After School Special film and animation festival screens work from top SVA alumni

Work includes a wide range of film, television, animation and visual effects

SVA Theatre

333 West 23rd Street

New York City

September 11 – September 17, 2017 

September 3, 2017, New York, NY—School of Visual Arts presents After School Special, the College’s long-running film and animation festival showcasing the work of its most accomplished alumni in film, television, animation and visual effects. For the first time since its inception in 2014 the free festival starting on September 11 and continuing through September 17 at SVA Theatre has been extended for a week to feature a curated roster of premieres and screenings that underscore the high caliber of talent produced by SVA’s nine film-related academic programs. Audiences are invited to take a deeper dive into filmmaking with behind-the-scenes insights from industry leaders during Q & A sessions and panels that will accompany select screenings. Guests who arrive early will also be able to enjoy virtual reality and music video experiences in the lobby.

• The New York premiere of acclaimed cartoonist Bill Plympton's (1969 Cartooning) newest animated feature “Revengeance” with a Q & A focusing on his inspiration and process after the screening. Wednesday, September 13, 7:00pm.
• “SVA Premieres,” a special selection of live action, documentary and animated shorts by recent graduates, including films nominated for Student Academy Awards. Following the screenings, dessert and drinks will be served at a reception with the featured filmmakers and artists. Friday, September 15, 8:00pm.

In an After School Special tradition, the festival will give a nod to the past with a series of anniversary retrospectives, including the 20th anniversary of Titanic; the 20th anniversary of The Game and the 10th anniversary of Disney Pixar’s Ratatouille. The festival concludes with a live screening of the 69th Annual Emmy Awards.

For festival updates and a full list of programming please visit: svatheatre.com

Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVPs via Eventbrite are appreciated, but not necessary, and do not guarantee entrance. All events are free and open to the public and take place at SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011. Doors will open approximately 30 minutes prior to each screening.

Monday, September 11

7:00PM Art of the Prank (2015)

Joey Skaggs (BFA 1982 Media Arts) The godfather of the media hoax and one of America’s greatest living satirists, is featured in this documentary about his famous media fictions, which were all reported as fact by prestigious journalists. Preceded by Hello Norman (2014), co-written by Maëlle Doliveux (MFA 2013 Illustration as Visual Essay). 

Tuesday, September 12

7:00PM Disability & Visibility

An evening dedicated to bringing visibility to the disability community. The Blind, Seen (2016) is the autobiographical story of photographer David Snider (BFA 1992 Photography) and his blind parents. Anelisa Garfunkel’s (MFA 2016 Visual Narrative) We Will Ride (2016), being given its theatrical premiere, follows disabled riders fighting for public transportation improvements in Boston. Finally, the NYC premiere of the feature documentary Tin Soldiers (2015), by Ben Duffy (Film and Video) and Michael J. Sassano (BFA 2011 Film and Video), highlights members of the adaptive sports community. 

Wednesday, September 13

7:00PM Revengeance (2016)

Bill Plympton (1969 Cartooning) is back with his newest feature-length animated film, which follows a low-rent bounty hunter named Rod Rosse, The One Man Posse. Following the film, Plympton will discuss his process of making the film. The screening is preceded by the award-winning animated short Late (2014), by Christi Bertelsen (BFA 2002 Animation).

Thursday, September 14

7:30PM Doctor Strange in 3D (2016)

Join visual effects artists Jesse Flores (BFA 2010 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) and Paul Liaw (BFA 2002 Computer Art) for a screening and inside look at this Marvel Entertainment blockbuster. Preceded by the world premiere of the short film End of the Line, Inwood (2017), written and co-directed by Efraim Acevedo Klein (BFA 2012 Film and Video). 

Friday, September 15

8:00PM SVA Premieres

School of Visual Arts will spotlight exceptional live action, documentary and animated shorts by its most recent graduates from nine different academic departments, including films nominated for Student Academy Awards. Join the filmmakers in the lobby following the screening for a special dessert reception. 

Saturday, September 16

2:00PM Cartoon Network Presents…

Join SVA alumni animators and artists from Cartoon Network — the studio behind such hits as Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Teen Titans Go! — for a special screening of old favorites and new, never-before-seen work. Preceded by the animated short, Cartoons and You, by Mark Newgarden (BFA 1982 Media Arts), the co-creator of the infamous "Garbage Pail Kids." 

5:00PM Landline (2017)

Indie director Gillian Robespierre and editor Casey Brooks (BFA 2005 Film and Video alumni) will be on hand to screen and discuss their Sundance Film Festival darling, which was released by Amazon Studios this past summer. Preceded by the first episode in Elisa-Sofia Fioretti’s (MPS 2016 Directing) short-film series, Through Your Eyes (2017). 

