Gender Representation in Literature, Film, Lyrics in Ethiopia
Took part in a conversation on Gender Representation in Literature, Film, Lyrics in Ethiopia. Are there laws that protect women’s representation? How do we evolve as a society regarding women’s issues and the representation and women’s images in the media.
These are some of the talking points in this gathering of sisters of Ethiopia. One of the most engaging conversations with young dynamic Ethiopian sisters, I have had; they come at this very critical topic from their respective fields of expertise: Journalism, Law, Literary world, Psychology, and Film). Event organized by Meaza Hadera (Meaza Meaza), Creative Director of African Creative Minds. Listen in…it is in Amharic.
Cinema professionals to meet with NOVA Alexandria students to discuss the film industry
Due to COVID 19, Cinema students who needed to fulfill their internship requirement, in Summer 2020, where left without any options. Cinema faculty moved to action and with admin blessings, modified this requirement to a Capstone course. The Capstone course, in addition to course work, included a component where students would interact with industry professionals.
Prof. Lucy G/E reached out to people in her network and lined up a series of guest speakers, who graciously, answered the call, volunteered their time to share their expertise with her students. Cinema students got to interact in class (via zoom) with the following film professionals and academics:
Mika Pryce is the Head of Development at Don Cheadle’s new production company, Radicle Act Productions. The aim of Radicle Act is to center historically marginalized voices across a number of platforms including television, film and theater.
Previously, she was an executive at Universal Pictures where she worked on titles such as Good Boys, Little and Blumhouse’s Get Out. Prior to Universal, Pryce worked as an executive at the independent production company and financier Red Granite Pictures.
Pryce attended the Peter Stark Producing Program in Los Angeles. During her studies there, she worked at CAA’s investment bank, Evolution Media Capital, before going on to work in foreign sales at Lionsgate International and then at the Warner Bros. based Langley Park Pictures. Before moving to Los Angeles she worked in physical production in New York City.
Alrick Brown is Assistant Professor of Undergraduate Film and Television at NYU – Tisch School of the Arts. An award winning writer and director, Alrick graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in English and a Masters of Education. He received his MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Education is Alrick’s first calling, but he found his medium, film, after visiting the slave castle of Elmina, in Ghana, during a two-year tour with the Peace Corps in Cote d’Ivoire. The interactions with the people of his village, and his overall experiences in West Africa, informed his creative expression. An expression first fostered by his birth in Kingston, Jamaica and migration to, and upbringing in Plainfield, New Jersey. An activist and highly sought public speaker, Alrick’s commitment to social, political and economic justice, and revealing the heart of the world through the craft of storytelling is what draws audiences and peers to his work. Alrick’s cinematic reach includes credits on the small screen as director, producer and writer on a variety of projects – ABC’s Final Witness, ESPN’s short doc series Spike Lee’s Lil’ Joint, and Investigative Discoveries Emmy-Award winning series A Crime Two Remember. His published work has appeared in the Huffington Post as well as the New Jersey English Journal.
Featured in Filmmaker Magazine as the “New Faces of Independent Film Making (Links to an external site.)”, Alrick has a long filmography to his credit. His collective body of film work has screened in numerous festivals worldwide, earning several honors. Among them is the HBO Life Through Your Lens Emerging Filmmaker Award for the critically acclaimed documentary Death of Two Sons. Alrick’s first feature, Kinyarwanda, was recipient of the prestigious Sundance World Cinema Audience Award. He has previously taught undergraduate courses on the African American image in cinema at Rutgers University, film production at The Barry R. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, and at Goddard College where he was a faculty advisor for the Interdisciplinary Arts MFA program.
Hans Charles studied cinema at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center and worked for Tracey Edmonds (Soulfood, Set it Off), Bridget Davis (Sister Act II, Hav Plenty) and Patrick Ian Polk (Punks, Noah’s Ark) at Edmonds Entertainment. Later, he pursued his MFA in film at Howard University’s school of communication. While a graduate student, he produced his first feature, Like Water, then developed an eye for cinematography. He has shot for a range of directors, including Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay (Venus Vs.) and Salim Akil (Jumping the Broom, Sparkle) and has worked on several films, including Entre Nos, Pariah, Middle of Nowhere, and Mother of George. They’ve screened at festivals all over the world, including Urban World Film Festival, the New York City Latino Film Festival, OutFest, the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Zanzibar Film Festival, the Black Star film festival, HBO and ESPN. Charles has been a professor of cinematography at Howard University and is currently working on BET network’s new television series, The Start Up.
