Temple Department of Film and Media Arts

Rachel Scierka ('27) has been hard at work this summer, working as a Kids and Family Unscripted Intern at Paramount Skydance / Nickelodeon! From Rachel on LinkedIn: "Kids content has always been really important to me, so I’m incredibly excited to join a team that helps bring creativity and fun to both younger audiences and families."

"I’m looking forward to learning more about the development process and the work that goes into bringing kids and family programming to life." Congratulations, Rachel! Are you working at an internship this summer? Let us know, we'd love to give you a shoutout!

🎬 Join us in celebrating two remarkable educators and film professionals whose impact on Temple University's School of Theater, Film and Media Arts will be felt for generations.

As Professors LeAnn Erickson and Warren Bass retire, we honor their commitment, mentorship and leadership that shaped countless filmmakers, storytellers and media professionals.

Through award-winning films, groundbreaking scholarship and unwavering dedication, Professors LeAnn and Warren inspired their students to tell meaningful stories, challenge convention, and pursue meaning in their craft. See more about the legacy of these incredible educators and film professionals at the link in our bio!

Their classrooms launched careers and their legacies will continue through the thousands of students whose lives they have touched.

Thank you, Professor Erickson and Professor Bass, for your extraordinary contributions to Temple and the arts. We wish you both the very best in this next chapter!

❤️ Please join us in congratulating LeAnn and Warren on their retirement!

Calling all FIFA fans! Join us this Friday at Temple University four powerful short films that explore identity, culture, and the Haitian experience 🇭🇹

The Haitian World Cup Steering Committee presents 4 Short Films by award-winning Haitian-American filmmaker Al’ikens Plancher. Join us at Temple University for a screening of four of Plancher’s powerful short films that explore identity, culture, resilience, and the Haitian experience through compelling human stories.

Our screening will be at 3pm in the Center City campus building, and best of all, registration is FREE! Head to the link in our bio to RSVP, no matter who you're cheering for!

We love to see a Temple teamup- Liz Weist ('17), filmmaker and recent contestant on The Floor with Rob Lowe, popped in for a quick appearance on fellow alum Kalen Allen's ('18) show, FOX Reality Club! Liz breaks down how she landed on "Muppets" as her expert category, shooting her shot to cast Rob Lowe in her feature film, and her thoughts on alliances in the game.

When asked what she would do with the money if she won, Liz said that she has a feature that she wrote while at Temple she would love to get made. Kalen then brought out ANOTHER Owl, Ryan Nilsen, who he hired for Reality Club because he knew him from his time at Temple!

"These Temple Owls, we're out here soaring." We couldn't agree more! You can catch the entirety of season 4 of The Floor now on Hulu, and this great interview at the link in our bio!

On this week's we're shouting out incoming film student Ryan Welsh (he/him)! Hailing from Teaneck, NJ, Ryan will be bringing his creativity to campus in the fall 🎥

Don't forget, first years, virtual orientation events are starting up! Make sure you check your TU email and the TUPortal for all things orientation and advising before you even get to Philadelphia.

This weekend is the opening weekend of Steven Spielberg's DISCLOSURE DAY, and we can't wait to see not one but two Owls in the credits! Colman Domingo plays Hugo Wakefield, and Liz Wiest was an Assistant Production Coordinator 🛸

If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? A new extraterrestrial tale from Steven Spielberg starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo, IndieWire's David Ehrlich said of the film, "Spielberg... continues to delight in telling stories about regular people being subsumed into larger-than-life spectacle, and he’s as giddy as ever about replicating that experience for his audience.”

Congratulations, Colman and Liz! DISCLOSURE DAY opens this Friday, June 12th, in theaters nationwide.

Hansen Bursic ('20) recently sat down with Tina Kakadelis from Beyond the Cineramadome for a great interview about advocacy, documentary work, and his new film festival Backyard Docs!

"We realized that there really needed to be organizations that are dedicated to supporting local storytelling. For us, local storytelling meant regional storytelling. Ohio, West Virginia, greater Appalachia, and the Rust Belt. We developed a program that was like a love letter to the storytelling of this region, with a heavy emphasis on Pennsylvania creators." On Instagram, Hansen shouted out Prof. Rea Tajiri for "opening the world of documentary ethics" during his time at Temple.

You can read the whole interview, which includes info on Hansen's current projects, at the link in our bio!

It sure looks like current student Leo Huseh is having fun as a Development Intern at Rideback Rise this summer! Rideback Rise is a a non-profit content accelerator lifting up the next generation of Hollywood leaders, focusing on the development of mainstream entertainment by BIPOC creators.

"Rideback Rise's mission resonates with me so deeply." Leo said on LinkedIn, "Elevating the voice of POC filmmakers, reshaping the majority opinions in commercial entertainment, and, most importantly, allowing people from all backgrounds to see themselves reflected in mainstream media."

Congratulations, Leo! What are you up to this summer, Owls? Let us know and we'll give you a shoutout!

We're kicking off our first June with incoming theater major Ally Cole (she/her)! Hailing from just up north in Jenkintown, PA, Ally comes with experience in set and costume design, though she's excited to concentrate on acting while at Temple 🎭

Ally says that two of her biggest inspirations are Fiona Apple 🍎 and David Lynch 🎬 Is that true for you too? Introduce yourself to Ally, and we'll see her in August!

Passes are now on sale for the 15th annual ! Explore the packed film list, grab your passes, and join them this summer for four days of powerful films, panels, parties, good energy, and community.

We spotted alum Maori Karmael Holmes ('05) and Cameron Clay ('21) in the lineup; Maori directs the feature documentary Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip Hop and Cameron directs JESUS IS COMING (to take the Church away) in the short narrative category!

If you worked on a film in the Blackstar Film Festival, let us know! We'll be highlighting films as we get closer to the film festival of the summer 🌞

More info: blackstarprojects.org/festival
📅 August 6-9, 2026
📍Philadelphia