-loving residents with world-wide industry professionals and films from a variety of genres in theaters and events throughout the city. The University of Miami School of Communication is set to host screenings and is sponsoring the University of Miami Documentary Achievement Award. Professor Tom Musca’s latest film, “Dying to Direct,” is [...]

2023-02-23T15:38:17-05:00February 23, 2023|Motion Pictures|
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Inaugural Shorts Miami International Film Festival Coming to the Bill Cosford Cinema

The internationally recognized University of Miami School of Communication announces its inaugural Shorts Miami International Film Festival, to be held Feb. 3-5 at the Bill Cosford Cinema in Coral Gables. The festival seeks to showcase emerging and established filmmakers in a competition that aims to promote excellence in short form narrative and documentary filmmaking. Monetary awards of $500 will be given to the best jury-selected U.S. or international short film (20 minutes or less) in each of the following competitions: Narrative and Documentary. A $500 Best of the Festival cash-award [...]

2023-02-07T12:09:48-05:00January 23, 2023|Motion Pictures, School of Communication|
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Students Focus Their Cameras on New Artists at the U

By Janette Neuwahl Tannen Film students in Professor Ed Talavera’s class learn key skills in cinematography, while helping to create music videos at no cost for emerging artists. Before this fall, junior Grecia Dianel Rivera had never performed her own songs for a video audience. Yet, early in October, a class of 15 film students surrounded the young Puerto Rican vocalist as she lip-synced along to one of her own songs, “Cuanto es dos mas dos,” or “How much is two plus two?” in a studio at the University of Miami School [...]

2022-12-12T11:08:38-05:00December 12, 2022|Motion Pictures|
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