One of the benefits of being at SVA MFA Social Documentary Film is hearing from our faculty about all their new, interesting projects in production and distribution every day. We wanted to highlight some of their latest, along with some of our alumni success.

Premiering March 29 on HBO, HOW TO SURVIVE A PANDEMIC takes an inside look at the historic, multi-national race to research, develop, regulate, and roll out COVID-19 vaccines. Faculty Mira Chang produces the film, which is edited by alum Adam Evans (class of 2020), who started on the project just after graduation as an assistant editor, before being promoted to Editor. Faculty Micah Fink is a field producer for the film and alum Jamie Deradorian-Delia (2020), an archival assistant and researcher.

Faculty Editor Toby Shimin received the 2022 Sundance/Adobe Mentorship Award for Non-Fiction Editing, which recognizes editors who have shown extraordinary support of the creative development of emerging editors pursuing independent, cinematic work. We couldn’t agree more! Toby has two films in festivals now – the short THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT, produced by faculty Beth Levison, premiered at Sundance 2022 and continues to play festivals before streaming on Netflix later this year. And music doc The Return of Tanya Tucker - Featuring Brandi Carlile just premiered at the SXSW Festival, where it won the Audience Award and was picked up for release by Sony Pictures Classics.

Also at SXSW, two films from alumna cinematographer Jenni Morello (2011): SKATE DREAMS, about the rise of women's skateboarding and AFTERSHOCK, which first premiered at Sundance and is Associate Produced by alum Yuby Hernandez (2020). In that film, two families at the forefront of the birth justice movement seek medical accountability for black mothers and families. Both films are having a robust tour in the festival circuit now.

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