Film, Video, New Media, Animation, and Sound Festival (FVNMAS)
MAY 14–16, 2026
SISKEL FILM CENTER
164 N. STATE ST.
MAY 14–16, 2026
SISKEL FILM CENTER
164 N. STATE ST.
FVNMAS Festival
Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601
Welcome to SAIC’s 2026 FVNMAS Festival
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s 2026 Film, Video, New Media, Animation, and Sound Festival, featuring works by over 50 of our graduating BFA and MFA students. Over 3 days at the Gene Siskel Film Center, I invite you to join me in experiencing the remarkable creativity, care, and vision embodied in these works. For our students, this festival offers a rare and meaningful opportunity to present their work in a state-of-the-art cinema and to share it with an engaged and curious audience. It marks both a culmination of their studies and the beginning of their journeys as artists in the world.
Programmed by Amy Beste, FVNMA’s Director of Public Programs and curator of the Conversations at the Edge series, the festival brings a dynamic range of genres and practices to the screen: daring experimental works, intimate video essays, rebellious animated shorts, and ambitious narrative and documentary films. Together, these works reflect the diverse voices and bold perspectives that define our community.
I extend my deepest gratitude to Amy Beste; Emily Eddy, our festival producer; Trevor Martin and the Department of Exhibitions; our assistants Emma lu Sarkissian, Oskar Johannisson Gonzalez; Emily Long, Christy LeMaster, Michael Wawzenek, Brennan McMahon, Jack Richardson, and the entire staff at the Gene Siskel Film Center; Dan Holmes, Cameron Worden, Debs Akinlade, and the FVNMA technical staff; and all the faculty members who have supported and mentored these students over the years. Above all, I thank the participating artists for their dedication, hard work, and inspiring vision.
We live among an endless flow of images. Contemporary media artists carry a profound responsibility: to offer alternative ways of looking and understanding the world, to expand the boundaries of perception. We invite you to immerse yourself in these visionary works and adventurous forms of storytelling.
Please join me in congratulating this exceptional group of artists on their achievements.
Enjoy the festival!
Frédéric Moffet, Chair
Department of Film, Video, New Media and Animation
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2026
THURSDAY, MAY 14
6:00 p.m. – Program 1
Urticaria, Soren Ngọc Hsu, 1:00
Oyster Picking, Yunju You, 4:00
Mela, Nitya Mehrotra, 4:20
Home / Land (In Progress), Danielle Vishlitzky, 30:00
Behind Alsayra, Abdullah Arif Alghamdi, 8:50
Untitled (Window), Mehraneh Salimian, 19:00
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Reception
8:30 p.m. – Program 2
Sistas in the Pit, Monet-Chanel Khanyahl, 17:12
What’s Inside a Grrrl?, Syd Wrigley, 60:00
FRIDAY, MAY 15
6:00 p.m. – Program 3
Air Fight, Abdulrahman Datah, 1:15
Moon Rover, Joey Maben, 3:15
RESURRECTION, Leah Yun, 4:00
Jewels, Garrett Parish, 3:30
Boba Run, Percy Malinois, 2:06
Cosmos Cadets in The Get Away, Joia Griffin, 4:15
Without Solace, Justin Cross, 8:05
The Path To Achlys, LILLIA., 7:00
Signs of Struggle, Kamilla Ismailova, 9:00
Mechanical Sísifo, Beatriz Schlogl Barini, 16:00
Glass Horizon, Nicole Wah, 3:00
8:00 p.m. – Program 4
Crosswalk, Isaiah Sugar, 2:50
Always With You, Adelina Silva, 5:30
I Touched the Ocean Floor, Shravani Pawar, 6:45
Weregirl, Rowan Davis, 5:33
Patchwork, Lydia Ahn, 6:00
The Temptation of Bluebelle, Keira Kingsley Wright, 5:00
After, I Heard Breathing, Songyi Park, 5:00
Sunwatch, Wonyoung Lee, 6:00
Itch, Elaine Yue, 7:55
9 Missing Pieces, Katrina Hurley, 30:00
SATURDAY, MAY 16
11:00 a.m. – Program 5
Riverside, Later, Ruoyi Wu, 76:00
1:00 p.m. – Program 6
Thillana, Maaran Ramakrishnan, 3:00
Left Behind, Vy, 4:30
I’m Glad You Ain’t Here, Trairat Harntaweesompone, 20:00
Wishing Well, Farhan Ahmed Showmik, 26:00
Oui, C’est Paris (Almost), Qifan Wang, 26:00
Hourglass, Chloe Eum, 7:00
3:30 p.m. – Program 7
Dabba, Riya Bansal, 4:30
Ghost Of You, Nora Ashrifeh, 5:00
Tomorrow, Tatiana Ivanova, 7:00
Dog Days, Katherine King, 4:00
My Egret Roommate, Veronica Timble, 1:16
A Communication, Xuanting Chen, 15:00
Father Amaro, Ana Dias, 9:00
Honor Thy Father, Paige King, 13:00
Still your Daughter, Janhvi Marwah, 18:00
6:00 p.m. – Program 8
Teresita, AJ, 3:42
What Happened Miss Fish?, Tahjé Gresham, 7:00
Hunter/Vampire/Hunter, Jack Snelling, 13:00
It Was Me, Hailey Lee, 7:30
An Uneasy Ship, Jo Neiza, 7:05
Lili, Dominic Genovese, 6:00
On the Table, Kexin Yin, 17:00
Poverty Simulation, Junho Jeon, 21:31
8:30 p.m. – Program 9
Trans Panic!, Gren Bee, 1:22:00