Motion Pictures

Cinematic Arts Develops Online International Film Festival in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the University of Miami to suspend face-to-face instruction, students in the Department of Cinematic Arts were especially affected. Filmmaking is by definition a collaborative art, one that requires crews to work together, as well as access to an extensive array of production equipment. As the School of Communication has seen time and again in our community, creativity and persistence can overcome practical challenges. Motion pictures students forced to shelter in place worked during this crisis to develop films that will be screened online at the [...]

2020-05-08T12:02:46-04:00May 8, 2020|Motion Pictures|

Cinematic Voyage Across the Globe’s Oceans Captivates and Educates

By: Kelly Montoya The Ocean Health Voyage, an online educational platform produced by a University of Miami professor and award-winning filmmaker, is now offered to members of the Hemispheric University Consortium. For two years, Ali Habashi, an award-winning filmmaker and assistant professor at the University of Miami School of Communication, set off to meet with 10 world-renowned marine biologists in 10 remote locations around the globe in order to unearth stories about the health of the world’s oceans. Even as Habashi moved from country to country, through thrilling helicopter rides [...]

UM Professor Wins BEA Festival of Media Arts Award

By: Jabria Roscoe Sanjeev Chatterjee, professor, won the Award of Excellence from the Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts (BEA) for his documentary, Sweet Malady. “It feels great,” said Chatterjee. “It’s an international award so it always feels good to win something like this.” Sweet Malady follows a West Bengal family whose members all acquire Type 2 Diabetes from foods they associate with happiness. “I’m inspired by what I see,” said Chatterjee. “I wanted to show the culture of sweets in the Bengali community in India and show something [...]

2020-04-21T17:07:21-04:00April 21, 2020|Journalism, Motion Pictures|

Student Productions Win Big at National Media Competition

By: Sabrina Pizziol University of Miami students took the nation by storm at the 57th Annual National Undergraduate Student Electronic Media Competition, receiving several nominations and taking home eight awards. UMTV’s Spanish-language news show, UniMiami, was recognized as the Best Video Newscast (Prerecorded) making it the first award the program has won. “It was definitely a long-time coming,” said Alexa Eckembrecher, one of the executive producers of UniMiami. “It would have never happened if it weren't for all the members that worked on this program before me and my co-EP, [...]

Pixar Artist Motivates Students to Move ‘Onward’

By: Ashley Williams A one-hour, behind-the-scenes presentation hosted by the University of Miami School of Communication featured insights into Carlos Felipe Leon’s set design process, followed by a Q&A. Kianna Dorsey wants to pursue a career in film. To make that happen, the Maryland native is majoring in motion pictures at the University of Miami, making sure she’s soaking up all of the knowledge and taking advantage of all the opportunities. When Dorsey, a first-year student, got word that Pixar Animation Studios artist Carlos Felipe Leon would be speaking at [...]

2020-03-03T16:24:31-05:00March 3, 2020|Motion Pictures|

UM Filmmakers Screening at Miami Film Festival

By: Jabria Roscoe and Karina Valdes A diverse mix of film industry professionals from around the world are coming to Miami for the 37th annual Miami Film Festival (MFF). Set against an eclectic backdrop of palm trees and street art, MFF is a convergence of established and new talent looking to screen and generate buzz for their work. This year, six films developed by University of Miami faculty, students, and alumni are screening at the festival on March 6-15 at Miami-Dade College. Tom Musca’s comedic film, Chateau Vato, is making [...]

2020-02-28T10:38:04-05:00February 27, 2020|Motion Pictures|

‘Sweet Malady’ Might Just Make You Give Up Sweets… Forever

By: Isabella Vaccaro Sanjeev Chatterjee, a professor of cinema and interactive media and journalism in the University of Miami’s School of Communication, has been starting conversations with his films for years. His 2008 documentary One Water, prompted audiences around the world to rethink their relationship with water and how they might be taking it for granted. Chatterjee is tackling another global problem: the effects of sugar. In his new film, Sweet Malady, Chatterjee follows a family in Kolkata, the capital of India’s West Bengal state and a city known for its [...]

2020-01-31T16:32:49-05:00January 24, 2020|Motion Pictures|

Nobody’s Going to the Movies, Yet Everybody’s Watching Movies

The rise of video streaming services was discussed during a meeting on tech trends before the CES International consumer technology conference held in Las Vegas earlier this month. Photo: Associated Press By Michael R. Malone University of Miami film and media specialists discuss the dynamics—competition, quality, and delivery options—that are revolutionizing the film and TV marketplace. The Golden Globes annually light the fanfare fuse that sizzles all the way to the Oscars on Feb. 9. At the Globes ceremony this year, host Ricky Gervais used his pulpit, in twisted fashion, to [...]

2020-01-15T10:40:08-05:00January 15, 2020|Media Management, Motion Pictures|

Movies of the 80s with Rene Rodriguez

This semester, Rene Rodriguez, who served as the Miami Herald’s film critic for over 20 years, is teaching a class in the School of Communication called The Most Influential Decade: How the Movies of the 1980s Continue to Shape Hollywood today. Rene spoke with us about the inspiration for his course and what he hopes to convey to his students about this pivotal decade.   Isabella: What was the inspiration for this 1980s cinema class? Rene: So, I teach an Aspects of Contemporary Cinema course in the spring semester, which is [...]

Christina Lane Named President-elect of UFVA

On September 1, Christina Lane, chair for the Department of Cinema and Interactive Media, was named president-elect of the University Film and Video Association (UFVA). Lane served as a board member for two years before assuming her new position at UFVA, a not-for-profit organization which brings together media professionals to promote cinema and media as a whole.  As president-elect, Lane will work closely under UFVA’s current president to learn the ins and outs of the job, as well as develop her own vision for the organization before officially becoming president [...]