The docuseries he shot “Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men (Links to an external site.)” was screened at Sundance in 2019 and is now on Showtime. Hans Charles was recently nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for the movie 13TH by Ava Duvernay – Academy Award Nominated and Best Documentary BAFTA / Independent Spirit Awards. “One Angry Black Man”, a film he shot and produced in 2018, was picked up for distribution and is now available on demand. MFA, Cinematography, Howard University (2010)
Fred North, featured recently in Vulture Magazine, is a sought after an aerial Cinematographer/Stunt Pilot, who is credited with his work on the series “”Fast & The Furious” franchise films. Fred works around the world and lives in LA. He has traveled the world shooting for films from the air in some of the most amazing places in the world. Here is a list of his filmography on Imdb: Fred North Filmmography. Fred has agreed to speak to my students about his work and give them insight into a world that is not even covered in film courses “Aerial Cinematography”. From his website, more on Fred North.
Kinyette S. Newman is the Vice President of Production Finance and Operations at TV One. She is responsible for managing all aspects of production finance, tax credit incentive programs and the greenlight process for all original programming and acquisitions. She joined the company in 2005 as Director of Production Management.
Prior to TV One, Miss Newman worked for Discovery Communications where she was a Production Manager, providing budget oversight for original programming for Discovery Channel, TCL, Animal Planet, Discovery Health Discovery Times and Travel Channel for 5 years.
Miss Newman began her career in production management with Discovery Communications as a production coordinator. She holds a B.A. in Communication from George Mason University and an MFA in Film from Howard University.
She is a member of the Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority where she served as Financial Secretary from 2010-2012 and was appointed Assistant Financial Secretary in 2013. She currently serves as the Chaplain since being appointed in 2016.
Jordan Mattos is a New York-based film distributor with over 10 years of experience in 
licensing content in the USA. Since 2006 he has led the theatrical and home entertainment distribution of hundreds of films from Europe, Africa and South America at arthouse label IndiePix. In 2016 he founded sales company Aspect Ratio, working with international producers seeking to enter the US market. In 2018 he co-founded Cinemarket, a blockchain based digital market aimed at producers looking to license films to international buyers, which launched at the Marche du Film in Cannes. Jordan is currently the US programming consultant for Critics Week at the Venice Film Festival, and Head of Industry for the Toronto Queer Film Festival.
Aspect Ratio – https://www.instagram.com/aspectratiofilms/
Yared Zeleke was born and raised in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, until he immigrated to the U.S. at the age of ten. Zeleke earned his MFA in Writing and Directing at New York University, where his thesis short film, Lottery Boy, earned him an award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Agency in 2012.
Zeleke’s first feature, Lamb, was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. It was the first Ethiopian film to be included in the “Official Selection”. The North American premier was at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Lamb garnered much press with positive reviews from major media outlets including the
BBC, CNN, PBS, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, the Guardian, the Financial Times, and the
New York Times. In the November issue of Variety magazine that year, Zeleke was
featured among the “10 Screenwriters to Watch”.
Lamb made the shortlist for the 2016 Oscar’s Best Foreign Language Film Award. It has
since been nominated as well as winning “Best Film” prizes in many worldwide festivals.
Lamb has sold to over thirty territories, including the U.S. and China.
Zeleke is currently working on his second feature script, Sunbirds, which was awarded a
Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship. The screenplay has also received a grant from the
San Francisco Film Society for 2016/17. Presently, the Sundance Institute is mentoring
Zeleke on Sunbirds through its FilmTwo Initiative.
More guests TBA
Cinematography Lecture/Workshop @ NOVA Alexandria
Andrew Jorgensen, professional Cinematographer, Gaffer and GMU Film & Video Department – Technical Coordinator, gave Cinema students a Cinematography & Lighting Lecture/Workshop to Cinema students on the Alexandria campus in the Spring 2020 semester.
Andrew Jorgensen, has worked in a variety of roles in the entertainment industry, from live theatre, to film exhibition and production for over a decade. Andrew currently works as the Technical Coordinator for the Film Program at George Mason University, where he oversees the programs vast array of production equipment, computer labs and also proudly mentors over 200 student filmmakers per year through his office and in the classroom. In addition to Andrew’s role at GMU, he also works as a freelance Cinematographer, Gaffer, and Grip for both TV and Independent Film Production in the Greater Washington DC Area. As an independent filmmaker, Andrew is finishing postproduction on his first short film, The Sun and The Medicine Man slated to be released later this year. For more information visit ajorgensenfilm.com
2019 NOVA Student Film Festival – Call for Entries
Attention All Cinema majors
There will be a AFA in Cinema advising workshop on Thursday, November 8, 2018 from 2pm – 4pm. Come and be informed about the new degree. This session is for ALL declare AFA in Cinema majors as well as anyone who is interested to learn more about the degree. Please join us for a very informative session followed by Pizza 🙂
Where: NOVA Alexandria; Bisdorf Bldg., Room 196
When: Thursday, November 8, 2018 from 2pm-4pm
NOVA Alexandria Cinema and Environmental Science professors featured on NPR!
