Recently industry experts and filmmakers gathered at the School of Arts and Humanities' Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts to celebrate the history of filmed entertainment and look forward into the future of filmmaking. Panelists included Production Executive David Hartle; Chris Jones from Industrial and Light and Magic; Program Lead Phil Lelyveld from the University of Southern California’s Entertainment Technology Center; Fotokem’s Director of Production Services Mark Van Horne. Images by
Image 1/9
The Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts promotes research, scholarship, teaching, production, and exhibition of film and moving-image arts, providing access and opportunity for UC San Diego students and scholars to pursue their passion in cinematics arts. The center was established in 2021 in memory of promising film student Suraj Israni. Members of his extended family attended the recent storytelling event.
Image 2/9
More than 60 members of the campus and local community attended the event, called “Storytelling: Envisioning the Future, Honoring the Past.” Pictured here are Blair Davis (left), director of Alumni Engagement for the School of Arts and Humanities; Doug Kurtz (middle), managing executive director of University Development; and Hadassah Tate (right), associate director of Development at UC San Diego.
Image 3/9
Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities Cristina Della Coletta opened the panel talk. The conversation ranged from the use of traditional celluloid to the advent of virtual production using LED walls, all with the purpose of producing exceptional stories.
Image 4/9
The event was moderated by Chris Thomes (right), producer and creative innovation executive and former vice president of Creative Services at Disney TV Studios. Thomes is also a UC San Diego visual arts alumnus and founder of the SoCal Cineforum.
Image 5/9
The event series is dedicated to connecting San Diego students to the entertainment industry. Panelists, including Chris Jones from Industrial and Light and Magic, spoke about the innovation happening in the world of filmmaking.
Image 6/9
Numerous alumni and current students were in attendance to gain insights from industry experts. Pictured here is Jalal A Jaffer, a fourth-year UC San Diego student who is a fellow at the Center for Cinematic Arts and Triton TV station manager; alumnus Amadeo Gallo, ’21; and alumnus Conrad Jones, ’21.
Image 7/9
Many panelists and participants remained after the formal presentation, thoroughly engaged in conversation. Here Fotokem’s Mark Van Horne speaks with UC San Diego’s Lev Kalman, a fellow at the Center for Cinematic Arts and part of the campus’s Media Teaching Lab, and Justin Tuerk, manager of the photography lab in the Department of Visual Arts.
Image 8/9
The panel discussion is part of an ongoing quarterly series presented by UC San Diego's Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts, the Office of Alumni Engagement and the SoCal Cineforum. Pictured here are Chris Thomes (second from left), UC San Diego visual arts alumnus and founder of the SoCal Cineforum and his wife Stacy Thomes (third from right) along with friends Mike Tagwerker (far left) and Pat Mulvihill (far right).
Image 9/9
