In 66 West 12th Street’s domed auditorium, a crowd of filmmakers, friends, and faculty gathered to watch a diverse selection of eight student films. Celebrating its 46th year, Fine Cuts is The New School’s School of Media Studies year-end showcase, put together by the team behind Ruff Cuts — the prelude to the May 9 celebration. The films were selected by a comprehensive 28-member jury made up of faculty, alumni, festival programmers, and industry professionals. 

Fine Cuts received between 40 and 50 submissions this year. “Everyone who voted, they are in the business in some capacity,” lead student producer Amnon Carmi said. “They’re directors, they’re editors, they’re everything in between.” 

The jury had the option of coming to a screening event to view the films or watching them at home. Carmi noted that the nature of an unpaid volunteer jury meant that jurors possessed a true passion for filmmaking and a real interest in student film. “It wasn’t hard to find. The New School attracts that kind of crowd anyway,” Carmi said. 

Kamran Khan, writer, director, attorney, and co-founder of 1497, an organization dedicated to uplifting South Asian voices in the film industry, served as a member of the 46th Fine Cuts jury. “A lifetime ago … I took acting classes here,” he said. For Khan, returning to the New School’s orbit was a great experience. “I think to see the next generation of filmmakers coming up, and where their voices are, what things they’re interested in, what stories they want to tell, is always fascinating,” he noted.

Amanda Sakkari, a 2024 Media Studies program graduate, also served as a juror. She now works at New York-based production company RadicalMedia. For Sakkari, returning to Ruff Cuts/Fine Cuts is a joy. “I think we should watch more things on the big screen,” she said.

The eight films screened were a mix of narrative, documentary, experimental, mixed-media, and animated films, representing the diverse concentrations across The New School’s Media Studies program. After the screening, the filmmakers took the stage for a lengthy Q&A, moderated by Ruff Cuts/Fine Cuts faculty advisor Tal Shamir and dean of the School of Media Studies Vladan Nikolic. 

During the Q&A, several filmmakers highlighted their technical inexperience with filmmaking.“I wish I knew file management,” Della Joan, creator of stop-motion animation film Magic 8 Ball said. Their project featured around 4,000 individual images. 

Juan Diego Silva-Zuñiga, director of narrative short INERTIA, explained that he’s pretty disconnected from the technicalities of filmmaking. “I still don’t know how to operate a camera … and I’m colorblind,” he said. 

And yet, each of these eight films rose to the top. “It was my first time trying to make a film. I didn’t understand what aspect ratio was, and I just used my iPhone,” filmmaker Shenghan Gao said, whose multimedia short My Name was featured in the program. “Now I look back, and I’m like, dang, she [herself] was so good. She was pure. She understood the essence.”

After the Q&A, audiences filtered out of the auditorium into the Lang Cafe for refreshments, conversation, and the awards ceremony. All eight filmmakers received a prize of $250. Benjamin Zhan Wang, director of Reforget, took home the Jury Award and a flash camera accessory. Audience award winner Michael Schnic, director of One More for Safety, took home a set of wireless lavalier microphones, and audience award runner-up Ella Braff won an external hard drive. The event pulled an impressive 16 sponsors, from film festivals to camera equipment companies.

Among the new gear and applause, another prize for the filmmakers waited patiently. Jesse R. Tendler, director of episodic programming at the Lighthouse International Film Festival, with which Ruff Cuts announced a partnership earlier this semester, returned for the semester finale to see the final products. “I had seen a couple of them before in Ruff Cuts, so to see how they have been picked from that, and evolved, was really nice,” he said. The eight films screened at Fine Cuts will be a part of the next Lighthouse International Film Festival as official selections.  

In the flurry of excitement and celebration, students, industry professionals, members of the jury, and faculty mingled amongst themselves at the reception. Conversation flowed, and contacts were exchanged across the room. 

Devon Horton and Ryen Hilton, both actors in Eduardo Machado’s film Tape of ‘25, graduated from The New School in fall 2024. Horton, a Culture and Media graduate, met Machado in an acting class at TNS. “Culture and Media has a lot of crossover with media studies, so I do know a lot of the filmmakers [at Fine Cuts],” she said. Hilton, a drama studies graduate, said she’s more used to the instant reactions of live theater. They shot the film in November, so for both of the actors, finally hearing a live audience’s reactions to the film was gratifying. Horton and Hilton were impressed by the breadth of skills on display at the screening. “We have a lot of talent [at TNS],” Hilton said. 

Brian Devine, founder of post-production company Gigantic Studios, described the films he saw at Fine Cuts as “inventive,” “genreless,” and “maverick.” He was impressed with the artistry of the filmmaking on display and the genuine truth that shines throughout each project. “I was blown away,” he said. “They’re artists first, filmmakers second.” 

For Devine, student filmmaking possesses the childlike joy and optimism required to succeed in the film industry. “Younger filmmakers don’t have those bad habits built in,” he said. Devine said that Fine Cuts is an impeccable example of young talent, drive, and ingenuity. 

Carmi agrees. “I think what people should understand after tonight is that The New School is a film school,” he said. “It’s as much about the classes that they offer as it is about having a passion … The New School gives them that environment where they can learn together.” 

The creative, innovative, artistic spirit of filmmaking is overflowing at this institution, and Fine Cuts is one outlet. Braff, director of Dream Addicts Anonymous, saw the final cut of her film on the big screen for the first time Friday night, and the audience’s enthusiasm for her work was astonishing. “It’s what any filmmaker would want,” she said.