7:30PM 20th Anniversary Screening of Titanic on 35mm film (1997)

Get on the boat as we screen this late 1990’s Oscar-winning epic, followed by a Q&A with the film’s Academy Award-winning sound mixer, Mark Ulano (1975 Film and Video). 

11:59PM 20th Anniversary Screening of The Game (1997)

In honor of late cinematographer Harris Savides (BFA 1982 Film and Video) is this a midnight screening of David Fincher’s brilliant thriller starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn. Preceded by a special introduction by SVA cinematography faculty member Dejan Georgevich. 

Sunday, September 17

2:00PM 10th Anniversary Screening of Disney·Pixar’s Ratatouille on 35mm film (2007)

Be our guest for a special screening of this family favorite and join Pixar animation and visual effects artists Ye Won Cho (MFA 2002 Computer Art), Andrew Dayton (BFA 1998 Computer Art), Ivo Kos (MFA 1991 Computer Art) and Maria Lee (BFA 1988 Media Arts) for a special conversation following the film. Preceded by Jesse Willmon's (MFA 2006 Design) Draw Me A ____ (2016) videos and the animated short Bluehilda (2017) by James Sugrue (BFA 2007 Animation) of Titmouse Animation. 

5:00PM Tashi's Turbine (2015)

If you’re a documentary fan, you won’t want to miss this evening, with Amitabh Joshi and Erik Spink’s (MFA 2013 Social Documentary alumni) remarkable feature about bringing electricity to a small village in Nepal. Preceded by the short documentaries Hali (2016) by Peter Hristoff (BFA 1981 Fine Arts) and Skull + Bone (2017) by Victoria Rivera (BFA 2011 Film and Video). 

7:00PM Ghostbusters in 3D (2016)

Join visual effects artists Arsen Arzumanyan (BFA 2012 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects), Elizabeth Martin (BFA 2015 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) and Jun Zee Myers (BFA 2004 Computer Art) for a screening and behind-the-scenes look at last year’s hit paranormal comedy. Preceded by the cinematic premiere of the new Betty Boop short Betty Goes A-Posen (2017) by Mike Carlo (BFA 2002 Animation) of Titmouse Animation and Frank Caruso (BFA 1985 Media Arts) of Hearst’s King

Features.

8:00PM The 69th Annual Emmy Awards

Come watch the show, hosted by Stephen Colbert and broadcast via CBS live on the big screen, and root on SVA alumni nominees and their nominated shows! 

Audiences will be entertained from the minute they enter the SVA Theatre by a selection of Virtual Reality experiences in the lobby by Andrew Dayton (BFA 1998 Computer Art). Videos by Joey Ahlbum (BFA 1981 Media Arts), James Bascara (BFA 2011 Illustration), Louisa Bertman (MFA 2015 Visual Narrative), Lance Cain (1990 Film and Video), Graciela Cassel (MFA 2014 Fine Arts), Suzanne Dell’Orto (BFA 1996 Fine Arts), Melissa Edmon (BFA 2001 Film and Video), Claire Ensslin (BFA 2012 Film and Video), Nathan Freise (MFA 2009 Computer Art), Shiouwen Hong (MFA 2009 Computer Art), Daniel McKernan (MFA 2005 Computer Art), Idit Nissenbaum (BFA 2016 Photography and Video), Junghyun Park (MFA 2016 Computer Art), Andrew Romatz (BFA 2003 Computer Art), Jim Tuite (MFA 1994 Photography and Related Media), Jon Vermilyea (BFA 2006 Cartooning), Elena Wen (BFA 2003 Illustration), and Jesse Willmon (MFA 2006 Design).

After School Special’s Promotional partners include Asian American Arts Alliance, ASIFA-East, BAFTA New York, Center for Communication, DOCNYC, GKIDS, Indiegogo, International Documentary Association, NewFest, New York International Children’s Film Festival, New York Television Festival, Slamdance, UCBComedy, Visual Effects Society, Women in Animation, Writers Guild of America East.

SVA alumni have been featured in film festivals across the globe, steering their own projects and making integral contributions to blockbuster releases. They have won Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes and awards at festivals such as Sundance, SXSW and Venice. Filmmakers and artists as diverse as Craig Gillespie, Yvette Kaplan, Lynn Shelton and Tom Sito, as well as Crystal Moselle (The Wolfpack), Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game, Passengers), and Ti West (The House of the Devil) have all studied at SVA.

Please contact svatheatre@sva.edu with questions.