Films Without Walls gets national coverage! Lucy Gebre-Egziabher, Professor of Cinema & Christine Bozarth, Professor of Environmental Science were featured on NPR, on the “With Good Reason” program. The interview was about the 2018 NOVA Student Film Festival – Films Without Walls series on climate change.
Last year Christine joined forces with Film Collaborative International (FCI), serving as an advisor on the topic of our yearly film production: Climate Change. Stay tuned for the announcement of next year’s theme. Below is the link to the interview.
https://www.withgoodreasonradio.org/episode/moving-pictures/?t=00:12:49
NOVA Alexandria Alumna – Niia Atkins’ script “Sincerely, Token” was selected by the Northwest Screenwriters’ Guild for their annual showcase.
Our very own Niia Atkins, NOVA Alexandria Alumna visited today. Niia was one of the founding members of FCI. Her feature length script “Sincerely, Token” was selected by the Northwest Screenwriters’ Guild for their annual showcase.
Niia will fly back to Seattle to direct her film in March 2018. A producer signed on to the project after reading here script. Did I mention that she studied Screenwriting at NOVA Alexandria :-)! We wish you all the best Niia in your filmmaking journey! Keep making us proud!
FCI launches story idea competition. Open to ALL majors NOT just film students, ALL NOVA Students, ALL campuses welcome to participate. Click on flyer below for more information:
“What is Black” in cinema panel opening night of 1st annual DC Black Film Festival; was live streamed on facebook:
DCBFF Announces Special Guests for The 1st ANNUAL DC BLACK FILM FESTIVAL
August 17 – August 19, 2017
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS FOR SPECIAL GUESTS:
FREE filmmaker’s workshop: What Now? Ensuring Your Production Comes To Fruition In Post!
Don’t let your film get stuck in the can. This workshop will focus on how to plan past production to ensure your film will see the light of day. This workshop will be led by Executive Director of Black TV & Film Collective, Huriyyah Muhammad, and Publicist/Founder of Golden Life Ventures, Leslie Green. You won’t want to miss it. **NOTE: This is a free, ticketed event. Due to space limitations you must have a ticket to attend the workshop. Reserve your seat today!**
“What is Black?” DCBFF’s opening night film line-up includes films that analyze the black experience and will be followed by a panel discussion of the topic “What Is Black?” Panel discussion will be hosted by Districtly Speaking founder, Jonelle Henry. Panelists will include: Filmmaker Nadia Sasso (Am I the Film), The Black Reel Awards Founder Tim Gordon, and Filmmaker/Professor Lucy Gebre-Egziabher.
“Making Black Lives Matter Through Film” Join us for our closing night film showcase, featuring films that remind us that black lives matter, and address topics such as police brutality, reform and mental health. Panel to follow hosted by DCBFF founder and Picture Lock film critic, Kevin Sampson. Panelists will include: Cinematographer of 13TH Hans Charles, Filmmaker Pearl Gluck (Junior – Short Film), Actress Elle Jae Stewart (Junior – Short Film), and “The Warrior Lawyer” J. Wyndal Gordon Esq.
