UA School of Theatre, Film & Television

Today at Cine Gear Expo at Universal Studios, TFTV staff Damon Mosier and Kerryn Negus and a few students and alumni had an encounter with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins.

One of the most influential visual storytellers in cinema history, Deakins generously stopped for a chat and a photo with the next generation of filmmakers. From The Shawshank Redemption and Fargo to Blade Runner 2049 and 1917, his work has inspired countless artists behind the camera.

A memorable moment, and an awesome opportunity for TFTV’s emerging filmmakers to meet one of the artists who helped define the craft.

✨ 2026-2027 Season Announcement ✨

We’re excited to announce our 2026/27 theatre season, featuring the cult phenomenon ‘The Rocky Horror Show,’ original student-created works in the New Directions Festival, the acclaimed drama ‘Stop Kiss’ and the Tony Award-winning adaptation of’ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’. The season showcases students in TFTV’s Theatre Studies and Live and Screened Performance programs, where emerging artists develop skills for careers across stage, screen, and new media.

“This season reflects the core of our mission: to center student creativity while engaging Southern Arizona audiences with work that is imaginative, challenging, and deeply empathetic,” said TFTV’s Associate Director Christie Kerr, who serves as the season’s Artistic Director.

Subscription packages are now on sale at the Arizona Arts Box Office, and by mail, phone, or online. More information on each of the productions can be found at theatre.arizona.edu. Mailers will begin arriving in mailboxes soon!

Individual tickets for all shows in the theatre season will be available from August 25.

TFTV extends special thanks to 2026–2027 performance season underwriter Gregory Knopf for his generous support of student artists and the School’s mission to cultivate the next generation of creative professionals.

We can’t wait to see you at the theatre!

Congratulations to Lindsay Utz (‘03), whose HBO documentary PRIME MINISTER just landed the top prize at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Along with the award for Best Documentary, PRIME MINISTER won the Best Politics & Government Documentary Award. The film, which Lindsay co-directed with Michelle Walshe, continues an extraordinary awards run following its premiere at Sundance last year, where it won the Audience Award for Best World Cinema Documentary.

Since graduating from TFTV in 2003, Utz has established herself as one of the leading voices in documentary filmmaking. Her acclaimed credits include American Factory (Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature), Miss Americana, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry and Martha. She was named the College of Fine Arts Alum of the Year in 2021.

Congratulations, Lindsay, on your latest remarkable achievement! Bear down!

Photo courtesy of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Thrilled to celebrate the official selections of KAIN TAYO/LET’S EAT (Caroline Rosen), FACE TO FACE (Lauren Schulman & Nick Strain), and PLAY PRETEND (Jordan Fouts) by the Flagstaff International Film Festival!

Taking place in August, FIFF is a vibrant platform for independent cinema in the Southwest, championing emerging filmmakers and diverse voices through a curated program of narrative, documentary, and hybrid work.

KAIN TAYO (LET’S EAT) and FACE TO FACE first screened at What’s Up Docs?, TFTV’s annual showcase of outstanding new short documentaries created by BA and BFA students. Kain Tayo follows a Filipino grocery owner in Tucson building toward her dream of opening a restaurant, exploring resilience, family, and cultural tradition through food and memory, while Face to Face is a deeply personal documentary following Lauren Schulman’s mental health journey and her ongoing path toward healing, shaped by vulnerability, reflection, and reconnection with nature.

PLAY PRETEND, Jordan Fouts’ senior thesis film which made its premiere at I Dream in Widescreen last year, follows a down-on-her-luck party princess given one last chance to keep her job after a gig goes wrong.

Proud to see these films recognized at FIFF and to celebrate all of the filmmakers behind them.

TFTV talent features prominently in Lerner & Loewe’s CAMELOT, currently playing at The John W. Engeman Theater at Northport, New York, with faculty and alumni contributing both onstage and off.

TFTV Instructor Drew Humphrey directs the production, while alumni James Kelley Carroll (‘25), Jaz Gomez (Dec. ‘25), Lily Grubert (‘25), and John Alejandro Jeffords (‘09) are all part of the cast.

James Kelley Carroll is earning standout praise for his deliciously sinister turn as Mordred. BroadwayWorld calls him a “perfect evil wrench in Arthur’s plan for Camelot,” highlighting his charm and humor, while Patch calls his performance “award-worthy.”

From Director Drew Humphrey:
“Working on Camelot alongside three former students from the University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television, students I had the privilege of teaching, has been incredibly rewarding. Seeing the skills and creativity they developed in the classroom translate directly into a professional production environment is one of the most fulfilling parts of being both an educator and director.”

Proud to see TFTV artists and alumni shaping this timeless story onstage in New York. If you’re in the area, grab your tickets now! The show runs through June 28.

TFTV was well represented at the recent Nogales International Film Festival! Produced by , the festival aims at uniting Nogales in both countries through film, celebration, and network. This festival is unlike any other as they project films simultaneously on both sides of the border wall.

