AWARD-WINNING GRAPHIC NOVELIST VISITS CLASS
Dr. Scahill's "From Literature to Film" Maymester course was honored to welcome comic book author Sean Benner (West of Oz) and artist Jorge Corona (Middlewest) to class for a Q&A. This year's course is centered around adaptations of L. Frank Baum's book The Wizard of Oz, and both Benner and Corona's comics offer original and inspiring takes on the Ozified narrative. Jorge Corona was previously nominated for an Eisner Award (comic book's version of the Oscars) for his work on
2019 OSCARS PREDICTION PANEL
There were no shortage of topics to cover at this year's annual Oscars Prediction Panel at the SIE FilmCenter. From the ousting of host Kevin Hart for homophobic comments to the teased removal of several awards from the official telecast, the panel had much to consider in addition to this years' contentious races. Dr. Scahill was joined by local Denver Post journalists Lisa Kennedy and John Wenzel and Denver Film Society director Britta Erickson to give their thoughts on who
EVENT: FEMINIST HORROR SCREENING AND Q&A
This week, the makers of the psychological horror film CAM visited UC Denver's campus to screen their breathrough film and hold an exclusive Q&A with our students. Screenwriter Isa Mazzei and director Daniel Goldhaber are Colorado natives, and were excited to talk to young Denver filmmmakers about the contemporary film landscape and how to bring their ideas to the screen. From the producers of Get Out and BlackKklansman, CAM offers a modern perspective on the tech thriller as
Q&A: INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC ANIMATOR
Dr. Scahill's Intro to Film class held a Skype Q&A with Sam Stewart, Senior Digital Paint Artist at Industrial Light and Magic. A division of LucasFilm, ILM was responsible for a revolution in special effects with the release of Star Wars in 1977, and continues to be a major driving force in the world of VFX. Prof. Scahill's Intro to Film students, many of whom are in the animation program here at CU Denver, were excited to gain insight from an industry leader. Stewart took a
Q&A: BASIC INSTINCT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Professor Scahill's "Studies in Censorship"class stepped out the classroom this semester to attend a screening of the 1992 Paul Verhoeven film Basic Instinct and hold an exclusive Q&A with the film's Assistant Director, Eric Jewett. In the course, the first of its kind at CU Denver, Prof. Scahill's students investigated the varied and complex dimensions of artistic censorship. They began the semester with the NAACP campaign against Birth of a Nation and the German efforts to
PROFILED IN CU DENVER TODAY!
In the most recent issue of CU Denver Today, Dr. Scahill was asked to take part in a new faculty profile. In the article, Prof. Scahill talks about his work on horror cinema, his current class on film censorship, the field of academia, and his Instagram-famous dog Otto. The piece begins: "An expert on horror, Scahill describes himself as a 'film historian' who considers how a movie’s successes are both deeply idiosyncratic and indelibly linked to larger cultural forces. At th
Q&A: THE FITS DIRECTOR ANNA ROSE HOLMER
Director Anna Rose Holmer answered questions via Skype for Prof. Andrew Scahill's Intro to Film class as they considered the role of art cinema and subjective narrative in filmmaking. Her award-winning film The Fits offers a dreamy, lyrical portrait of young Toni navigating the space between childhood and adolescence as members of her dance troupe are struck by mysterious seizures and fits. In this clip, Holmer discusses the film's unique visual style and the wide range of in
Q&A: TANGERINE DIRECTOR SEAN BAKER
On December 5, director Sean Baker answered questions via Skype for Prof. Scahill's Film Genre class as they concluded a unit on the screwball comedy. His award-winning film Tangerine chronicles a day in the life of two transgender sex workers in L.A. using a hyper-saturated "pop vérité" style and caused a sensation at the Sundance Film Festival for being shot entirely on an iPhone 5. In the clip above, Baker addresses the political potential of both social realism and come
Q&A: MAD MAX FURY ROAD COMPOSER JUNKIE XL
On Wednesday, November 2, the composer of Mad Max: Fury Road, Junkie XL (Tom Holkenberg), talked via Skype with Dr. Andrew Scahill's Introduction to Film class from his production studio in Los Angeles. Holkenberg is an award-winning and prolific film artist who began his career as a trance DJ and transitioned into film scoring for blockbuster films such as Divergent, Amazing Spiderman 2, Deadpool, and Batman vs. Superman. His background as a classically-trained pianist and a
Q&A: WINTER'S BONE PRODUCER ANNE ROSELLINI
Students in Dr. Andrew Scahill’s Literature and Film class at Salisbury University recently conducted a question-and-answer session with Academy Award-nominated independent film producer Anne Rosellini. “This is something I’m trying to do more and more in my classes — to get actual industry professionals to talk to students,” Scahill said. Rosellini is best known for the 2010 Jennifer Lawrence film Winter’s Bone by director Debra Granik, based on the book by Daniel Woodrell.
Q&A: BREAKING BAD PRODUCER STUART LYONS
Students in the Honors College at the University of Maryland were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this semester in the course "Deconstructing Breaking Bad." Not only were they able to participate in an innovative multidisciplinary course about the award-winning show, but they ended the semester with an exclusive Q&A with series producer Stuart Lyons. Lyons contacted Prof. Scahill after seeing an article in Entertainment Weekly, which lauded the University of Maryl
