Congratulations to Melissa Carter Newman (MFA 96)! Missy received the award for Best Long Form Original “Deliverance Creek” during the 2015 Writers Guild Awards L.A. Ceremony on Valentine’s Day! Go here to see some pictures of Missy being a happy woman! http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Melissa+Carter/2015+Writers+Guild+Awards+L+Ceremony+Red+Carpet/h2Q2FjiIi1w Thanks to Paul Cohen and the Film School Torchlight Program for bringing another wonderful film to campus as part of the University’s Opening Nights. This year the Oscar winning director, Louie Psihoyos's newest film, directly from the Sundance Film Festival, "Racing Extinction” was screened. This film will get world wide attention in the upcoming months and was screened here for the first non festival audience ever. Our alum, Gina Papabeis (BFA 08) is credited as co-producer and another Torchlight Program alum, Adrienne Hall, who will be in attendance with director Louie Psihoyos, is associate producer. Two wonderful FSU student graduates associated with this presentation! The University will soon be mailing information about Noles in NYC (May 4-8, 2015). Do I have current addresses for everyone in the NY area???? Finalists in the Scriptapalooza Competition! Semi-Finalists One Hour Category: Gary Wilkerson, Jr (MFA Writing, 2nd year)., Fargo “The Tea Master and the Assassin”’ Diandra Pendleton-Thompson (MFA Writing, 2nd year).,. Fargo “The Twice Bright Candle; Pilot Category Stephanie Williams (MFA 14) ; Quarter-Finalists One Hour Category: Jay Boda (MFA Writing, 2nd year).,, Fargo “Twenty Monks and a Nun”, and Erich B. Boettcher (MFA 14) , Hannibal “Yakiniku” . Congratulations to the writers and to George Gieger who taught the classes where all of these scripts were developed. From Catherine Hurd (MFA 94) “If any FSU alums are in NYC in late February, I'd like to encourage them to come to see a musical play I wrote called Zuccotti Park, which will be opening on February 26th at 9pm at the Venus Adonis Theater Festival in NYC (Robert Moss Theater.) Additional shows are on February 28th at 2pm and 9:30 pm, and on Sunday March 1 at 7pm. Composer is Vatrena King, and director is Luis Salgado, who was the assistant Latin choreographer on the Tony winning Broadway show, "In the Heights." Musical Director is Joshua Coyne. Tickets can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1058259 Additional information can be found at www.zuccottiparkmusical.com I'll be there and would love to see some alums. And check out our web site: www.zuccottiparkmusical.com Nice pics and a video of our director, who was choreographer on a Tony winning show, In the Heights. He's fantastic!” From Rob Thomason (MFA 14) “After a long six months of working in random departments to pay my bills, I've found a home at Sim/Bling Digital in LA. The post production team offered me a position as Post Assistant. I'll be learning dailies/Avid workflow construction (syncing, applying CDLs, backing up master files to LTO, etc) in tandem with digital engineering (building computers, calibrating monitors, delivering necessary hardware to DITs). I'm working with a positive, knowledgeable team that will help me expand my knowledge base considerably and a company that invests in its employees potential contributions. The company has done post workflow and/or dailies for Whiplash, Fargo Television Series, 12 Monkeys Television series, and many more exciting projects are in the pipeline.” Save the date: Film School Filmmaking 3 projects will be screened at the Student Life Center at 7 PM on Thursday, March 5. From Rik Swartzwelder (MFA 95) “Well, I guess that -- despite all odds -- Old Fashioned made a little box office history over the weekend. Already clearing $1 mil, it's the biggest opening ever for a faith-based film (less than 300 screens). But, to me, the greater stories are the reports we're hearing from all over the country from folks that (in addition to entertainment) are finding a measure of healing and hope and wholeness from the film... like the troubled couple that told me through tears of the film's impact on them... or the 30 kids that got dressed up and drove over an hour because they want to believe that love can be about more than objectification... THIS is why we fought so hard to make this film and get it in theaters. We are now expanding (adding almost 100 new screens)... and one of those is in Tallahassee :)!!! Opening Friday, February 20! Tallahassee Mall 20 2415 North Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32303 - See more at: http://www.oldfashionedmovie.com/theaters#sthash.GvSZJXYX.dpufUpdated theatre list: http://www.oldfashionedmovie.com/theaters From Nikki La Rosa (BFA 98) “A Lotus Blooms in Tampa Bay: An exhibition of fine art and photography by Nikki La Rosa. Artist Reception: Sunday, February 22, 3-5 PM, Bamboozle Ta Lounge, 109 N. 12th Street, Tampa, FL 33602. On exhibit fro February 12 through March 12, 2015 all 310 466 1081 for more information. From Joshua Mikel ('07 actor) “I directed/ cut this video for The Wind and The Wave (RCA/ Sony) and their cover of Regina Spektor's "You've Got Time" (the theme song from Orange Is the New Black). It was produced