More information visit http://dcbff.org/special-guests/
2017 NOVA Student Film Festival – film line up coming on line soon – please check back
2017 NOVA STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Thursday, April 27, 2017
NOVA – Alexandria Campus
5000 Dawes Ave, Alexandria, VA 22311
Bisdorf Bldg., room 196
Event free and open to the public
Opening reception at 6pm
Films screening from 7pm-9pm
For more information contact:
Prof. Lucy Gebre-Egziabher
lgebre@nvcc.edu
703-845-6297
The Filmmakers Panel @ NoMa, Presented by YEP (Your Ethiopian Professionals)
DATE AND TIME
Thu, March 16, 2017 – 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
LOCATION
NoMa BID Lobby – DC – 1200 1st St NE, Washington, DC 20002
Event free but must register
SAVE THE DATE
2017 NOVA STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Thursday, April 27, 2017
NOVA – Alexandria Campus
5000 Dawes Ave, Alexandria, VA 22311
Bisdorf Bldg., room 196
Event free and open to the public
Opening reception at 6pm
Films screening from 7pm-9pm
For more information contact:
Prof. Lucy Gebre-Egziabher
lgebre@nvcc.edu
703-845-6297
_______________________________________________________________________
Support for Our Students
(a message from Dr. Scott Ralls – President of NOVA)
Dear NOVA Family:
I know many of you are concerned about the potential impact of the recent Presidential Executive Orders on our international students and their families. There is also uncertainty over how potential future policies could impact our DACA students. NOVA is the ninth most internationally diverse institution of higher education in the nation and we sincerely care about our student population. We appreciate the breadth of diversity our students bring to our College. Together, we can take pride in being a part of an institution that expresses its values and demonstrates those values through daily actions. As a former international student, I know how a smile and expression of care can ease periods of anxiety. Like many of you, I am concerned how the political tenor and recent policy decisions are exacerbating the anxieties and fears of the students we care about.
I am proud of the many ways our international students uniquely contribute to NOVA and our community, making them better places. A few weeks ago, NOVA students from around the world who are members of the Consortium for Community College International Development gathered with their colleagues from other CCID community colleges to replant a historic arbor in the Glen Canyon National Park in Arizona. They were joined in symbolic support by CCID alumni from around the world who planted trees in their own homelands in recognition of their educational opportunities at NOVA and other CCID community colleges.
During this time of uncertainty which could impact our student population, I want to restate and emphasize our NOVA values which include an appreciation of our students’ differences and staff who collectively strengthen our institution with their diversity — race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and thought. We are an open-door institution and we welcome all students into our college community that is supportive of everyone who shares a common desire to learn and better their lives. NOVA is ranked among our nation’s most diverse institutions of higher learning. We will continue to embrace the diversity that creates the vibrant learning community and makes us unique. We will strive to ensure a college community where every student thrives with a feeling of stability and safety, as we expressed in the goals of our current strategic planning effort.
We will be reaching out to our international students with a redoubling of support for those students who may be impacted by the travel bans of the Executive Order. In addition, we have been meeting with the leaders of our Dreamer students to find opportunities for additional campus support during this period of heightened anxiety.
We cannot control national policies that worry many of our students, but we can control the culture and values that make NOVA a beacon of hope and opportunity for so many students throughout our region and around the world.
Thank you for your support,
Scott
A Message from NOVA – Alexandria Faculty
Dr. Joseph Windham Series on Race Relations presents:
A panel discussion “Different Narratives and Perspectives in Mass Media”
Students’ Services – Keys to Success workshop series presents:
Final Exam – a film screening followed by discussion on “The Challenges of a student anywhere in the world”
Presentation on my Fulbright teaching Film in Ethiopia
Those who missed my presentation at NOVA – Alexandria, join me on Saturday, April 16th at an event sponsored by Peace Lutheran Church, open to the Alexandria community.
SAVE THE DATE
2016 NOVA Student Film Festival
Friday, April 29, 2016 – 7pm – 9pm
NOVA – Alexandria Campus – 5000 Dawes Avenue,
Bisdorf Bldg., room 196
Alexandria, VA 22311-5097
Event free and open to the public
Presentation on my Fulbright Specialist program teaching film in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia October – December 2015
I am giving a presentation on my recent Fulbright Specialist Program; teaching Film Studies in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. 
The presentation will be on Tuesday, March 1st during college hour, in Bisdorf, room 196 from 2pm-3pm, at NOVA Alexandria Campus. I am giving this presentation primarily in order to encourage colleagues to apply for either the Fulbright Specialist program or the research program, depending on how much time you can devote.
If I could inspire one colleague to apply and go teach in a developing country, I will have done my job! Whether it is a short term program or a yearlong, we can make such a difference in parts of the world where education is not necessarily a given to all.
Peace & Blessings, Lucy G/E
To read the full report visit: Fulbright Final Report
My film students in Ethiopia made a documentary covering my Fulbright journey with them and handed it to me at the end of my trip as a gift! Watch the documentary
Fall 2015 – Great news!
I am blessed and honored to have been selected as a Fulbright Scholar. I will have the opportunity to teach and learn from this great experience. I will be teaching Film at Rift Valley University, in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. I look forward to the experience. To read more on this, please visit: NOVA Professor selected as Fulbright Scholar
Press Release
NOVA Student Film Festival (NSFF) Announces
New Community Partnerships
Alexandria, March 30, 2015: NOVA Student Film Festival (NSFF) announces new partnerships with community film organizations that have agreed to join its 2015 showcase.
