The Loft Film Fest returns to Tucson November 5–13, and the School of Theatre, Film & Television (TFTV) is proud to celebrate multiple alumni filmmakers in this year’s festival lineup. The annual event, presented by The Loft Cinema, brings together filmmakers and audiences to share new stories and celebrate the art of cinema. This year, the TFTV community will be well represented on screen and in person.
The connection between TFTV and the Loft runs deep. The festival itself is led by two alumni – Peggy Johnson, the Loft’s Executive Director, and Jeff Yanc, Program Director – whose leadership and dedication have helped make The Loft one of the nation’s premier independent art-house theaters and a champion of local and emerging filmmakers.
Among the featured filmmakers at this year’s festival are Lindsay Utz (’03), Sebi Lee (’96), Colleen Thurston (’08), Jillian Corsie (’10), Cosmo Brusa Zappellini (’25) and Allie Cincera (’25). Their films, spanning deeply personal documentaries to imaginative narrative works, reflect the range of voices and creative excellence fostered at TFTV.
PRIME MINISTER
Lindsay Utz (’03), co-director of Prime Minister, joins the festival fresh off a Los Angeles screening co-presented by Film Independent and FTV LA, TFTV’s Los Angeles outpost connecting students and alumni to industry opportunities. The film, co-directed by Utz alongside Michelle Walshe, brings audiences an intimate and compelling portrait of Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister. The documentary uses rare home-video footage and audio diaries to trace her remarkable rise to office at age 37, her leadership through major national crises such as the Christchurch mosque shootings and the pandemic, and her decision to step down in 2023. The film won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025. Prime Minister screens Saturday, November 8 at 4:15pm. Co-presented by DocScapes.
PADDLE OUT
The festival will host Sebi Lee (’96), director and producer of the award-winning documentary Paddle Out. The film follows Melissa Pappageorgas, a surfer living with cystic fibrosis, who defied every obstacle – oxygen tank in tow – to ride the waves she loved. Paddle Out screens Saturday, November 8 at 10am. Sebi Lee will be in attendance alongside Ben Lopez, co-producer and fellow UA alum.
DROWNED LAND
Colleen Thurston (’08) will attend the festival with her new documentary Drowned Land, co-presented by DocScapes. The film examines the legacy of damming and displacement in southeastern Oklahoma through the lens of local activists, residents, Choctaw culture-keepers, and scientists. Drowned Land screens Friday, November 7 at 11:15am. and Wednesday, November 12 at 2:45pm. Read more about Colleen Thurston’s filmmaking journey – and the influence of faculty mentors Beverly Seckinger, Nicky Koschmann, and Jen Gerber on her career – in this Alumni Spotlight story.
DESERT ANGEL
Also joining the festival is Jillian Corsie (’10) with Desert Angel, a powerful documentary following search-and-rescue pioneer Rafael Hernandez as he leads life-saving missions along the U.S.–Mexico border. Corsie produced and edited the film, capturing the emotional weight of Hernandez’s efforts to find missing migrants and reunite families. Co-presented by DocScapes, Desert Angel screens Monday, November 10 at 12:45pm. and Wednesday, November 12 at 3:30pm.
EVEN NOW and NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU FOR MILES
New TFTV alumni will also take the spotlight. Cosmo Brusa Zappellini (’25) and Allie Cincera (’25) will showcase their thesis films – Even Now and No One Can Hear You for Miles, respectively – on Sunday, November 9 at 1:15pm, with Brusa Zappellini in attendance. Even Now follows a group of artists with chronic pain who use art as a tool for healing, while No One Can Hear You for Miles explores isolation and survival in a post-apocalyptic world.
TFTV congratulates all of our filmmakers participating in this year’s Loft Film Fest and celebrates their ongoing achievements in storytelling, creativity, and cinematic innovation.
Loft Film Fest