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Motion Pictures

Alumnus Tim Sparks writes and directs HBO film “AMARAICA”

By: Bianca De Paz Master of Fine Arts alumnus, a writer and director of the multiple award-winning film, Tim Sparks, recently worked on his latest full feature, “AMARAICA.” The movie, which takes place in Texas, California, and Mexico, will be streaming on HBO in September 2021. At the time, Sparks created this film due to the U.S. government’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ child separation policy at Mexico's border. Since he is a father and having dealt with this personally in the past with his own undocumented family members, he felt that this was a story that he really connected to.   “As [...]

2021-02-18T13:10:21-05:00February 16, 2021|Motion Pictures, School of Communication|
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‘TheWrap’ Ranks UM A Top 50 Film School

By: Karina Valdes TheWrap’s Top 50 Film Schools of 2020 lists the University of Miami School of Communication as one of the best in the country to study cinematic arts. Earning a spot at number 32 on the list, the program went up three spots from number 35 in 2019. “Our ranking in TheWrap reflects the standing that the University of Miami has gained in the industry, especially now that our graduate program is well over two decades along and alumni have succeeded at every facet and level,” said Christina Lane, chair for the Department of Cinematic Arts. Notable [...]

2021-01-26T14:42:31-05:00January 26, 2021|Motion Pictures|
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UM Professor Awarded Fellowship, Plans Special Art Project

By: Jabria Roscoe Ali Habashi, award winning documentary filmmaker and assistant professor of professional practice for the Department of Cinematic Arts, is a recipient of the University of Miami Fellowship in the Arts and Humanities for 2020. This highly selective award strives to support and fund the startup of new artistic projects, advance already existing ones, and enhance University of Miami’s reputation for scholarly and creative excellence. This fiscal year, 12 Fellowships in the Arts and Humanities were awarded. “I’m humbled to be trusted by the selection committee to carry [...]

2020-10-21T13:40:15-04:00October 21, 2020|Motion Pictures, School of Communication|
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Documentary Filmmaker Billy Corben Shares Career Advice with Students

By: Karina Valdes For students pursuing a career in motion pictures, advice and humor intertwined during the Career Conversations Series with guest Billy Corben, B.S.C. ’03. A documentary filmmaker known for Cocaine Cowboys, The U, and Screwball, Corben graduated from the University of Miami School of Communication and has led a successful career that includes co-founding the Miami-based media company, Rakontur. “I've been quarantining, but I have been blessed to have a job, number one and, number two, to have a job that enables me to work remotely,” said Corben. [...]

2020-08-20T11:06:14-04:00July 23, 2020|Motion Pictures, School of Communication|
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The Future of the Entertainment Industry

By: Amanda M. Perez Experts from across the University of Miami and those in the entertainment business weigh in on how the global pandemic has affected the profession and how it could shape the dynamics moving forward. For many people who make a living in the entertainment industry, life as they knew it abruptly changed in late March when the spread of COVID-19 forced every aspect of the business to shut down. With movie theaters going dark, concert halls closing their doors, and film sets delaying production indefinitely, the global [...]

2020-08-20T10:33:51-04:00July 22, 2020|Motion Pictures, School of Communication|
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Two New Special Topics Classes for Fall 2020

The School of Communication has added two new special topics classes to its fall schedule where students can explore how communication can be used to help communities. Communicating COVID-19: Social Justice Research, Action, and Impact offers students an opportunity to implement community-based projects founded on communication theory, research and practice. Students will be able to use their skills as researchers, communicators, and storytellers to join the unprecedented global response to the humanitarian crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The class will leverage the diverse talents of professors from across the [...]

2020-05-11T11:22:51-04:00May 11, 2020|Journalism, Media Management, Motion Pictures, School of Communication|
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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|
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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 [...]

2020-05-04T12:09:13-04:00May 4, 2020|Interactive Media, Motion Pictures, School of Communication|
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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|
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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, [...]

2020-04-21T12:41:12-04:00April 17, 2020|Broadcast Journalism, Electronic Media, Interactive Media, Journalism, Media Management, Motion Pictures, School of Communication|
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