Three established film festivals in the Washington, D.C. area, will join forces with the NSFF to highlight their respective “best of shows” from their festivals. The three new partners are: Alexandria Film Festival, Rosebud Film & Video Festival and DC Shorts Film Festival.
A yearly tribute to cinema, the Alexandria Film Festival presents feature-length films, documentaries, animation, and shorts by emerging and established filmmakers to an engaged audience seeking new or rarely seen films.
The mission of the Alexandria Film Festival is to promote cinema as an important cultural and educational asset and market Alexandria as a dynamic venue for creating, exhibiting and experiencing film (http://alexandriafilm.org/about-2/ )
Rosebud Film & Video Festival has worked to recognize and honor the innovative, unusual, experimental and deeply personal in regional film and video making, and to provide audiences with the finest in locally-produced, contemporary work.
Open exclusively to DC, Maryland, and Virginia media artists, the festival awards large cash prizes, valuable products and services, as well as theatrical and cable television showcases to this area’s deserving film and video creators, providing them with many opportunities for artistic growth and professional exposure (https://www.arlingtonmedia.org/rosebud)
Since 2003, DC Shorts Film Festival has showcased a world-class collection of independent short films to diverse and enthusiastic audiences. In 2006, the DC Film Alliance, a non-profit arts organization, was created to present the DC Shorts Film Festival, and offer other programs and resources for Washington, D.C.-based filmmakers. The Alliance helped to bridge the gap between other area film organizations, fostered a community for regional film festival directors and sponsored monthly salons to educate filmmakers at all levels.
The festival has been named the “Coolest Short Film Festival” by MovieMaker Magazine and it is a three-time winner of the Washington City Paper’s “Coolest Short Film Festival” contest/award (http://dcshorts.com/our-history/)
NOVA – Alexandria film students will benefit from these partnerships. Screening films made by independent filmmakers from around the world will inspire our students to aim high in their storytelling and production. Furthermore, these partnerships offer internship/volunteer work opportunities that will provide our students with much needed “outside the classroom” experience. They will learn, build their resumes and aim for higher quality filmmaking! Additionally, many of our partners, as is true for many art organizations, have limited resources to put together top quality community events. This collaboration allows them to use the work of NOVA students. It’s a win-win partnership!
The NOVA Student Film Festival is scheduled for Friday, May 1, 2015 on the Alexandria Campus – Bisdorf Bldg., room 196; from 6pm – 9pm. The festival is open to the general public and admission is free.
For more information about the NOVA Student Film Festival, please visit our site:http://blogs.nvcc.edu/lgebre/?page_id=448 or contact Prof. Lucy Gebre-Egziabher via email:lgebre@nvcc.edu or via phone 703-845-6297
Community Outreach: Forging new Partnerships
DC Shorts partners with NSFF
More Exciting news! DC Shorts Film Festival Joins NOVA Student Film Festival in 2015. The festival has been named as the “Coolest Short Film Festival” by MovieMaker Magazine and it is a three-time winner of the Washington City Paper’s “Coolest Short Film Festival” contest/award.
New partner added to the NOVA Student Film Festival (NSFF)!
Rosebud Film & Video Festival, a festival that has been around the DMV area since 1990, has joined NOVA Student Film Festival this year. Rosebud will feature its “best of show”, short films from its 2015 film line-up. Welcome Rosebud to our village!!!!
Spring 2015 – Alexandria Film Festival partners with NSFF
In an effort to cultivate relations with community art organizations and to create training/internship opportunities for our film students, I am happy to announce that Alexandria Film Festival is partnering with NOVA Student Film Festival (NSFF) this year. 2015 NSFF will feature “best of show”, short films from the 2014 Alexandria Film Festival, where our film students served as pre-screeners for the festival.
Fall 2014 – Alexandria Film students served as pre-screeners for the 2014 Alexandria Film Festival.
An exciting opportunity for our film students: Alexandria film students were assigned 5-6 films submitted to the festival. They had to put to use what they learned in the classroom: watch every film with a critical eye, critique and score them. Students who took part in the experience got a chance to watch films submitted from around the world. This is definitely an experience that we will develop more with the blessing of the Alexandria Film Festival! Thank you on behalf of our students, for a great experience!
Spring 2014 – Alexandria Students Film Productions
You must be logged in to post a comment.