Overview and Mission
Every semester, the Visiting Filmmakers Series brings to campus a variety of films and artists. The Series is committed to building community, advancing conversations, and supporting innovative and independent filmmaking.
VFS Linktree
For more than two decades, our events have included the following:
Fall 2024: Lagueria Davis, with Black Barbie: A Documentary; Alex Plank, with Ezra; I Am Not the River Jhelum, with director Prabhash Chandra.
Spring 2024: Penny Lane, with Confessions of a Good Samaritan, Kaiulani Lee with Fight Like Hell: The Testimony of Mother Jones; Mendi and Keith Obadike with The Sun; Tim Harris, with Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn; and Nikyatu Jusu, with Nanny. See full list of Sprig 2024 events here.
Fall 2023: filmmakers Rebecca Landsberry-Baker, Joe Peeler, and Angel Ellis with Bad Press (2023) and a screening and discussion of Woman in Motion, presented by the College of Science and VFS.
Spring 2023: online and in-person. Events included Boots Riley with I'm a Virgo, Rebeca Huntt with Beba, and Margaret Brown and Kern Jackson with Descendant. See full list of Spring 2023 events here.
Spring 2022: Visiting Filmmakers Series: in-person and online. Events included Joseph Le, Action Designer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. See full list of Spring 2022 events here.
Fall 2021: Visiting Filmmakers Series: in-person and online. Our first event was Shaolin Jazz: Can I Kick It? Black Panther, an outdoor screening of Ryan Coogler's Black Panther, with soundtrack remixed live by DJ 2-Tone Jones. See full list of Fall 2021 events here.
Spring 2021: Visiting Filmmakers Series Online. Screenings and conversations online throughout February, March, and April.
Fall 2020: Visiting Filmmakers Series Online. Screenings and conversations online throughout September and October.
April 2020: Visiting Filmmakers Series Online. We hosted 25 sessions and 34 guests. All Spring 2020 sessions are recorded and available to see here.
April 2020: A Conversation with Sacha Jenkins, director of Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men. Sponsored by Film and Video Studies, African and African American Studies, Global Affairs, Global Programs, History and Art History, CHSS, CVPA, University Life, School of Art, Women and Gender Studies, Art and Visual Technology, CVPA's Kritikos Series: Arts in Context, and Film and Media Studies.
April 2020: Hale County This Morning, This Evening: A conversation with RaMell Ross.
Spring 2020: A conversation with Jennifer Baichwal: ONLINE.
Spring 2020: Masterclass with writer, actor, and director Doug Spearman. ONLINE.
Fall 2019: Patti Cake$ with producer Michael Gottwald.
Spring 2019: A Late Style of Fire with Michele Poulos and Gregory Donovan.
Spring 2019: Mother Daughter Sister with Jeanne Hallacy.
Fall 2018: Masterclass with Colette Burson on TV Showrunning and Writing.
Fall 2018: Dark Money with Kimberly Reed.
Fall 2018: In the Last Days of the City with Tamer El Said.
Fall 2018: Dan Mirvish Masterclass on Indie Filmmaking.
Spring 2018: In Lorton's Darkroom with filmmaker and photographer Karen Ruckman, producer Emma Pearce, and photographers Calvin Gorham and Michael Moses El.
Fall 2017: Road Through War with Louie Palu,
Fall 2017: Kara Herold Masterclass, with Film and Video Studies, Art Department.
Fall 2017: Cameraperson with Kirsten Johnson and Hans Charles.
Fall 2017: Almost Sunrise with Michael Collins and Martin Syjuco
Fall 2017. Fail State with Alex Shebanow.
Spring 2017: Visitor's Day (Día de Visita) with Nicole Opper.
Spring 2017: Moonlight
Panel discussion
Spring 2017: Hooligan Sparrow with Nanfu Wang.
Spring 2017: 13th with Hans Charles
Fall 2016: City of Trees with Brandon and Lance Kramer.
Fall 2016: A Conversation with Christine Vachon.
Spring 2016: Benjamin Steger, Stage Four: A Love Story, with Film and Video Studies.
Spring 2016: Kandahar Journals with Louie Palu, with Global Affairs, Global Programs, Film and Media Studies, and Film and Video Studies.
Fall 2015: (T)Error (2015) with Lyric R. Cabral and Jason Osder.
Fall 2015: Happy Those Who Cry with Marcelo Torcida.
Fall 2015: Back on Board: Greg Louganis with Cheryl Furjanic and Ric Chollar.
Spring 2015: Approaching the Elephant with Amanda Rose Wilder. Discussion moderated by Delta Kappa Alpha president Irem Dogencali.
Spring 2015: Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People with Thomas Allen Harris and Deborah Willis.
Spring 2015 (no filmmakers visit): Dear White People (2014), with post-screening discussion leaders Gayle Wald (George Washington University) and Mark Hopson (George Mason University).
Fall 2014: Out in the Night with blair dorosh-walther. The discussion with director blair dorosh-walther, G Chesler (director of GMU's Film and Video Studies program, as well as the film's producer), and film subject Renata Hill was facilitated by GMU Women and Gender Studies associate director and program coordinator Tashia Harris.
Fall 2014: Evolution of a Criminal with Darius Clark Monroe. Our discussion with Darius Clark Monroe was facilitated by Wendi Manuel-Scott, Director of African and African American Studies.
Spring 2014: A Fragile Trust with Samantha Grant.
Spring 2014: Let the Fire Burn with Jason Osder.
Fall 2013: The New Black with Yoruba Richen. Cosponsored by the Film & Media Studies Program.
Fall 2013: Where Soldiers Come From with Heather Courtney.
Spring 2013: Reportero with Bernardo Ruiz.
Spring 2013: Beneath the Blindfold with Kathy Berger and Ines Sommer.
Fall 2012: Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (Alison Klayman 2012). Followed by Q&A with artist and activist Hasan Elahi. Organized by Beth Hoffman, of the English Department.
Fall 2012: The Waiting Room with Peter Nicks and the Washington Post's Ann Hornaday.
Spring 2012: Better This World with Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega.
Spring 2012: Dogtown and Z-Boys with Peggy Oki, with Multicultural Research & Resource Center.
Fall 2011: John Carlos and Dave Zirin, Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports (2010) and discussion of their co-authored book, The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World. Collaboration with African and African American Studies and the GMU Athletic Department.
Spring 2011: Academy Award nominee Poster Girl with director Sara Nesson and subject Robynn Murray.
Spring 2011: Living for 32 with Colin Goddard, survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting and member of the Everytown Survivor Network. Cosponsored with Criminology, Law, and Society.
Fall 2010: Family Affair with Chico Colvard.
With this event, we start the series on an every semester structure.
Fall 2010: Loins of Punjab Presents with Manish Acharya. With support from the English Department.
Spring 2007: Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story with Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim.
Spring 2003: All the Real Girls with David Gordon Green and Paul Schneider.
Before we imagined a series:
Spring 1995: The brilliant Cheryl Dunye, selected short films: She Don't Fade (1991), Janine (1990), and Greetings from Africa (1994).
See an interview with Cheryl at Walker Reader.