UNCW Film Studies

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UNCW Film Studies

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The Film Studies's department at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington is teaching students to create and analyze moving images, to produce research, and to make art. No posts are guaranteed, but we will do our best. Also, turn around time is 3-5 business days. Faculty, Alumni and Current Students cans submit their news through this form: https://forms.gle/H35evQejcqAiyFDY9

05/11/2026

☀️🎉 That's a wrap on Spring 2026! 🎬📚

To everyone who made this semester what it was — students, faculty, and staff — thank you. From late-night edits to lively class discussions, from short films to research presentations, you showed up and gave it everything.

Go enjoy the sunshine, catch up on sleep, and if inspiration strikes — make something. 🎥🌴

HAVE AN AMAZING SUMMER! Let's goooo! 🚀💛
(Taking a break from socials this summer, see you back here in Fall 2026!)

05/08/2026

Happy Graduation Day, Seahawks! Wishing you all a day full of joy and celebration. We couldn't be prouder. With love, Film Studies. 🎓

05/07/2026

🎬 Thesis Film Spotlight

Congratulations to Jessica Vitkin on her thesis film Hard Work.

The film explores the double standards surrounding male and female sexuality, as well as the contradictions between the private consumption and public condemnation of po*******hy. Through a one-night stand that takes an unexpectedly explicit turn, the film examines intimacy, desire, and cultural hypocrisy.

Excited to follow the journey of the film!

05/06/2026

🎬 Thesis Film Spotlight

Congratulations to Meredith Bateman on her thesis film You Know How to Reach Me.

This imaginative experimental short steps into a whimsical, storybook-like dream world where, fast asleep, one can enter a magical realm beyond grief and reconnect with loved ones who have passed.

So proud to celebrate your work, Meredith!

05/04/2026

Congratulations to Alejandro Lahore (Spring 2026) on his thesis film Marco.

Inspired by the filmmaker’s father, the film follows a mechanic working to fulfill his dream of opening his own auto repair shop. Centered on perseverance, hope, and personal ambition, the story reflects on the challenges of building something for oneself and the belief that it is never too late to pursue one’s dreams.

Proud of you, Alejandro!

05/01/2026

Faculty Spotlight: Professor Todd Berliner 🎬

Professor Todd Berliner has been invited to the University of Groningen in the Netherlands this June to deliver a talk titled “Expect the Expected: Aesthetics of Planting and Payoff.” The talk will be part of the university’s prestigious Research Colloquium series, which has featured leading film scholars including Tom Gunning, Thomas Elsaesser, and Janet Staiger.

Professor Berliner’s research on film style and viewer engagement continues to inform his teaching in UNCW’s Film Studies program, where students explore cinematic form, storytelling strategies, and the aesthetics of film history.

Follow for more faculty research highlights and Film Studies events.

04/30/2026

Finals season, Seahawks! Let's go.

Your faculty are showing up for you: office hours, quick Zooms, last-minute reads, pep talks. Whatever you need to cross the finish line, we're here. Take care of yourself and finish strong.

04/24/2026

Faculty Spotlight: Asst Professor Dr. Lani Akande 🎬

Dr. Lani Akande has published a new article, "A Contra-Realist Nollywood Film Mode: A Global South Aesthetic Born Out of Colonial Trauma," in Quarterly Review of Film and Video.

The article makes a connection between a Nollywood realism and Colonial trauma.
Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1080/10509208.2026.2650915

Follow for more faculty research highlights and Film Studies events.

04/20/2026

Professor Dave Monahan's FST 495: Narrative recently brought the entire class together to collaborate on a single production. The class developed a script submitted by MFA in Filmmaking student Jessica Vitkin.

Please Remain is about a broken relationship in a broken world. The story of two former friends thrown back together as they flee a societal collapse explores themes of friendship and redemption.

Teamwork makes the dream work. 🎬

04/15/2026

Alumni Spotlight: Tristan Turner 🎞️

Tristan Turner, an experimental filmmaker and mixed media artist, has work featured at the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University as part of “Lost in the Flood: Photochemical Traces of Extreme Weather.”

The program brings together a night of short film screenings and live cinema performances. Turner presents SWANNANOAN SILT (2025), a two-channel live cinema work created with Isaac King and accompanied by musician Agis Shaw.

The project documents the impact of Hurricane Helene across the Appalachian region, including flooding, landslides, and environmental hazards, while also capturing moments of community resilience. Working with 16mm motion picture film and 35mm slide film, Turner and King process their footage in the contaminated waters of the Swannanoa and French Broad Rivers, exploring the limits of legibility and the materiality of photochemical cinema.

Proud of you, Tristan! Excited to see all that’s ahead for you.

04/10/2026

Alumni News Spotlight: Ashna Patil 🌟🎥

Ashna Patil, who graduated from UNCW in May 2025, moved to New York City to pursue a career in film. Over the past six months, she has worked as a freelance filmmaker on a wide range of projects, including commercials, independent narrative work, and music videos, as well as filming live performances with artists such as Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Lola Young, and A$AP Rocky.

Most recently, Ashna accepted a full-time position at the production company OTHRWRLD Studio. She is thriving in New York City and draws inspiration from the creative energy and diverse community that surrounds her.

So proud of you Ashna! Keep doing all the exciting things!

Address

Wilmington, NC
28407

Telephone

+19109623000

Website

http://uncw.edu/filmstudies/index.html

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