Symposium
Symposium
Join the UNCSA School of Filmmaking for Symposium, where creativity meets responsibility. This series brings together voices from across the creative spectrum — fine artists, alumni, activists, poets, filmmakers, researchers and educators — to explore our roles as creatives.
Through a mix of lectures, screenings, presentations and discussions, we’ll focus on developing your unique voice and vision while deepening your awareness of the cultural impact of your work. This series offers both inspiration and practical tools to help you shape your craft with purpose and insight.
All Symposium events take place in the ACE Theater Complex. All events are free and open to the public.
Fall 2025 Symposium Schedule
Aug. 29, 2025 | "Disaster is My Muse" with director and faculty member Molly Bernstein
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Join us as “Symposium” returns for its second season – a dynamic guest artist series presented by the School of Filmmaking that brings together filmmakers, poets, fine artists, activists and educators to explore how creative work shapes our world.
Director, producer and faculty member Molly Bernstein screens her film, “Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse” to kick off the “Symposium” guest artist series.
The documentary, which aired on PBS’s “American Masters” as well as at Film Forum in NYC among other theaters, explores the legacy of “Maus” author Art Spiegelman, from his early art for the countercultural underground comix movement to his acclaimed graphic novel. The film portrays an artist fully engaged with his past and his present, and is testimony to the power of art to make sense of our personal and collective histories.
Molly Bernstein is a director, producer and editor whose documentaries and short films explore contemporary international artists, art collectors, environmental issues and climate activists. She teaches editing in the School of Filmmaking.
Sept. 5, 2025 | "The Passion of Joan of Arc" with a live metal score by The Silent Light
Time: 7 p.m.
The second event of the season will feature a screening of Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 haunting masterpiece “The Passion of Joan of Arc” with a live metal score, including choir, by The Silent Light. Led by filmmaker and multi-instrumentalist Mike Formanski, the group transforms silent cinema through haunting soundscapes and immersive performance. Filmmaker and scholar Gary Mairs hosts this special event, bringing a new dimension to Renée Falconetti’s powerful performance in the role of Joan, and Dreyer’s post-World War I avant-garde filmmaking style.
Oct. 3, 2025 | The Fine Art of Storytelling
with painter and installation artist Marcus Kenney
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Marcus Kenney invites us into his richly layered visual narratives, where themes of consumerism, environmentalism, religion, mortality, identity, and authority converge in a vivid clash of imagery. Working across sculpture, painting, photography, and neon, Kenney will examine the narrative structure of his work and the power of storytelling within a single frame. His internationally exhibited work has been featured in Art in America, New American Painting, Artpapers, The New York Times and Art News.
Oct. 10, 2025 | Sampling as Storytelling: De La Soul and the Legal Limits of Creativity by scholar Enrique Armijo
Time: 2:30 p.m.
The School of Filmmaking presents an engaging talk with law scholar Enrique Armijo exploring the landmark 1991 sampling lawsuit between De La Soul and The Turtles and its impact on music rights, as part of the “Symposium” guest artist series. Tracing the implications through to De La Soul’s 2021 battle over sample clearances for streaming platforms, discover how the group’s legacy speaks to the legal limits of creativity — and the inventive ethos of hip hop. Armijo is a Professor of Law at Elon University and is a Faculty Affiliate of the Yale Law School Information Society Project and the UNC-Chapel Hill Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life. He teaches and researches in the areas of the First Amendment, constitutional law, torts, administrative law, media and internet law, and international freedom of expression. This lecture is supported in part by the NEA Guest Artist Fund.
Oct. 24, 2025 | From UNCSA to Executive Producer on award-winning films with alum Michael Sledd
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Join us for a conversation with UNCSA alumnus Michael Sledd as he shares his journey from film school to producing acclaimed projects such as The Menu (2022), I, Tonya (2017), The Founder (2016), and Dallas Buyers Club (2013). Sledd will reflect on the challenges and opportunities he has encountered in the industry, offering insight and inspiration for aspiring filmmakers charting their own creative paths.
Oct. 31, 2025 | How to Stay Curious While Making a Living with filmmakers and installation artists Spooky Kind
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Filmmakers and installation artists Spooky Kind have carved out a singular creative path, moving fluidly between immersive art installations for Meow Wolf, cult-favorite found-footage experiments with the collective Everything Is Terrible!, award-winning short films, and inventive commercial work. In this session, they will share how curiosity has guided their careers, how to sustain creative experimentation while navigating professional demands, and how embracing unconventional opportunities can lead to unexpected and meaningful artistic breakthroughs.
Nov. 7, 2025 | CAN I KICK IT? "The Last Dragon" with live DJ score by Shaolin Jazz
Time: 7 p.m.
Love martial arts and good music? Take a seat for CAN I KICK IT?, an innovative film experience produced by Shaolin Jazz as part of the “Symposium” guest artist series presented by the School of Filmmaking. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Berry Gordy’s “The Last Dragon,” the martial arts film will be scored live by Shaolin Jazz co-founder DJ 2-Tone Jones, who blends elements of funk, soul, hip-hop, rock, jazz and more.to accentuate different moments in the film, ranging from robust fight scenes to subtle love scenes.
In “The Last Dragon,” Leroy Green is a young martial artist living in New York City and training tirelessly to become a master. When he rescues a television personality from a villainous businessman, his life changes forever and he must face down a Harlem gang leader to save her.
Nov. 14, 2025 | Bridging Communities through Ancestral Traditions by Dr. Mathew Sandoval
Time: 2:30 p.m.
This November, join the School of Filmmaking for a multimedia presentation with Dr. Mathew Sandoval spotlighting the annual Day of the Dead festival in Phoenix, Arizona as part of the “Symposium” guest artist series. Sandoval’s work explores how Latino, Native American and African American artists exchange culture and foster solidarity by publicly performing their ancestral traditions as part of the holiday for honoring one’s ancestors and dearly departed. The lecture is accompanied by a screening of Dr. Sandoval’s short documentary, “Day of the Dead in the Valley of the Sun.”
A Public Scholar with the National Endowment for the Humanities, Dr. Sandoval teaches at Arizona State University. His work on Mexican-American and Mexican art and culture has been featured on NBC’s “Today Show,” PBS, NPR, in the Washington Post and more.
Nov. 21, 2025 | Shaping Story: Structure, Impact and Voice with film festival curator, producer and story advisor Caroline Libresco
Time: 2:30 p.m.
With nearly two decades as a lead programmer at the Sundance Film Festival and as founding director and chief curator of the Sundance Institute’s Catalyst Program—where she raised $32 million in six years to support independent filmmaking—Caroline Libresco brings unparalleled expertise in curating and nurturing cinematic storytelling. Drawing on 25 years as a creative producer, writer, and story editor, Libresco will share insights into the craft of building resonant, purposeful narratives for the screen.