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Come celebrate the excellent work of student filmmakers from the OHIO School of Film’s 1st-year MFA Program!

Saturday, October 11th at 7:00 p.m.

Admission is FREE and open to the Public – Tickets are required

Ohio University’s School of Film graduate students will debut 12 original short films exploring a wide range of themes, including identity, family, freedom, grief, and the coming-of-age experience. This diverse collection of work reflects the unique perspectives and backgrounds of the filmmakers, who hail from both near and far.

Films and Filmmakers

That Night by Sevedsina Mahdavi. Runtime: 16 min

Synopsis: Working illegally at a local restaurant, a young woman is assaulted after hours when a chance police officer arrives and turns the night on its head.

Silent Light by Rufat Ray. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: In the stillness of night, a man faces his grief, led by the silent light of his wife.

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From Gaza, with Love by Mishal Waqar. Runtime: 7 min

Synopsis: A student abroad loses touch with a close friend until a pile of forgotten letters brings their neglect into focus.

Talk to Her by Luis Avery Munguia. Runtime: 11 min

Synopsis: When the bus doesn’t come, a young international student and a weary mother share a walk that stirs his struggle with reaching out to his own.

Mother of the Year by Nathaniel Bellasea. Runtime: 10 min

Synopsis: A single mother who works as a master thief must take her baby with her on a big job when her childcare suddenly falls through.

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The Silent Leak by Mostafa Akbari Manjili. Runtime: 16 min

Synopsis: To save her husband from bank debt, a young woman sells her mother’s only home and buys her a smaller one. But when they uncover a massive water bill caused by neglect, they must choose: deceive the water company or face ruin.

Callie by Marilyn Parker-Longdon. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: In a moment of uncertainty, A young woman awaits her medical scan results, and as the night goes on her mind spirals into a mix of reality and, imagination until a phone call ends her deepest fears.

Our Mornings Begin this Way by Neginsadat Mohajerani. Runtime: 12 min

Synopsis: After discovering a familiar letter on his coffee table, a middle-aged man goes about his day, until unfamiliar details creep in, hinting that his reality is shifting.

Trepidations by Luna Atkins-Hanshaw. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: An outlaw grows paranoid as she debates her commitment to robbing a small-town convenience store with her sister.

Quarter Aged Man by Younis Raj Uprety. Runtime: 7 min

Synopsis: A twenty-eight-year-old insecure man anxious about seeing his ex-girlfriend, gets into an imaginary argument.

Tickle Mischief by Cait Rowe. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: When her job interview turns abusive, May and her sister Luce set aside their differences and exact revenge on the perpetrator.

Girl Math by Isha Ahmad. Runtime: 6 min

Synopsis: A paranoid college girl enlists her best friend to decode her boyfriend’s social media silence, but their amateur espionage reveals more about trust, and themselves, than they’d bargained for.

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Come celebrate the excellent work of student filmmakers from the OHIO School of Film’s 2nd-year MFA Program!

Saturday, November 8th at 7:00 p.m.

Admission is FREE and open to the Public – Tickets are required

Films and Filmmakers

Thirsty by Zinn Rogers – Narrative. Runtime: 15 min

Synopsis: A painter begins to have a breakdown while trying to paint her masterpiece.

Tub by Andrew Bowman – Narrative. Runtime: 12 min

Synopsis: Three incompatible fantasies are channeled through a cast-iron tub and its discordant inhabitants.

Pin by MJ Golazari – Experimental. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: A woman’s quiet routines begins to fray as the unseen weight of external unrest presses in, blurring the line between interior calm and a mysterious collapse.

Everything Is Fine by Gift Sukez Sukali – Narrative. Runtime: 9 min

Synopsis: When a toxic leak threatens a small Michigan neighborhood, a complacent husband clings to denial as his panicked wife demands they flee, forcing a darkly comic reckoning with apathy, trust, and survival.

Still Rolling by Mohamed Essam Abouelenain – Narrative. Runtime: 15 min

Synopsis: A sixty-year-old theatre professor lands her first on-camera role, only to find herself in a toxic location under the control of a toxic filmmaker — will she survive the performance or lose herself to it?