by Jaye Sarah Davidson (MFA '10) and the crew included Marina Conover (BFA '13), Asher Barzaga (BA '13 - English + lots of volunteering on FSU sets) and Tara Clark (MFA '11) Please check it out! http://youtu.be/COwpKmsyRnY From Jenni Townsend (BFA 08) “Pretty Good Friends, the film I acted in set in Melbourne, Australia (my hometown) will be making its festival debut in Florida! It will be playing at the Starlite Film Festival in Winter Garden on the 28th of February (http://starlitefilmfest.com/saturday-features-pretty-good-friends-australia/). I'm very proud of this flick, we had a lovely screening for it on a balmy Melbourne night and got a lovely review from the Independent Critic (http://theindependentcritic.com/pretty_good_friends) so definitely recommended to check out the future of Aussie independent film!” From Thomas Jackson (MFA 98) “The feature film, Mind the Gap will be holding auditions in Orlando this weekend on February 20th and 21st. For more information: http://www.mindthegapfilm.com/#!Casting-Notice/c2387/1 From Chuck Williams (former Film School faculty member) “About a year ago I started my job working as Head of Development & President of Marza Animation Planet Inc. USA. It’s a start up feature animation company making global CG films that grew out of SEGA Entertainment. We recently announced we’ll be co-producing a hybrid live-action/CG film with Sony Pictures Entertainment about Sonic the Hedgehog (think Smurfs but bigger, better and bluer!). In addition, I have several animated features in different states of development in our Burbank development offices. Production is all handled in Tokyo, where I travel about 3 or 4 times a year and there’s a staff of about 140 artists, technicians, animators, etc. It’s all still a start up and has plenty of start-up problems, but I’m really enjoying it. I do miss teaching and the students I came to know. I hope everyone is well and tell people all the time about how good the program is at FSU. Make good films and television. Best of luck everyone.” From Jeanene Carvajal (MFA 99) “A good friend is looking for an apartment to sublet for two months in the Atlanta area. Preferable near Airport. One bedroom or studio is great. Please email me at jcarvajal@itj.edu.com “ From Naaja Young (MFA 04) “Now available for streaming on iTunes, Amazon.com, Googleplay and Xbox is the exciting new urban drama by NaRa Films and O.Y. Spotlite Entertainment, Blood First!  Blood First chronicles the lives of two brothers who haphazardly follow their father's footsteps into a dangerous life of crime and violence. When faced with serving lengthy prison sentences for their crimes, one brother chooses to cooperate with the prosecution while the other does not, testing the true meaning of loyalty, honor and blood.” From Karchi Purlman “I am pleased to let you know that the curators at YourDailyPhotograph.com (AKA Duncan Miller Gallery in Santa Monica) have chosen to feature one of my fine art pieces. YourDailyPhotograph.com is a resource for collectors of fine art photography with membership in over 74 countries. This allows me to be in the company of such legends as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andreas Gursky, Richard Misrach, Andre Kertesz, which is of course is super exciting to me. :) Click here to see the image: http://eepurl.com/bedrZX” From Cait Schull (MFA 12) “I emailed you a while back about Richie Rich being on YouTube, but it's excitingly been moved to Netflix! It's set to premiere on February 20th on Netflix and the more people that see it, the more likely we are to get a second season. I was the Office PA on this show and Alex Cameron (BFA 2013) was also a PA on the show for a while.” From Jaye Sarah Davidson (MFA 10): Worried you missed out on Cootie Contagion? I have no fear, you can watch the film here: http://iheardin.com/2015/02/14/spreading-love-interview-writer-director-cootie-contagion/ Also, please check out my interview with writer-director Josh Smooha (BFA 12).” Julia A. Friedman (BFA 2014), Ines Corina Michelena (BFA 2014), and Mana Handel (BFA 2014) are working on a new short film entitled "Kings," written by Julia. Produced by Fernweh Films, our new production company that strives for diverse storytelling, this short film is sure to provide a unique lens with which to view skateboarding culture. We're really excited about the project as it's our first independent short after film school. Shooting the first week of April in Tallahassee, FL, we're working with a crew primarily made up of our former classmates. But we still need the help of our friends, our family, and the awesome FSU Film School alumni network to help make this movie happen! Please share and support the project at http://bit.ly/kickstrtKings. From Malcolm Pelles (BFA 00) “Join us for a FREE staged reading of a new comedy from Malcolm Pelles. Inspired by real events., United We dance is about a stripper named Kate, and her hilarious attempts to organize her fellow dancers into a labor union. Monday, March 16, 7:30 PM at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Washington, DC. Go to http://www.crashofrhinos.org/shows.html for more information.” From Ji Im (BFA 93) “I will be attending