Highlights from 2022–23
A mural depicting actor and ASU film school namesake Sidney Poitier was unveiled at the MIX Center in downtown Mesa in honor of Black History Month. Local leaders and community members attended the event, which was organized by the Shining Light Foundation. Watch a broadcast of the event.
To mark the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, Arizona State University, Universidad de Guadalajara, and the Wilson Center Mexico Institute launched the US-Mexico Bicentennial Kaleidoscope: A Short Film Contest and Festival in December 2022. The Sidney Poitier New American Film School hosted a screening in September 2023 of the winning films, followed by a panel with Peter Murrieta, deputy director of the Poitier Film School; Gustavo Arellano, columnist with the Los Angeles Times; Ilana Luna, associate professor of the School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies; and Alex Rivera, associate professor in the Poitier Film School. Learn more about the winning films and the contest.
Narrative and Emerging Media student Cameron Kostopoulos debuted his “Body of Mine VR” project at the SXSW 2023 festival March, where it won the Special Jury Award. “Body of Mine” places the viewer into another body for an exploration of gender dysphoria and trans identity. The work was featured in Wired magazine, was screened at the Venice Film Festival and won “Best XR for Change” award from the Games for Change Festival event and a student BAFTA Award. Learn more about the project. The Narrative and Emerging Media program is a joint program between The Sidney Poitier New American Film School and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
In late Summer 2022, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, founding director of The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, spoke with KJZZ, the Phoenix NPR affiliate, about the return of the summer blockbuster in Hollywood. Listen to the interview.
Nick Janaye, an alum from The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, was one of six fellows selected for the Sundance Institute’s Trans Possibilities Intensive. Read more.
Sidney Poitier mural photo courtesy of The Sidney Poitier New American Film School.
Body of Mine photo courtesy of Cameron Kostopoulos.
US-Mexico Bicentennial Kaleidoscope contest photo by Kristoffer Tripplaar.
Advancing trans voices photo courtesy of Nick Janaye.
