Creating Masterpieces in Film and Digital Media
By: Bora Cecia, Revised by Destiny Woods
Loyola University Chicago's School of Communication Film and Digital Media (FDM) Program continues to advance its mission of equipping students for the film industry. This summer, the program introduced new international initiatives and celebrated significant faculty achievements.
One highlight was the award-winning documentary feature Flannery, directed by FDM professor Elizabeth Coffman, showcased at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Additionally, Coffman co-executive produced "Wildcat," a biopic of Flannery O'Connor featuring Maya Hawke, Laura Linney, and Liam Neeson, directed by Ethan Hawke. The film premiered on May 5, followed by Ethan Hawke's promotional visit from May 15-17 at the Music Box and Gene Siskel Theatres.
Loyola film professor Miguel Silveira also made notable contributions to filmmaking. His works include Namíbia, Brasil, American Thief, and The Last Election and Other Love Stories Silveira aims to elevate the Film and Digital Media (FDM) program by engaging students in professional work environments.
“Silveira and I have been developing two new programs for film (and other) storytelling students--in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and the Cannes Film Festival student program in France. The SOC already offers a popular Advertising study abroad program with Cannes Lions in France,” Coffman said. “We hope to alternate years between an advertising and film program experience. Students will be able to witness the best advertising and film that the world has to offer, and get connected with the makers, producers, and the markets for both.”
Reflecting on past successes, Loyola provided significant opportunities for students.
“We brought eight students to the Telluride Film Festival last year,” Silveira said. “These students worked as assistants to theater managers, had official passes, and interacted with celebrities as part of their jobs. I am happy to say Loyola provided such an opportunity to them. Personally, it was an immense pleasure to develop this program because I have been going to this festival since 2004; it feels like home to me.”
With these achievements, Loyola aims to become a top film school.
“Our most consequential recent achievement was the second annual Illumination student-film showcase on Monday, April 29. At least 250 people, including the press, film programmers I personally invited, parents, teachers, and students from many departments attended the greatest student film showcase in the history of Loyola, and it was just the beginning Ayesha Abouelazm, FDM program' director, has plans for the future that will position our school, and our students, at equal footing with the major film schools in the country,” Silveria said.
“The FDM faculty are a small, dedicated, and talented group—Miguel Silveira, Ayesha Abouelazm, Vince Singleton. We have a new Game Design and Animation faculty member too: Alex Damarjian. For the second year Singleton has helped us to offer advanced cinematography classes and rent sound stages for capstone projects from Resolution Studios. This year we rented an LED wall from Resolution to use in our TV studio and began to teach students basics for virtual production and immersive environments,” Coffman added.
Through personalized mentoring and guidance from the FDM faculty, students can discover their calling and make their mark in the film industry. “As a screenwriter, teacher, and filmmaker, my daily exercise is to listen to what the student is trying to say. After understanding their dreams and what they want to convey through their films, I can start teaching filmmaking techniques,” Silveira shared.
Interested in joining or learning more about the Film and Digital Media Program at Loyola University Chicago? Click here to learn more!