The Kiss by Salome Sulaberidze – Narrative. Runtime: 23 min

Synopsis: Lee, a young withdrawn girl has a secret crush on her brother’s friend Peter. Instead of showing her feelings directly, she lives in her imagination, but everything changes at the Halloween party when she finds Peter laying alone and unconscious in the forest.

Alien by Alaa Al-Shameri – Narrative. Runtime: 30 min

Synopsis: As his visa expires, a young Muslim man in America struggles between the pull of assimilation and the peace of faith, discovering that identity means more than belonging.

This event is made possible through the support of the Ohio University School of Film, the Chaddock and Morrow College of Fine Arts, and Arts for Ohio

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120 MIN

Join us Saturday, January 24th at 7:00 p.m. for a special event showcasing the work of students in the OHIO College of Fine Arts School of Film!

Admission is FREE and open to the Public – Tickets are required

The Ohio University School of Film is proud to present the annual Winter Showcase, featuring 20 original short films created by undergraduate and graduate film students.

The showcase highlights the work of student filmmakers in various stages of their academic careers as they refine their craft and expand their approaches to visual storytelling. Through experimentation with form, structure, and voice, students create films that are bold, imaginative, and emotionally resonant. These works reflect the development of their emerging artistic identities and a commitment to creative and personal expression.

The program features a mixture of narrative and experimental films that explore themes of friendship, love, loss, nostalgia, transition, beauty standards, and creative burnout. Many projects were created in collaboration with students from the School of Theater and members of the Ohio University and Athens communities.

Films and Filmmakers

Our Hero, Cadet – Directed by Cam Smith. Narrative. Runtime: 9 min

Synopsis: Little Miss Head-in-the-Clouds

Open Mic – Directed by Caden Layne. Experimental. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: This is about you.

Styrophome – Directed by Emmy Williams. Experimental. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: An audio-visual experience tied to a feeling of opening up and harsh recovery.

Eva – Directed by Megan Young. Animation. Runtime: 1 min

Synopsis: My first mixed media animation project, portraying my dear friend Eva, surrounded by nature and colors.

Poser – Directed by Jack Nyerges. Experimental. Runtime: 4 min

Synopsis: Understanding the end of a friendship while slipping into an unceasing cycle of nostalgia.

Élan Vital – Directed by Andrew Bowman. Experimental. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: An exploration of light, movement and body.

Canon In D – Directed by Robin Oldaker. Experimental. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: Reflection, growth, transition.

The Fly of Theseus – Directed by Zinn Rogers. Experimental. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: If a fly eats a plant, does the fly become the plant..?

My Thumbs Are Not Green And Neither Are My Plants – Directed by Sydney Kalafut. Animation. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: Mourning the loss of the only plant I have ever loved.

Emotional Female – Directed by Becca Harlan. Experimental. Runtime: 2 min

Synopsis: An experimental portrait of how women express emotions and how societal expectations of beauty, femininity, aging, and performance shape the perception of these emotions across generations.

Medicated – Directed by Win Yoder. Experimental. Runtime: 2 min

Synopsis: A short movement-based expression about the battle of discovering who you are and the role of medication in that journey.

My Body Is A Constellation – Directed by Sophia Alleman. Experimental. Runtime: 4 min

Synopsis: A cosmic exploration of self.

My Side of The Creek – Directed by Emily Kinney. Experimental. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: The impressions of grief.

The Tape I Found in The Woods – Directed by Julian Fahl Matlack. Experimental. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: What’s up with all that abandoned infrastructure in Washington County..?

Deperson – Directed by Colin Wheeler. Experimental. Runtime: 4 min

Synopsis: A guy opens up to his significant other while an unseen cameraman directs how his emotions should look.

DeerHunter Delta – Directed by Damario Thompson. Experimental. Runtime: 4 min

Synopsis: After being called crazy by everyone, a passionate man who hates deer posts a video online to try to make a movement against them.

