Peeking Behind the Curtain
CINEMA STUDIES - Each year, the Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Series brings award-winning filmmakers to campus to mentor students and offer practical guidance as undergrads work on their own original films.
Cinema Studies
Director Sean Wang’s masterclass on filmmaking
Ten years in, the Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Series continues to teach and inspire cinema studies majors as they look for ways to make their Hollywood dreams come true. This year's visiting director, Sean Wang, participated in a masterclass that gave cinema studies students open and realistic insight into what it takes to make a movie.
Award-winning film director selected as mentor for cinema studies students
CINEMA STUDIES — This year’s visiting filmmaker for the 10th Annual Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Series is director Sean Wang, an Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker from the Bay Area. The community is invited to a screening of his independent film, Dìdi (弟弟), followed by a Q&A session on Thursday, April 24. Cinema Studies students can register for a masterclass on directing on Friday, April 25.
CAS Undergrads Go Hollywood
CINEMA STUDIES - It was a cinema studies major’s dream come true: Four CAS undergrads traveled to Los Angeles to work on the set of Professor Ernesto Javier Martínez’s upcoming feature film. From dressing a background set to operating a boom mic in the trunk of a car, they share what it’s really like behind the scenes of a movie.
Colin Williamson: Bringing cinema history to life
CINEMA STUDIES - Boosted by an award from the Williams Fund, Colin Williamson, an assistant professor, developed the class Hands-On Film History, featuring two in-class workshops led by guest artists who will offer hands-on experiences with historically informed animation art.
CAS Faculty Among Oregon Humanities Center's Fellow
Through fellowships, the Oregon Humanities Center at the University of Oregon works to promote innovative humanities research produced by faculty members at the UO. The fellowships are for tenure-track faculty and are awarded on an annual basis. The 2025-26 fellows include CAS faculty members in the Divisions of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Undergrad blends math with art in her second children’s book
CINEMA STUDIES, MATHEMATICS - Abby Lewis, a fourth-year mathematics and cinema studies major, hopes to address the divide between mathematics vs. arts students in her second children’s book, Moose and the Math Fairy, earlier this year. “Math is in patterns, and it’s all around us in the world," Lewis said.
Two historic halls get down to bare bones as part of upgrade project
CINEMA STUDIES, THEATRE ARTS - Built in the late 1800s, University and Villard halls haven't been state-of-the-art in a long time. But $68 million interior and exterior construction work is bringing new life to the two iconic University of Oregon buildings, which will host new facilities for the cinema studies and theatre arts departments.
Lessons from Sundance: Filmmaker Masami Kawai Finds Her Footing
CINEMA STUDIES - Assistant Professor Masami Kawai gained insight into the importance of story last spring at the Sundance Institute in Utah. She was among those selected for a two-week workshop during which—under the eye of talents such as actor Ed Harris, a four-time Academy Award nominee—filmmakers rehearsed, shot, and edited scenes from working projects.
In Their Own Words: New Ducks Sample the FIGs
BIOLOGY, CINEMA STUDIES, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, GEOGRAPHY - From animals to adhesives to DJ food stamp, students in First-year Interest Groups follow their fascinations and create community.