the screening of "Brian's Dots" in Denton, TX next week - 2/20/15 at 5pm. This documentary video is about a young man I met in Kauai, Brian, who had a serious accident at the age of 16. With determination and spirit he had a miraculous recovery and left for Hawaii in search of something more, perhaps to share his inspiring story. He discovered he loved making artwork using dots which developed into his own unique style of pointillism. I met Brian in 2007 at Kauai BeachHouse. I was inspired by what an adventurous traveler he was despite the diagnose of not being able to walk again. Brian had a serious accident when he was 16 but with determination and spirit he had a miraculous recovery and left for Hawaii in search of something more. It was the last day of my scuba diving trip at Kauai and I had just met Brian, yet I gave him my video camera and asked him to record his travels and progress of walking. Maybe he chose Hawaii to share his inspiring story to who may have similar lifestyle. It truly was amazing to see Brian also discovered his love of making artwork using dots which developed into his own unique style of pointillism.” From Jeffrey Mandel (actor in many of our films) “I'm acting in a two-character, one-act play written and directed by freshman English major Trevor Durham, assisted by sophomore theatre major Vanessa Contreras. The other actor is senior theatre major Andres Robledo. We are incredibly excited that we will be performing the show Off-Broadway at a festival of one-act plays. To be doing a show Off-Broadway is a lifelong dream for me, one that I never thought would happen. It would be like getting to do a part in a Hollywood movie. I would really love it if the Film School students who have worked with me could see me in a stage role, and one long enough to develop a complex character. It's the kind of play where saying nearly anything about the plot or theme will give away too much. This is what we have been putting out: "Joshua's (Andres Robledo) life was crumbling, until he stepped into Prosopon's store. The old man (Jeff Mandel) gave him the chance to alter his identity and live a new life... He'd simply wear a 'mask'. With nothing left to lose, Joshua accepted the offer that led both men down a path of redemption, struggle, and acceptance. Who will they be in the end?" For students, we will be performing MASKS at FSU's very own Student Life Cinema on Saturday 2/21 at 4:00 P.M., three nights before it opens in New York City! Donation is $3 at the door. For those who can't make the Saturday showing there will be Thursday 2/19 and Friday 2/21 showings in Tallahassee performed at Westminster Oaks. Tickets are $10, and merchandise will be available for purchase.” Get a sneak peak at what will be playing at the FSU Student Life Cinema starting February 19th in our latest student-edited promo at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0wyp-jVOBc&list=UU6oNns6UgtRkiQ12pf3buOA From Dylan Correll (BFA 07) “this is for NYC. A friend of mine works as a video producer for this animal-centric website, The Dodo. They are looking to hire a full time editor for their video content. Details from Emily as follows: The Dodo is looking to hire a full-time video editor (Premiere and basic After Effects) who both has solid editing skills and a strong editorial voice, especially to help us grow Facebook and raise visibility. Ideally, they can both convert our pre-existing content (like this https://www.thedodo.com/pets-hugging-humans-799301212.html) into mashups, and also find and create their own mashups with footage sourced from youtube, matching our editorial voice while maintaining our animal welfare media standards. We also want the video editor to be open to exploring other forms of video creation, whether it be diving into the Discovery archives that we've been given the keys to, or exploring other original video formats down the line. Contact emily@thedodo.com Screenplay Contest Deadlines Coming Soon: Click on the name for more info. Deadline Contest 2/20/2015 The Script Fest 2/28/2015 American Gem Short Script Contest & Literary Festival /Partner: Write Brothers - 11th Edition 2/28/2015 A FilmMakers International Screenwriting Awards / Sponsor: The Radmin Company (14th Annual) 2/28/2015 Amazing Logline Contest, The 2/28/2015 1st TV Writing Competition 3/2/2015 Script Exposure Screenwriting Competition 3/20/2015 Breaking Walls Thriller Screenplay Contest FSU CMPA Screenings & Awards Update – February 19, 2015 Southern Roots (BFA Thesis 2014 Betsy Serral/Jill Somers [PR]), LUNCHSAQ (BFA Thesis 2014 Aubrey Danielson/Taylor Kidd [PR]), Hop Skotch the Funk Dumpling (MFA Thesis 2014 Khadif Sanders/Joel Black [PR]), Heyln Spring (MFA Thesis 2014 Noah Camenker) and A Blind Man (MFA Thesis 2014 Joel Black) were selected for Blue Ribbon Panel judging by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the College Television Awards (Student Emmys). The winners will be announced in April. For more information about this competition, go to www.emmys.tv/foundation. Southern Roots (BFA Thesis 2014 Betsy Serral), Apalachicola (MFA Thesis 2014 John Francis) and Ruby Woo (MFA Thesis 2014 Kendall McCrory) will be the top three College