Lipstick Manifesto – Stacy Pindell. Narrative. Runtime: 13 min

Synopsis: What do you think of lipstick..?

Burnout – Directed by Wes Donnelly. Experimental. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: A representation of the creative exhaustion I experienced this semester.

Uncle Jimmy – Directed by Alaa Al-Shameri. Narrative. Runtime: 24 min

Synopsis: In the shadow of a looming pandemic, a shared home becomes a closed world, where fear redraws boundaries, reality blurs, and two lives drift apart, revealing how easily protection can become punishment.

Reverie – Directed by M.J. Golzari. Narrative. Runtime: 25 min

Synopsis: In a remote cabin, a dying woodcarver confronts his grief as reflections, memories, and longing slowly collapse into one irreversible presence.

This event is made possible through the support of the Ohio University School of Film, the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts, and Arts for Ohio

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Join us Friday, May 1st at 7:00 p.m. for a special event screening of films by students from the Ohio University School of Film!

Admission is FREE and open to the Public – Tickets are required

Come celebrate the excellent work of budding filmmakers from the OHIO School of Film’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program!

Ohio University School of Film invites you to our 2026 Senior Capstone Showcase at the Athena Cinema on Friday, May 1st at 7:00 p.m. This annual event celebrates the culminating achievements of the graduating BFA Senior class, with films directed by Jonna Lutz, TJ Sondag, Eli Kaltenecker, Michael Mylen, Vincenzo Bonanni, Robin Oldaker, Owen Keller, Finn Sharp and Xavier Thevenin, Jay Cline III, Bryce Goodman, and Ella Niles.

About the films and filmmakers

Country of Ghosts directed by Jonna Lutz – Narrative. Runtime: 16 min

Synopsis: A lone cowboy seeks shelter from a blizzard in a remote cabin, unaware that the bounty hinter inside is a vampire.

Basic AF directed by TJ Sondag – Narrative. Runtime: 21 min

Synopsis: After a drunken night, Patrick tries to prove to his girlfriend that his is not basic by accidentally signing up for a stripping competition.

The Misfired Affair directed by Eli Kaltenecker – Narrative. Runtime: 18 min

Synopsis: A wife steps into her husband’s private investigation practice and ventures into a case of domestic violence.

Whimsical directed by Michael Mylen – Narrative. Runtime: 12 min

Synopsis: After finding out she is the “chosen one” of ancient prophesy, peasant Isabelle Faeborn is guided by a cynical wizard named Ben across the magical land of Prophetia.

Solace directed by Vincenzo Bonanni – Narrative. Runtime: 11 min

Synopsis: Two brothers’ minds are tested when discovering a lone cabin in a desolate mountain-scape.

Side Effects directed by Robin Oldaker – Narrative. Runtime: 12 min

Synopsis: Milo is faced with a difficult decision that is eating them alive.

Gerald directed by Owen Keller – Narrative. Runtime: 14 min

Synopsis: Trapped in a looping sitcom suburbia, Gerald unravels that he is living in a manufactured reality and he must confront the comforting walls that his own mind has created.

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Zero Dollar Man directed by Finn Sharp and Xavier Thevenin – Narrative. Runtime: 18 min

Synopsis: Lost in the middle of nowhere, Dawn discovers a payphone which becomes his only lifeline. Will this unfortunate game of telephone be what saves him or what leads the danger right down the line..?

Did I Wait Too Long? directed by Jay Cline III – Narrative. Runtime: 17 min

Synopsis: Four twenty-somethings, who are stuck in their hometown for one reason or another, all try to enjoy their monotonous lives through false ambition and eroding futures.

When They Came Home directed by Bryce Goodman – Narrative. Runtime: 19 min

Synopsis: There were boots on the ground in Vietnam in 1968 for a brutal fight, but those boots were launched into a societal conflict when they came home.

Death of A Dancer directed by Ella Niles – Narrative. Runtime: 14 min

Synopsis: A young dancer battles chronic disability and mounting pressure as she prepares for a collegiate-level audition.

