Classroom creativity gets big-screen results for Cinema and Media Arts students

Nashville Film Festival 2025 stage (Submitted photo)

When the lights went down in the packed theater at the acclaimed Nashville Film Festival, the dreams cultivated in Cinema and Media Arts film classes became a big-screen reality for Vanderbilt students.

For the first time, three Vanderbilt student films were accepted as official selections for the Academy Award-qualifying film festival.

Poster for the Monumental documentary

Monumental was directed by Caitlin Nitschke (Class of 2026) and John Mansueto (Class of 2028) and produced by Kylie Sullivan, BA'25. The cinematographers were Ifedolapo Ayewale and Stephanie Yu, and editors were Alexander Mayo and Matthew Oh, all in the Class of 2026. The film was made in the spring 2025 documentary production class led by Mariah Kramer, senior lecturer in cinema and media arts.

"It was super cool to see people's reactions, but I couldn't help thinking about all of the edits and things that we could have fixed or changed, all the decisions we made with so much detail over the course of a semester," said Mansueto, a chemistry and cinema and media arts double major.

Sculptor Alan LeQuire works in his studio. (Submitted photo)

Monumental takes viewers into the life and studio of renowned Nashville sculptor Alan LeQuire, BA'78, as he prepared for an exhibition inside the Nashville Parthenon. LeQuire is the sculptor of the Athena statue that stands 42 feet tall in the Parthenon's east room, as well as many other works across the city and the Vanderbilt campus. The usually private artist and his wife joined the students at the event.

The documentary won honorable mention and the audience choice award at the festival.

"My stomach dropped it was so exciting," exclaimed Nitschke, who is double majoring in cinema and media arts and art.

"It's such a joy to be able to share someone's story, honoring them and their experience." -Caitlin Nitschke

Poster for Haebangchon

Haebangchon, written, directed, produced and edited by Sanghee Han, BA'25, with cinematographer Eddy Kwon, BA'23, was made in an independent study with Jonathan Rattner, associate professor of cinema and media arts, in spring 2025.

Sanghee Han, BA'25, during the filming of the documentary 'Haebangchon' (Submitted photo)

"This was my first time having a film selected by a festival, so it was huge for me. I know it's unhealthy to only seek external validation, but I've been wanting that official laurel from a great festival-and Nashville is definitely one," said Han, who graduated with a double major in history of art and cinema and media arts.

She is currently working as an associate producer at a production company in South Korea, while also working on her own films.

Poster for Amor del Cielo

Amor del Cielo, written, directed, produced and edited by Yuanfeng Watermelon Song, BA'25, was made in the 16mm filmmaking course with Jonathan Rattner in spring 2025.

"Amor del Cielo by Watermelon Song is a gorgeous film shot on celluloid, and Watermelon is brilliant," Rattner said.

ALUMNI LAUDED

Films of alumni of the cinema and media arts department also were lauded at the Nashville Film Festival.

Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers, BA'13 (Submitted photo)

The late Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers, BA'13, was the cinematographer for Comparsa, which won the Best Hispanic Feature Film Award. Yajnopavita, by Ford Cowan, BS'24, and Rahul Koul, BS'24, won Best Tennessee Short.

"It is unusual to have so many of our students and former students get into the same festival across various categories, so it's a proud year for us," -Jonathan Rattner

POINT OF VU FILM FESTIVAL

Point of VU Student Film Festival

Along with learning the art, history and craft of film itself, the CMA department gives students hands-on experience in a mainstay of the movie world, film festivals.

"I ran film festivals before coming to Vanderbilt, and there are lots of students who can go on to have successful careers in the film festival world," Kramer said. "Along with interacting with filmmakers and other creatives, they learn incredibly valuable skills on the business side of festival management and planning."

Point of VU Student Film Festival

Students are leading Vanderbilt's second annual Point of VU Student Film Festival on Feb. 14, 2026, at Sarratt Student Center.

The festival will showcase short films created by university students across Middle Tennessee, as well as panel discussions, guest speakers and networking opportunities.

"It provides a competitive environment for emerging filmmakers to present their work, enhancing the quality of student films at each university and fostering connections," said Kramer, who is the Point of VU festival faculty adviser.

SMALL SCREEN SUCCESS

Thanks to the opportunities provided at the first Point of VU Student Film Festival, CMA students also saw success on the small screen. One of last year's judges was so impressed with some of the entries that she created slots for the short films to run on PBS stations and on PBS World channel.

Poster for Free Play

One of the Vanderbilt entries that aired was the documentary Free Play by Alex Astrella, MEd'23, which follows a mother who helped create the largest all-inclusive playground in Middle Tennessee.

Today, Astrella, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as a child, is a board-certified assistant behavior analyst and the founder and CEO of Blu Star Productions, an award-winning film studio that employs artists across the disability spectrum.

• Read more of Alex Astrella's story.

Poster for Edgehill

The second documentary that aired was Edgehill, by Anna Friedland, BS'25, a double major in human and organizational development and cinema and media arts. The film follows an aspiring group of musicians hoping to hit it big in Nashville.

CREATIVE EXPERIMENTATION

The nature of Vanderbilt students is to have vast interests and passions across disciplines. The CMA professors are motivated with systems in place to foster that creativity.

"A lot of our production classes follow a model of giving students ownership over their work without some formula to follow," Kramer said.

"We want you to experiment. We want you to fail. We want to celebrate that and then have that compassionate mentorship that students need to help them through some of that vulnerable and creative work that they're doing." -Mariah Kramer

WATCH Social Dore and Monumental cinematographer Stephanie Yu as she takes us along to the Nashville Film Festival

• Learn more about Cinema and Media Arts within the College of Arts and Science

• Alan LeQuire, BA'78, celebrates 35 years of 'Athena Parthenos'

• Learn more about the Point of VU Student Film Festival

• Follow the Point of VU Student Film Festival on Instagram