Grady Entertainment & Media Studies students win multiple awards at the 2020 GCA Student Film Festival

Grady EMST students  won four statewide awards at the Georgia Communication Association sponsored 2020 Student Film Festival.   

To honor award recipients, an awards dinner and ceremony took place on Friday, Feb. 21, at the GCA 90th Annual Convention at Georgia Highlands College in Cartersville, Georgia. 

Among the winners, Kiana Washington won first place for her documentary, “Breaking the Box.”  

“I am so honored and thankful that my film was recognized as a winner of the Georgia Communication Association student film festival,” said Washington. “I made this film in my documentary class last semester, and it was the first film that I made mostly on my own with a story I was proud to shine some light on. In creating this documentary, I really wanted to explore the concept of identity and self-expression for the non-conforming society. I do not think there are enough stories told about the non-conforming community, their struggles, and their experiences, so I wanted people to take something away from Blake and Metas stories like I did in making this documentary.” 

The GCA Student Film Festival exists to recognize outstanding original visual narratives created by Georgia college and university students. This year, there were 31 total submissions from students throughout the state.  

Narrative Film Awards  

First place – “The Dreams of a Flightless Bird”   

Director/Co-Writer: Armaan Eric Najhawan  
Producer/Co-Writer: Ben Janes  
Director of Photography: Joybeth Sullivan  
Sound Designer: Nick Hayward  
Lead Editor: Caroline Young  
Post-Production Supervisor/Assistant Editor: Daniel Mathis  
1st Assistant Director: Samantha Harris  
Art Department/Production Designer: Jane Turula  
Casting Director: Julia Ruffino  
Composer: Enoch Lee  
Faculty adviser: Booker T. Mattison 

Second place – “2030”  

Director/Writer: Caleb Moss  
Producer: Natascha Tang  
Director of Photography: Quinn Reeder  
Editor: Katy Plant  
Composer: Polychroma  
Faculty adviser: Booker T. Mattison 

Third place – “Murphy’s Law” 

Abigail  Mewbourne 

Documentary Film Awards 

First place – “Breaking the Box”  

Filmmaker: Kiana Washington 
Music Composer: Cameron Gwynn 
Editor: Ian Nixon 
Camera and Sound Assistance: Cyrus Townsend 
Faculty adviser: Garland McLaurin 

The Georgia Communication Association is a professional organization comprised of faculty who teach media and communication at campuses throughout Georgia.