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NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dual Milestones Hit - Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Stony Brook Film MFA and 30th Anniversary of Christine Vachon's Killer Films

Film industry dignitaries and the greater Stony Brook University community recently gathered at the Stony Brook Manhattan Center for Creative Writing and Film to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Stony Brook MFA in Film program alongside MFA Artistic Director Christine Vachon, co-founder of Killer Films, on the legendary independent production company’s 30th anniversary. Read more at SBU News.

IN THE LOOP is the monthly newsletter for the Film and TV Writing program. Read the latest edition!

Margarita Mina, a third-year MFA in Film student on the directing track, was recently named one of 17 recipients of the National Board of Review Student Grant for 2025. Her short film Baby Fat was also selected by Rolling Stone Philippines as one of its '21 Best Filipino Films of 2025.'  Read more at SBU News.

MovieMaker Magazine calls Stony Brook University Film MFA a Hidden Gem Check out the full story on the SBU MFA Film News Page

Killer Films’ 30th Anniversary Retrospective at New York’s Metrograph Through August 17 Check out the full story on the SBU MFA Film News Page

Filmschool.org lists Stony Brook as one of the top 6 screenwriting programs on the east coast. " Read the full interview with Interviews Program Directors Alan Kingsberg and Magdalene Brandeis

Faculty Simone Pero sends two major projects to premieres this fall.  Showing at the Hamptons Film Festival, LILLY tells the story about fair-pay icon Lilly Ledbetter. It stars Patricia Clarkson as the titular character, along with Thomas Sadoski and John Benjamin Hickey. Additionally, at this year's 25th anniversary Woodstock Film Festival, documentary VIVA VERDI! premieres, directed by Yvonne Russo. Stony Brook's Simone Pero served as the film's Executive Producer. For more information on LILLY, read about the premiere on the Hamptons Film Fest Guide. For more on VIVA VERDI!, check out the Woodstock Film Festivals page. 

Faculty Member Jennie Allen Completes Filming on "111." Jennie Allen co-wrote '111', a film which traces the stories of characters affected by the Swissair flight 111 crash, which happened off the coast of Nova Scotia, near the entrance of Margaret’s Bay, on September 2, 1998. Principal photography started on September 18 in Halifax moved to Nova Scotia, Zurich, and nearby regions until the end of October. To learn more about the project, read more on Variety. 

MFA Thesis Students Makes Program History by Filming in Puerto Rico. Director Yarilis Ramos and Producer Nnamdi Nwosa filmed their project, "Mulata," on the island of Puerto Rico. This project also breaks ground as the first full-Spanish period piece for our program, which explores the story of Puerto Rico’s early mixed-race children. Yarilis Ramos is a scholarship recipient and native Puerto Rican who entered the program as the youngest in her class and has discovered a passion for telling hidden stories.  Nnamdi Nwosa, a New Yorker of Nigerian descent, is a stuntman and family man preparing for the next steps in his career. 

To learn more about this film visit their social media @mulata.film.pr. 

CHRISTINE VACHON was one of several indie producers and executives that discussed the challenges and opportunities in today's cinematic landscape for The Wrap:

POSTER ART

View the poster art for features that have come out of the MFA in Film program.

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