Thirteen films by TFTV students and alum were official selections of the festival and screened during the event. TFTV students and alumni filmmakers, producers, actors, designers, and more were in attendance. The majority of these films originally premiered at TFTV screenings such as I Dream in Widescreen, Magic Hour, and What’s Up, Docs?. The films screened included:

• David J. Aberle’s “Finding Fire” and “They Wait”
• Olivia Barnes’ “When the World Went Quiet”
• Elias Rice Bensch’s “A Tale Most Fowl”
• Jesse Bravo & Gabriel Verdugo’s “Wild Wasteland”
• Ashley Courter’s “Vein”
• Javier Guerra’s “Hilos Del Mar”
• Geen Lee’s “Synesthesia”
• Kaitlyn Liddicoat’s “Rebranding Bob”
• Caroline Rosen’s “Kain Tayo (Let’s Eat)”
• Caroline Rosen & Madeline Heinrich’s “Smile, Please”
• Dara Sam & Abram Romero’s “Verament”
• Clinton Willis’ “Be Still, Boone”

We are so proud to see our students and alumni’s works screening out in the community, and across the globe. Bear down, filmmakers!

Thank you to the filmmakers in attendance for sharing these photos.

Congratulations to Addy Siciliano, named the School of Theatre, Film & Television’s Outstanding Senior this spring!

A performer, collaborator, and community advocate, Addy brought her full self to every corner of her undergraduate journey — taking the stage in productions including “Bright Star,” “Sweeney Todd,” and “Jerry’s Girls,” while earning stage combat certification through the Society of American Fight Directors and dedicating herself weekly as a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona.

Whether perfecting her musicality and vocal technique in the rehearsal room, lifting up those around her with her positive spirit, or showing up for families in need outside the classroom, Addy approached it all with work ethic, warmth, and heart.

“My time at Arizona and in the College of Fine Arts was amazing,” she said. “It allowed me to grow academically, professionally, and socially. I made lifelong friends and developed meaningful relationships with faculty that guided me through the program.”

🎓 Congratulations, Addy!

See more of Addy’s story.
https://azart.fyi/26StudentAwards.

TONIGHT 📽️✨

Join us for the first night of MAGIC HOUR screenings where we’ll premiere 15 brand new short films in the Marroney Theatre!

These screenings are FREE to attend and open to the public. Please reserve your ticket in advance (link in bio).

NIGHT 1 – MAY 13 at 6:30pm: Screening + Q&A
NIGHT 2 – MAY 14 at 6:30pm: Screening + Awards Ceremony

While the post-screening events differ, the film lineup is identical on both evenings.

• “Citizen’s Arrest” by Maddy Wertz and Megan Bukovinsky.
• “Cutthroat” by Annie Houglum and Logan Tyler Hall.
• “Dirty Work” by Mia Trachy and Dena Alaniz.
• “Grey Scale” by Blake Pettit and Benjamin Evans.
• “It’s Just a Dream?” by Gabby Hartman and Crystal Thomsen.
• “MF! (Mezzo Forte)” by Ellie Moffet and Ellen Walker.
• “Piñata” by Crista Valenzuela Neda and Enrique Camou Villa.
• “Rx” by Milena Gauchat, Elijah Schmadel and Andy Mourelatos.
• “Sacred Archive” by Nicole Lease and Francisco Montes.
• “Smile, Please” by Caroline Rosen and Madeline Heinrich.
• “Till Death” by Dominic Solano and Aimee Franklin-Platt.
• “Verament” by Dara Sam and Abram Romero.
• “When the World Went Quiet” by Olivia Barnes, Marshall Sullivan and Eli Schmadel.
• “Wild Wasteland” by Jesse Bravo and Gabriel Verdugo.
• “Xerox” by Eden Bae and Matthew De Souza.

*We expect both evenings to sell out. Will call will open 5 minutes before the start of the event to allow those on the waitlist to claim a seat.

Please be advised that the majority of the films contain mature content that may not be suitable for all audiences.

What a night at the Fox! ✨

This weekend, filmmakers from the University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television Class of 2026 premiered their senior thesis films at the 21st edition of I Dream in Widescreen, and the energy inside the Fox Tucson Theatre was absolutely unforgettable. With a packed house from floor to balcony, the theater was filled with excitement and applause for these incredible student filmmakers and their work.

Families, cast and crews, industry guests, sponsors, TFTV faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community supporters all came together to celebrate this milestone evening, including special guests Jon Proudstar and TFTV alum Craig T. Nelson, who appeared in films screening at this year’s event.

Huge congratulations to all of our filmmakers on this incredible achievement! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see where your creative journeys take you next.

Missed the in-person screening but still want to watch the films from the Class of 2026? They’re available for a limited time on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/qHwCjPevkaA.

Photos by Julius Schlosburg ().

IDIWS Sneak Peek: BE STILL, BOONE by Clinton Willis. A cowboy haunted by years on the trail confronts the distance he’s put between himself and his daughter—and the possibility of losing what truly matters.

On his previous films, says the writer/director, “I would try to be a one man band and do as much as I could by myself. With Be Still, Boone, I promised myself I wouldn’t do that, and collaborating with so many talented people was truly just a great experience. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you can never stop learning. There is always something new to experience. That’s not just from professors either. I’ve learned so much by just being in proximity of my talented classmates. I’d like to acknowledge everything TFTV has done for me. This program has given me kind of new start at life and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

Premiering at I Dream in Widescreen 2026! More info and tickets at idiw.tftv.arizona.edu.

$5 | May 9 at 7pm | Fox Tucson Theatre
Doors open at 6pm. Arrive early to ensure your seat!

Note: The Fox Tucson Theatre is now cashless and has implemented a clear bag policy. Please prepare accordingly.