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SFSU School of Cinema

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The School of Cinema at San Francisco State University. Established 1967.

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SF! Join us this Friday, Nov. 6, at @sanfranciscostate for a special screening and conversation about All the Empty Rooms, featuring producer and SFSU alumnus Conall Jones!

We’re especially proud to share that Conall is being inducted into the university’s Alumni Hall of Fame, recognizing graduates who have made an extraordinary impact in their fields and communities.

Conall has been an integral part of All the Empty Rooms and the broader @smartypantspictures team. We couldn’t be more excited to see him receive this well-deserved recognition. Congratulations, Conall! 🎉 by @sfsucinema

Applications for the MFA in Cinema are now open for Fall 2027!

Our program offers rigorous, hands-on training across narrative, documentary, experimental, and animation filmmaking, supporting independent filmmakers to build their artistic voices outside the traditional studio model.

Students benefit from personalized mentorship within a diverse, global cohort of peers, completing the program with a high-caliber portfolio and far less debt than what is typically associated with private institutions.

We're also excited to announce that tuition savings have been extended beyond California. SF State is now a partner of the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), an initiative managed by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). This program qualifies students from participating Western states and Pacific territories for a significantly reduced tuition rate.

The 15 states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaiʻi, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The six island territories include American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Learn more at wiche.edu

Application Deadline: February 1, 2027

Apply at cinema.sfsu.edu

Questions? Email cinegrad@sfsu.edu

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #mfa

@sanfranciscostate by @sfsucinema

by @sfsucinema

After an amazing festival run, including a world premiere at SXSW, and screenings at SFIFF and Palm Springs, “Camp Widow” has been selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick.

The 15-min documentary, directed by Prof. Laura Green and Anna Moot-Levin, immerses us in a weekend gathering where widowed people of all ages and backgrounds find community, practical resources, and unexpected joy.

Laura Green is an Associate Professor at San Francisco State University and an award-winning documentary director and editor whose work has screened at Tribeca, SXSW, and Hot Docs. She recently directed the three film Matter of Mind series for PBS’ Independent Lens, and her editing work includes the Gotham and IDA-nominated documentary web-series The F-Word.

“Camp Widow” is available for free streaming on Vimeo and PBS Independent Lens.

@campwidow

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #vimeostaffpicks by @sfsucinema

“Turn Away,” a new film by alum Nicolas Jara (BA, ‘18), continues its successful festival run, with official selections for FilmQuest, SFLFF, NYLFF, and Catalina Film Festival.

The film is supported by the Latino Film Institute (LFI) and the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity. Nico was one of 10 directors selected last year for the annual LFI Inclusion Fellowship, an initiative that supports emerging filmmakers by providing a $50,000 production grant, personalized mentorship, and strategic industry connections.

The short is a psychological thriller about a dazed gunshot victim who awakens from a coma and experiences post-traumatic amnesia. Shortly after awakening, he is snuck out of a San Francisco hospital by his suspicious partner. As they venture onto a boat under the cover of the night, a chilling revelation threatens to tear them apart.

Congrats Nic!

@nicthejara @turnawaymovie

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #latinofilminstitute by @sfsucinema

Belated congratulations to Conall Jones (BA, ’05) and the team behind “All the Empty Rooms”! The short documentary, which Jones produced with director Joshua Seftel, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short earlier this year.

The 33-minute film delivers a deeply moving look at the aftermath of school shootings by focusing on the preserved bedrooms of children who were killed — spaces left untouched by grieving families as memorials to lives cut short.

Conall described the moment as both powerful and bittersweet, as families featured in the film celebrated together while grieving.

This year brings another honor with Conall being inducted into SF State's Alumni Hall of Fame. He along with five outstanding alumni will be honored at a celebration dinner on Friday, Nov 6th at the InterContinental San Francisco.

In the School of Cinema, he developed the creative foundation that would lead him into documentary filmmaking and television production.

“I discovered my love for documentary at SF State,” he said. “I remember taking Greta Snider’s class, I think it was Documentary 101, and [falling] in love with an art form that could have a real world impact. Since I finished that class, it’s been my main passion in life.”

The film is now streaming on Netflix.

@alltheemptyrooms

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #oscars by @sfsucinema

This summer in Ensenada, Prof. Rafael Flores represented SF State Cinema at the Cal State University International Programs conference, visiting Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) and CETYS Universidad.

In addition to presenting his work for the Latino/a/é Film Club, Prof. Flores met with local faculty and administrators to lay the groundwork for future academic and cultural exchanges, and explored a potential Mexico study abroad program for our Cinema students.

