Media Contact
Maisha Era
Public Relations Coordinator
School of Film, Media & Theatre
[email protected]
ATLANTA—The Georgia State University Student Film Festival (GSUSFF) returned to the Rialto Center for the Arts on Friday, May 8, celebrating the creative work of student filmmakers from Georgia State University’s School of Film, Media & Theatre. Founded by Professor Daniel Robin, the annual festival showcased films written, produced and directed by undergraduate Film Production majors, MA and MFA production students.
This year’s 75-minute screening program was selected from 100 submissions totaling more than 11 hours of content. The selected films competed for Best Documentary, Best Fiction, Best Experimental, Special Jury Award and the Audience Award sponsored by Panavision.
The 2026 Best Documentary was awarded to Catalyst – The Shift Within by Peter Nyantakyi, a second-year MFA student. The story follows a young West African filmmaker pursuing graduate studies in America who must navigate cultural isolation and the growing threat of artificial intelligence as both begin to challenge his identity, purpose, and future in filmmaking.
The award for Best Experimental was presented to Romantikas by Geanna Orozco, a Digital Filmmaking MFA student who created the film during her first semester at Georgia State University. The documentary short explores the reflections and experiences of three anonymous sex workers.
Best Fiction was awarded to Times Long Past by Johnny O'Sullivan, who graduated with a B.A. in Film and Media and was a senior when he created the film. Set on Christmas Day, the story centers on a man revisiting a childhood memory.
The Special Jury Award went to First Date by Clinton Winters, an MFA Film Production student. The short film tells a story about relationships, connections and video games.
The Audience Award, sponsored by Panavision, was presented to No Less of a Woman by Crystal Alexis Pryor, a senior pursuing a degree in Film and Media. Inspired by Audre Lorde’s essay The Uses of the Erotic, the documentary highlights femininity, sensuality and embodied power through the experiences of queer women beyond patriarchal definitions of womanhood.
This year’s jury included award-winning experimental and non-fiction filmmaker Masha Vlasova and Atlanta-based video artist, animator, and screenwriter Kate Balsley.
The festival also welcomed a number of external sponsors, including Project Casting, From the Heart Productions, Panavision, Guerrilla Gear, Aperturent and Videodrome. A special thank you to PawPrints, the College of the Arts and the Rialto Center for the Arts, which hosted the event.
It was wonderful to experience a theater full of joy, celebrating the talented FMT students' filmmaking, which represents a compelling range of artistic voices and lived experiences, seen and heard in the films. The festival returns next May. Stay tuned for more information!
People in the poster, from left to right: Masha Vlasova, Kate Balsley, Crystal Alexis Pryor, Geanna Orozco, Johnny O'Sullivan, Peter Nyantakyi and Clinton Winters.