winners on March 12 at the Palm Beach International Film Festival Showcase of Films. We won’t know which film will be in which place until the day of the showcase. For more information about this event, go to http://www.pbfilm.com/studentshowcaseoffilms.cfm. Hop Skotch the Funk Dumpling (MFA Thesis 2014 Khadif Sanders) won Best Performance, Behind the Image (BFA Documentary 2014 April Moore/Byron Leon) won Best Documentary, Earning Jenny (BFA Documentary 2014 Jamie Rice) won Best Editing, Coda (BFA F1 2014 Mark Breedlove) won Best in Show and Best Sound Editing and Hashi (BFA Thesis 2014 Mana Handel) won Best Narrative Short at the Black Warrior Film Festival in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, February 13-15. For more information about this festival, go to www.blackwarriorfilmfest.com. A Blind Man (MFA Thesis 2014 Joel Black) was awarded Best Drama at the Love Your Shorts Film Festival in Sanford, Florida, February 12-15. For more information about this festival, go to www.loveyourshorts.com. Coda (BFA F1 2014 Mark Breedlove) was selected for screening, and With Your Crooked Heart (BFA Thesis 2014 Sam Goodwin/Kate Payne) and Byroad (BFA Thesis 2014 Raymond Calderon) were awarded Honorable Mention at the William & Mary Student Short Film Competition in Williamsburg, Virginia, February 19-22. For more information about this competition, go to http://filmfestival.wm.edu. Scapegoat (MFA D2 2013 Khadif Sanders) was selected for screening at the Fort Myers Film Festival, March 25-29. For more information about this festival, go to www.fortmyersfilmfestival.com. Forgotten Rabbit (BFA Documentary 2013 Clara Diez) was invited to screen at three festivals in the state of Washington: Seattle Crypticon Horror Convention on May 23, Sasquan International Film Festival in Spokane, August 17-20, and at Tri-Cities International Fantastic Film Festival in Richland, October 16-18. For more information about these festivals go to www.tcif3.com. Dorian (BFA Thesis 2014 Jon Sams/Margie Cooper) was selected for screening at the Gasparilla Film Festival in Tampa, March 24-29. For more information about this festival, go to www.gasparillafilmfestival.com. Upcoming Screenings and Awards (in chronological order): Killer Kart (MFA Thesis 2012 J Feeney) was selected for screening on the highly competitive Short of the Week. More information to follow, but for more information on Short of the Week, go to http://www.shortoftheweek.com/. Killer Kart (MFA Thesis 2012 J Feeney) was invited for screening at Meme Pas Peur International Film Festival of the Fantastic in Saint-Philippe, France in the second half of February, 2015. For more information about this festival, go to www.festivalmemepaspeur.com. I Am One (BFA F2 2014 Christian Klein) was selected for screening at the inaugural WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival in Miami, February 27 – March 3. For more information about this festival, go to http://widescreenfest.com. S.P.A.G.H.E.T.T.1 (MFA Thesis 2009 Adam Varney) was invited to screen at Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention, March 6-8 in Tuscon, Arizona. For more information about this festival, go to https://www.wildwestcon.com/. Whatever We Want To Be (MFA Thesis 2014 Stephanie Williams) was selected for screening at the Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival, March 15-20. For more information about this festival, go to www.lawomensfest.com. A Promise (MFA D2 2014 Saad Nawab) was selected for screening at the Speechless Film Festival in Mankato, Minnesota, March 20-21. For more information about this festival, go to http://speechlessfilmfestival.com. Birthday Box (MFA D2 2014 Ashlea Patterson) and Fathers & Daughters (MFA Thesis 2014 Mithra Alavi) were selected for screening at the Brooklyn Girl Film Festival, March 26-28. For more information about this festival, go to http://www.brooklyngirlfilmfest.com/. The Surreal and the Self (BFA Documentary 2013 Jon Sams) was selected for screening at the American Documentary Film Festival, March 26-30 in Palm Springs, California. For more information about this festival, go to www.americandocumentaryfilmfestival.com. Cootie Contagion (BFA Thesis 2012 Josh Smooha) was selected for screening at the Phoenix Film Festival, March 26 – April 2. For more information about this festival, go to www.phoenixfilmfestival.com. These Woods (BFA Thesis 2013 Tatiana Bears) was selected for screening at the Ozark Foothills Film Fest in Batesville, Arkansas, April 2-6. For more information about this festival, go to http://www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org/. Death Has a Son (BFA Thesis 2013 Zack Ogle) and Beer Battle (BFA Documentary 2014 Hunter Truman) were selected to screen as part of the Best of Brouhaha side bar at the Florida Film Festival, April 10-19 in Orlando. For more information about this festival, go to www.floridafilmfestival.com. -- Meryl Warren, Director of Alumni College of Motion Picture ArtsA5100 University Center, Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL 32306-2350850 524 0063 (cell) ; 850 644 2626 faxmwarren@film.fsu.edu film.fsu.edu See More

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