Rafael Flores is Assistant Professor at the School of Cinema. He is a Phi Beta Kappa Scholar who specializes in Directing, Social Justice Film Production, Chicano Cinema, and Third Cinema. His work has been recognized by various institutions that include: The White House, The Grammy Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, The California Endowment, TED-X lecture series, the Cannes International Film Festival, the Writer’s Guild Theater of America, the London Guardian, and the Chicano International Film Festival.

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #mexicancinema by @sfsucinema

Exciting news! Prof. Weimin Zhang’s acclaimed documentary “Of Color and Ink" has landed educational distribution with Collective Eye Films. Specializing in stories that spark critical classroom conversations, Collective Eye brings this beautiful film to university curricula, library streaming, and classroom screening worldwide.

“Of Color and Ink” discovers the unknown exile journey of global artist Chang Dai-chien (1899-1983), China’s foremost 20th-century painter, often compared with Picasso. His paintings outsell Van Gogh, and he has held the record as the best-selling artist at auction. After one of China’s most famous artists left his homeland, his life was a mystery. Until now.

The film continues its festival run and is also available to stream on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play and YouTube.

Weimin Zhang is a Professor of Cinema at San Francisco State University. An award-winning director, cinematographer, and multimedia designer, she has made numerous acclaimed films, documentaries, and TV drama series in both China and the United States.

Congrats Prof. Zhang!

@weimin_film @ofcolorandink.doc @collectiveeyefilms

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #chinesecinema by @sfsucinema

As this year’s 53rd Student Academy Awards ceremony comes to a close, we want to look back at this extraordinary moment two years ago when alum Birdy Wei-ting Hung (MFA ‘24) took home gold in the Alternative/Experimental category for her thesis film, “A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers.”

The film is an incredible pastiche of the history of Taiwanese cinema, imbued with Birdy’s interests in experimental aesthetics. It builds a vivid narrative of sexual awakening, exploring gender and sexuality, historical trauma, affect, the abject, and pleasure.

The film has gone on to screen and garner accolades at top festivals worldwide. We could not be more proud of Birdy and her growth as a filmmaker!

@birdymakesfilms

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #oscars by @sfsucinema

Last chance to watch Assembly! Tune in by Monday 9/21 on PBS Documentaries’ YouTube channel.

Screening at 50+ international festivals including a SXSW world premiere, this documentary reflects the strength and collaborative network coming out of our program, with dozens of Cinema students and alumni anchoring key roles across production and post.

Directed by Rashaad Newsome and SFSU Professor Johnny Symons, Assembly is a powerful celebration of Black and queer culture, brought to life through the electrifying language of voguing. In this ambitious exhibition, Rashaad Newsome traces a path through memory, history, and movement, connecting the intimacy of his Louisiana childhood to the global influence of ballroom culture.

@assemblythefilm

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #pbs by @sfsucinema

As the Oscar voting season begins, we want to celebrate one year since our very own Johnny Symons was admitted as a member of the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)!

Johnny Symons is a Professor in the School of Cinema at San Francisco State University and the director and co-founder of the Queer Cinema Project. He is also an Emmy-nominated independent documentarian whose films focus on social justice and LGBTQ issues.

He has directed many award-winning films including Daddy & Papa, Ask Not, and Assembly, which he co-directed and co-produced with Rashaad Newsome, and is currently available to watch on the PBS Documentaries Youtube channel.

His producing credits include the Academy Award-nominated feature Long Night’s Journey Into Day, Pray Away, Your Mother’s Comfort, Ahead of the Curve and Chasing Portraits.

Join us in congratulating Professor Symons! Best of luck at this year’s Oscars voting season.

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #oscars by @sfsucinema

Congratulations to alum Annie Pancak (MFA ‘26) whose thesis film “Summer Camp” will make its world premiere at the 57th Nashville Film Festival! @nashfilmfest

The film follows Annie’s niece, 14-year-old Skye and her friends as they reunite for a week of summer camp. Crushes, body image, and shifting friendships are all intensified by a small love triangle within the group. Through dialogue between Skye and her filmmaker aunt, Summer Camp explores how much—and how little—has changed in the emotional landscape of girlhood.

The film will screen Sat, Sep 26th, 10:30 AM @ Regal Green Hills Theater 15. It will be available to stream online September 28 - October 5. Go to nashvillefilmfestival.org for more info.

Congrats Annie! @anniepancak

#sfsucinema #sfstate #bayareafilmmakers #independentfilmmaking #NashFilm57 by @sfsucinema