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Join us Saturday, May 2nd at 7:00 p.m. for a special event screening of student films from the Ohio University School of Film!

Admission is FREE and open to the Public – Tickets are required

Come celebrate the excellent work of OHIO University School of Film’s Master of Fine Arts and HTC programs!

The Ohio University School of Film invites you to the 2026 MFA and HTC Thesis Showcase at the Athena Cinema on Saturday, May 2nd at 7:00 p.m. This annual event celebrates the culminating cinematic achievements of the 2026 graduating MFA and HTC class with films by Mohamed Essam Abouelenain, MJ Golzari, Zinn Rogers, Salome Sulaberidze, Gift Sukez Sukali, and Alaa Shameri.

About the films and filmmakers

The Guest List directed by Mohamed Essam Abouelenain – Narrative. Runtime: 7 min

Synopsis: On their wedding night, a couple’s perfect celebration unravels, exposing how fragile connection becomes when it’s built on spectacle rather than presence.

Reverie directed by MJ Golzari – Narrative. Runtime: 25 min

Synopsis: In a remote cabin, a dying woodcarver confronts his grief as reflections, memories, and longing slowly collapse into one irreversible presence.

Walk The Cat directed by Zinn Rogers – Narrative. Runtime: 13 min

Synopsis: Stuck with a cat he can’t keep, Ben walks across rural Athens searching for a new home for the cat.

1 Round Underground directed by Mohamed Essam Abouelenain – Narrative. Runtime: 18 min

Synopsis: Over the course of one long night, a disabled Arabian refugee in the U.S. uncovers his son’s hidden life in a brutal underground fight club, forcing him to confront the cost of survival and exile.

Birdies directed by Salome Sulaberidze – Experimental. Runtime: 16 min

Synopsis: In a forest of bird-children governed by silent rituals, a journey outward and back again disturbs the fragile order, as one boy resists return and another quietly watches the world change.

Mfumu directed by Gift Sukez Sukali – Narrative. Runtime: 25 min

Synopsis: Haunted by ancestral visions no one else can see, an African-American business analyst is forced to choose between corporate loyalty and ancient power, abandoning his identity to claim a forgotten throne and stop the very company he works for from unleashing a deadly Uranium deal.

Uncle Jimmy directed by Alaa Al Shameri – Narrative. Runtime: 25 min

Synopsis: In the shadow of a looming pandemic, a shared home becomes a closed world where fear redraws boundaries, reality blurs, and two lives drift apart, revealing how easily protection can become punishment.

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Ohio University School of Film presents a Winter Showcase featuring nine 2^nd Year, Experimental and Sophomore short films

The screening will take place at the Athena Cinema on March 1, 2024, at 7pm and is free to the public thanks to sponsorships from Arts for Ohio and the Ohio Arts Council.

The films are directed by MFA and BFA students including:

Aram Riazi

Peter Owusu

Sharique Siddique

James Joseph Valiyakulathil

Constanze Brodbeck

Gianna Beaty

Kat Frazier

Aaron M. Kappers

Jonna Lutz

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120 MIN

Join us for a special screening featuring the work of OU student filmmakers!

We’re always excited to hold special event screenings centered around the work of students in the prestigious Ohio University College of Fine Arts Film program – the film school has a long tradition of turning out cinematic artists and technicians who go on to big things after they complete their course of study. So, we hope you’ll come out and celebrate the efforts of these budding creative talents.

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Join us for a special screening featuring the work of OU student filmmakers!

We’re always excited to hold special event screenings centered around the work of students in the prestigious Ohio University College of Fine Arts Film program – the film school has a long tradition of turning out cinematic artists and technicians who go on to big things after they complete their course of study. So, we hope you’ll come out and celebrate the efforts of these budding creative talents.

The evening will begin at 7:00 p.m. and feature short Capstone films created by Senior BFA School of Film Students (including one of our very own student staff members…Nico!) – Admission is free and open to the public.

