Category Archives: Spotlight

48 Hour Filmmaking Challenge: That’s a Wrap

Just this past weekend, on October 5th and 6th, FIU students participated in the mad rush that is the 48-hour film challenge, co-hosted by the Film Studies program and the Film Initiative. Those who attended generated storylines ranging from a student having a bad day to greek life gore. These students were then split into groups and were tasked with developing, writing, and shooting a short film all in under 48 hours on campus. Continue reading 48 Hour Filmmaking Challenge: That’s a Wrap

48 Hour Filmmaking Challenge Coming Weekend of Oct 5th

Panthers prepare yourselves for our 48 Hour Filmmaking Challenge!


Next weekend, any student interested in making or being a part of a short film (no experience necessary) will have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with other like-minded students. On Saturday, October 5th, participants will be placed into groups and spend the day planning their films, including coming up with a story, writing a script, rehearsing lines, storyboarding, location scouting, and developing a shot list. The next day, groups will return ready to shoot their five minute shorts. Continue reading 48 Hour Filmmaking Challenge Coming Weekend of Oct 5th

GEMS 2019: Miami’s Fall Jewel + Staff Picks

GEMS 2019, the Miami Film Festival’s (MFF) fall showcase, will run from October 10th – 13th, 2019 at the Tower Theater Miami. GEMS was introduced in 2014 to extend MFF’s curatorial work to give South Florida access and to spotlight important fall releases. This year, audiences can view works by auteurs like Celine Sciamma, Bong Joon-Ho, Noah Baumbach, and François Ozon. GEMS will also highlight new voices, styles, and trends through filmmakers like Neus Ballus, Chinonye Chukwu, Alma Har’el, Carlo Mirabella-Davis and Ladj Ly.

Opening Night and Closing Night
The festival is set to kick off on opening night with legendary filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s highly anticipated Dolor y Gloría (Pain and Glory). The Tower Theater will be transformed into a gallery featuring Almodóvar’s classic film posters, images in vignettes and a post-screening gala party sponsored by Estrella Damm. Guests will enjoy the Estrella Damm photo station, offerings by master chef Ferran Adrià, fine wines at the Marqués de Riscal station, and a Spanish churro dessert station. As Spain’s official entry for the 2020 Academy Awards, this is a film you don’t want to miss.

Continue reading GEMS 2019: Miami’s Fall Jewel + Staff Picks

Confronting Social Misconceptions in “Talking Black in America”

For most of my childhood, the difference between “axe” and “ask” was unnoticeable. Although I hear many within my own African-American community more commonly use “axe,” I was often scolded for pronouncing it “wrong.”

However, this is one of many social misconceptions tackled in the documentary Talking Black in America, which will be showing Tuesday, September 24 at 6 PM in GC 140 on the FIU campus. As executive producer Walt Wolfram explains, ‘axe’ comes from an archaic form of English, while ‘ask’ is the more modern form of the word. He elaborates that its use by white folks would simply be seen as linguistic retention rather than mispronunciation. Continue reading Confronting Social Misconceptions in “Talking Black in America”