Judging is already underway for the 2024 Masoud Yazdani Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Film Scholarship. Articles under consideration are from these fine higher education institutions:
- Chapman University (2)
- Miami University
- Norwich University of the Arts
- Queen Margaret University
- South Gate Creative Writing School
- Temple University
- University of Manchester
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Washington University in St. Louis
- William & Mary
And it is our pleasure to celebrate this year’s judging panel:
Hannah Davenport is a second-year MA Film Studies student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her academic interests include ideological film criticism and fringe cinema.
Dason Fuller is pursuing his MA in Film Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. His research primarily focuses on politically charged films in American history. Previously, he has published two reviews for Film Matters and one for the “Cucalorus x Film Matters” collaboration in 2023. After obtaining his master’s degree, Dason hopes to enter into film festival or curatorial work.
Alex T. Romero is an aspiring film scholar and MA student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Returning to academia after seven years in the entertainment industry, Alex is informed by his varied experiences in stage management for competitive dance, production travel coordination, film accounting, and creative producing. His scholastic interests include contemporary Hollywood, East Asian cinema, and the history of labor relations in the American film industry.
K. A. Vale earned their MFA in Film Production in 2023 and is currently pursuing an MA in Film Studies, both from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Their research focuses on the aesthetics of video game adaptations in film and streaming and finding the point where film theory and video game theory converge through adaptation. Upon graduation, they intend to pursue academic writing and publishing while preparing for a PhD in Film and Media Studies. When they are not studying and watching movies, they can be found playing video games and reading LGBTQIA+ fiction.
Jackson Whorton is a graduate student pursuing his MA at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. His primary subjects of research are the intersections between religion and cinema, including religious expression via cinematic form. He’s also interested in exploring film adaptation and cinematic sociology. He spends his free time reading, writing, and drinking coffee.
Many thanks to our judges for their service!
Expect an early 2025 announcement — in the meantime, happy holidays!
