Student and Alumni Achievement

Film students at Ice Cream Social

MEET MASON FILM STUDENTS

Film at Mason supports and trains a very diverse body of students in telling their stories and exploring the world as it really is.

Our students are presenting their work at film festivals and winning in juried competitions.

Film at Mason students and alumni are achieving recognition on a national level, from Student Academy Awards to regional Emmys.

  • Aaliyah-Janay Williams ’21 received a grant from The Create Fund for Supporting Invisible Illness, an award promoting artists who create visual stories and representations that challenge the stigma around mental health. In addition, she wrote the screenplay for Tale of Tarot, a romantic short film following two sisters who try to change their prophesied future. The film is available to watch on Amazon.  
Aaliyah-Janay Williams, Tale of Tarot
Aaliyah-Janay Williams, Tale of Tarot
  • Jada Salter '20 won a Non-Fiction Short Form Capital Emmy for her documentary, Behind the Notes. Made as part of her capstone project, the film follows the life and legacy of Jada’s grandfather Bill Salter, a three-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter, composer, and musician for songs including "Just the Two of Us." Jada’s project went viral on social media when she shared a video of her grandfather’s story. Currently, she’s making a feature documentary inspired by her short. To support this work, Jada won funding from George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts Young Alumni Commissioning Project.
Jada Salter with her grandfather Bill Salter and family.
Jada Salter with her grandfather Bill Salter and family.
  • Mohammed Saffouri '20 won a Capital Emmy for his documentary film The First from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Saffouri’s film follows 24-year-old Libyan American Abrar Omeish as she campaigns for a seat on the Fairfax County School Board. Omeish was elected to the school board in November 2019, becoming one of Virginia’s youngest elected officials and the first Muslim woman to win a seat on the board.  
  • Alicia Rodriguez '19 was awarded the highly competitive and prestigious Princess Grace Scholarship Award for her thesis experimental documentary film A Diasporic Boricua.
  • Erblin Nushi '18 was a finalist for the Student Academy Award for his senior thesis film Bini—the only undergraduate in the field of finalists.
  • Kauri George '18 received a Capital Emmy for her senior film, Close Call, in the short form fiction category, while Bini won the Capital Emmy in the long form fiction category. 
Kauri George and her crew on the set of her senior film Close Call.

Kauri George and her crew on the set of her senior film Close Call.