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Interview with ‘Top Girls’ Director David Morden

February 1, 2019

We sat down with UA School of Theatre, Film & Television Assistant Professor David Morden. David is the Director and Dialect Coach for the upcoming Arizona Repertory Theatre production of Top Girls by Caryl Churchill. Over the course of the interview David talks about what the themes of the plays are, what he hopes audiences will take away, and what it’s like working with so many talented TFTV students on the production!

Top Girls performances will run February 3rd to February 24th in the Tornabene Theatre. You can learn more about the show at theatre.arizona.edu, and you can purchase tickets by visiting the link below, or by calling the Fine Arts Box Office at (520) 621-1162.

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Congratulations to University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television student Brett Jones (BFA Film & Television, '23) whose film SOMETHING TO FEAR was an award winner at the recent Doc Sunback Film Festival. Brett's film, which he made as part of FTV 314a Documentary Production class, follows top college basketball recruit Kennedy Brown as she battles her detractors, and her own demons, as she makes her way to the top. The film premiered at the December 2021 edition of WHAT'S UP, DOCS at The Loft Cinema.

Brett recently spoke with his hometown newspaper about his filmmaking journey so far, and how he maintains focus on both his perspective as a filmmaker and the experience of the viewer. “I think one of the most valuable things I've learned is that you have to balance what you want and then what someone else is going to get out of it,” Jones said. “It gets to a point where you're like, ‘okay, this is the idea I want, this is the kind of unique take I want on it, but how do we build [the film] for an audience for them to understand that unique take?’ So it always starts with your passion, but then you have to construct and manipulate that passion for an audience.”

Read the full story at www.derbyinformer.com/news/derby_news/derby-filmmaker-s-work-featured-at-doc-sunback-film-festiva... ... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago

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Fantastic Brett!

During the commencement ceremonies at the University of Arizona last week multiple graduating BFA Musical Theatre seniors from the School of Theatre, Film & Television took to the stage to demonstrate their talents.

On May 13th, The University of Arizona's 158th Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2022 took place in the Arizona Stadium. As part of the opening ceremony graduating seniors Daniel Altamirano, Steven Enriquez, Michael Laverde, Taylor Maresca and Hannah Peyton sang the National Anthem, led by TFTV faculty member Assistant Professor of Practice Jamie Reed. Along with fellow graduate Vinney Pugliese, they also helped close the ceremony by leading the stadium in singing 'All Hail, Arizona' (Alma Mater).

During the College of Fine Arts graduation ceremony Maresca and Peyton performed 'I Will Never Leave You' from Side Show.

We are so proud of all our Wildcats and wish all Class of '22 graduates continued success. Bear Down! ... See MoreSee Less

6 days ago

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So proud to have been a part of this wonderful school.

Very emotional. Love this performance 👏 ❤

Great to hear a version that I understand and the harmony is lovely!👍. Are they available for the next Super Bowl?😘

Monte would be so very proud.

This past weekend I Dream in Widescreen, one of our School's marquee events, returned to the historic Fox Tucson Theatre for the first time since 2019.

12 filmmakers from the Class of 2022 premiered their senior thesis films for a full house made up of community members, industry guests, sponsors, cast and crew, their families, TFTV faculty and students, and countless supporters. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible, and to the community at large for coming together to help celebrate our filmmakers!

We'd also like to send a huge congratulations to all of our filmmakers and award winners on your immense accomplishment. We cannot wait to see where you go next!

Missed the in-person event but still want to watch the short films from the Class of 2022? Watch them all on our YouTube channel for a limited time and on the IDIWS website: idiw.tftv.arizona.edu. Check the IDIWS website for award winners, and more pictures from the event will be viewable online in the coming weeks!

Photos by Julius Schlosburg. ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

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Can't get enough of our student short films? You're in luck!

Join us tomorrow for the final screening event of the semester with the debut of 10 brand new student short films during Magic Hour at The Loft Cinema.

In these films, made during the FTV 315a Fiction Production Class, you'll see two wanna-be-spy siblings, an extreme commitment-phobe, condiments in love, a hung-over interviewee, the game LIFE, a bumbling pair of pranksters, a sore loser, a father facing his mortality, two bickering brothers, a tale of love, and ants in the Biosphere.

Joining the 10 TFTV films is an animated short made by students in the University of Arizona School of Art entitled WHO PUT THESE ANTS IN MY BIOSPHERE? This film is the result of a Research, Innovation, and Impact Grant titled “Science in Motion” and organized by Aaron Bugaj and Ellen McMahon with KeBiosphere 2 BiosArizona Institutes for Resiliencer Resilience. Each student contributed 10 seconds of animation focusing on either moss, coral, agrivoltaics, or resilience from the vantage point of an ant inhabiting Biosphere 2.

May 10 | 7pm | The Loft Cinema | FREE (first-come, first-served) ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

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A struggling drag queen's evening takes an unexpected turn when she meets a persistent houseless man while en route to her show in TWIXXX, written and directed by Martin Olloren. "I love using film to give a voice to marginalized groups of people and TWIXXX tackles two extremely marginalized groups: the Black LGBTQ+ community and people without housing. I wrote TWIXXX not only to shed light on the adversity of these specific groups, but also to remind everyone that we are stronger together."

In PUNCHLINE, Nate finds newfound internet fame as the victim of several filmed assaults broadcasted on a rival’s social media account and learns the ultimate lesson through a knock-knock joke gone bad. Written and directed by James Valacich. "Observing certain online personalities made me wonder how far, morally and/or legally, an influencer could go to get recognition ... I wanted to make a found footage film with an online vlogger feel."

Both films will premiere at I Dream in Widescreen 2022 ! More info and tickets at idiw.tftv.arizona.edu.

$5 | May 7 at 7pm | Fox Tucson Theatre
DOORS OPEN AT 6PM. ARRIVE EARLY TO ENSURE YOUR SEAT! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

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INTERIM is written and directed by Heath Bannard. "I wanted to really say something meaningful and be really, embarrassingly honest. As I looked around at lots of art, even art I love, I noticed more and more how things were sort of masked by poetic language or characters, mis en scene, etc. Though all of these things are beautiful parts of the medium, I wanted people to really walk away with what I had told them. I wanted what I had said to be so clear that you couldn't possibly miss it, it couldn't possibly go over your head."

Amid a global pandemic, an isolated nineteen-year-old boy would explore the world of rap music, but one fatal choice to try the drugs in his favorite song would end his life abruptly in 9TEEN, a documentary film written and directed by Desirée Bourret. "I was introduced to my subject's mother, and she told me about this young, vibrant soul, Dakota, who lost his life at 19 based on a single choice to take a pill. Dakota was trying to push through what was a difficult time in the world, by expressing himself through the creative outlet of music ... This project is for Dakota, his loved ones, victims of fentanyl poisoning, and the youth who might be able to see their experiences through Dakota's and remember how important their lives are."

Both films will premiere at I Dream in Widescreen 2022! More info and tickets at idiw.tftv.arizona.edu.

$5 | May 7 at 7pm | Fox Tucson Theatre ... See MoreSee Less

3 weeks ago