“Heart and Hustle” – Directed by Gianni Cordi

“Love Bites” – Directed by Josie Thompson

“Milk’s Gone Bad in Monowai” – Directed by Zayne Miller

“Forget About Archie” – Directed by Sam Brandes

“1000 Paper Cranes” – Directed by Alexis Adams

“If All Else Fails” – Directed by Nico Rupard

“Take 2 a Day” – Directed by Jordan Williams

The screening will be preceded by a free special event from 5-7 p.m. featuring short films by 2nd-year Hocking College Film & Video Production students. Tickets available here.

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Come celebrate the excellent work of budding filmmakers from the OHIO School of Film’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program!

Friday, May 2nd at 7:00 p.m.

Admission is FREE and open to the public – Tickets are required

Ohio University School of Film invites you to our 2025 Senior Capstone Showcase at the Athena Cinema on Friday May 2nd at 7pm!

This annual event celebrates the culminating cinematic achievements of the graduating BFA Senior class, featuring short films “Rose Tinted Glases” directed by Jack Connelly, “Laced in Smoke” directed by K.J Roberts, “The Playhouse” directed by Rachel Weisberg, “Tuesday” directed by Amy Mancinelli, “Rue” directed by Emily Skipworth, “The Safe House” directed by James Kelly, “5000//20” directed by Ross Jeffers, “Tonight Corporeal” directed by Jordan Walker, “I Can Be Killed” directed by Horatio Allen and “Insanely Lonely” directed by Zach Hess.

The Films and Filmmakers

Rose Tinted Glasses – Directed by Jack Connelly. Runtime: 12 min 30 sec.

Synopsis: An introverted boy navigates a new and exciting friendship with a girl. Living too much of the relationship in his head, he mis-reads the situation and loses something he once loved.

Laced In Smoke – Directed by K.J. Roberts. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: A laid-back gaming session takes a surreal turn when one of the three friends, Chris, is pulled into a haze of illusion and imagination. But, as Chris slips deeper into fantasy, the line between reality and delusion begins to blur, testing the limits of perception.

The Playhouse – Directed by Rachel Weisberg. Runtime: 11 min 58 sec

Synopsis: A struggling actor desperate for a job goes on a interview set up by her best friend for what they think is a character actor for children’s birthday parties when, in reality, its for something a little more R-rated.

Tuesday – Directed by Amy Mancinelli. Runtime: 11 min

Synopsis: Over a quiet pasta dinner, a couple’s conversation takes an unexpected turn when the topic of children arises, unravelling their fears, hopes, and uncertain future.

Rue – Directed by Emily Skipworth. Runtime: 6 min 56 sec

Synopsis: In the aftermath of a devastating loss, April Searches for lost dogs in an attempt to redeem herself of her sexuality.

Safe House – Directed by James Kelly. Runtime: 21 min

Synopsis: After returning home from a swim meet to find her door wide open, Claire spirals into paranoia as she begins to question whether it’s just her family in the house.

Tonight Corporeal – Directed by Jordan Walker. Runtime: 10 min 14 sec

Synopsis: Kenneth Boone is house-sitting for his uncle in his secluded cabin in the woods where something begins to haunt him, but he can’t discern if it is an other-worldly beast or his own religious guilt driving him insane.

5000/20 – Directed by Ross Jeffers. Runtime: 10 min

Synopsis: Breaking up with his estranged online relationship, a contempt boy tries to figure out his identity while having a night out with friends where long-time inhibitions melt into a doomsday house party in August 1999.

I Can Be Killed – Directed by Horatio Allen. Runtime: 16 min 26 sec

Synopsis: Not wanting to die in a body that repulses him, Lev, a trans college student, resorts to the most extreme measures possible.

Insanely Lonely – Directed by Zach Hess. Runtime: 16 min

Synopsis: Milo is just a young ordinary college student. But he struggles with a deep depression and loneliness and is just trying to connect with people because he feels like he doesn’t fit in. Anyways, after a depressing night out, he goes home and just has a nice phone call with his mom that changes his outlook on his situation.

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