An archival tribute to the integral members of The last 10 years of tff
Trinity Film Festival is about more than just the film. Foundational facets of our work include a celebration of story— both those transmitted through film and those amassed thorough the Festival experience. Greatly important to us are the connections forged by an international spectrum of young filmmakers, TFF team members, and industry professionals, which evolve and endure for a lifetime. Thus, we have collected some of these stories and connections here to preserve them and honor those who have been most vital in fostering their creation.
We owe you all an immense debt of gratitude.
2019-2020
kyra lyons
Though she began at Trinity with a focus in psychology and educational studies, Kyra had always had a passion for film. Accordingly, she had been involved with Cinestudio since the fall semester of her freshman year. Kyra’s gateway into TFF was her friendship with Jessica Duong, 2017/2019 TFF Senior Director, during the beginnings of her leadership. Kyra saw joining the Festival as an opportunity to gain organizational skills and a means to immerse herself further into the world of film. For her first year, she helped Jessica with event coordination. She remembers fondly her time promoting the Festival while tabling, where the excitement of the team was palpable. Kyra was taken by the ability to spread joy, through the Festival, into the greater Trinity community. The next year, she served on the screening committee as the Head Submissions Coordinator. In this role, she was able to shift her focus to intently watching the films, a change which coincided with her switch to studying film at Trinity. Thus, she was able to take a deep dive into her filmmaking passion. During her junior year, as the Head of Content Creation, her work became a vehicle for practicing graphic design and an artistic outlet through the creative freedom granted when making promotional videos.
Edit of TFF 2019 Trailer by Kyra
Kyra says the person she remembers the most from her time with TFF is her friend and fellow former Senior Director, Jessica Duong. Jessica was a mentor to Kyra both within and outside of TFF; she describes their relationship as one of the most formative things that has happened to her in her life. Kyra admired Jessica’s headstrong quality and her ability to navigate relationships and organize the Festival as just a sophomore. Jessica taught her foundational organizational skills, the ability to have a strong vision and see it through, and the art of taking critique and incorporating it into that vision. She also expresses her love of getting to know the new team members at the beginning of their TFF journey, seeing their passion, learning about their interests, and watching them grow. Kyra says that “the people of TFF are what made it a transformational experience for me, both in the team and meeting the filmmakers.”
Promotional for the 2020 Virtual Festival— Kyra says that she is grateful for this Festival because, though different, it offered a sense of community even during quarantine “when everything else was kind of falling apart.”
Kyra just graduated in May of 2020. At the moment, she is working at an environmental non-profit in Wisconsin as an education and communication fellow. She is doing promotional videos and marketing for them, much like the work that she did for TFF. She is looking forward to applying for a graduates’ program to study civic media where she can pursue her love for the filmmaking world with a more specific focus in civic engagement.
2017/2019
jessica duong
Jessica was introduced to TFF during the fall of her freshman year through an undergraduate short film screening at the Underground, a coffee shop on campus. She was taken aback by the fact that students had produced such interesting work and was hooked. She was already a lover of Cinestudio, and was thrilled to hear of this event which drew more people to it. She also admired the fact that student films, such as the ones that captivated her so in the coffee shop, could be showcased on the big screen. She had been looking for a club to join, so she applied to be a team member. Jessica was in charge of catering during her first year. The following year, the senior leadership had graduated, and a lot of the juniors who would have participated happened to be studying abroad, so she assumed the role of Senior Director as only a sophomore. After coming from a teaching internship over the summer, she was excited to be able to reform and reorganize, making the position her own. She notes that being the Director gave a space for her to exercise her leadership skills and begin to grow into them.
The person that Jessica remembers most from her time with TFF is founder and faculty director of the Festival, John Michael Mason. She recalls his strong vision for the Festival concurrent with his allowing for the team to exercise their own leadership and creativity. Jessica says that she learned professionalism from him, including an awareness and intentionality in projecting an image and message to the greater public through marketing.
Now, Jessica is getting her master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania in secondary education. She is in the process of finishing her student teaching, and aspires to be a high school science teacher.
2018
The film that stuck out to Mhraf the most was Carolina Gudino’s Mariposa. She says that she loves the aesthetics of the movie as they are the type that she seeks out. She remembers that the storytelling of the movie was beautiful and Gudino was “just a beautiful human.”
See the film here: MARIPOSA - Short Film on Vimeo
Now, Mhraf works with a US university trying to increase the awareness of African students about this particular school. Like TFF, this work is about providing access and opportunity. Being from Ethiopia, she understands the need for an administered chance to travel and get Bachelor’s degrees in other countries. She has also been spending her time trying new things, such as music and writing. These pursuits relate to the creative aspect of Mhraf’s time with the Festival.
MHRAF WORKU
Mhraf began her work with TFF during her freshman year. She had always been “obsessed with film” and interested in storytelling, especially when narratives surrounded people from different parts of the world. In her sophomore year, she became the Event Coordinator, which entailed managing the Festival’s catering with Jessica Duong. Later, throughout her time as Senior Director, she cultivated the skill of delegating tasks— trusting others to get their work done, but also making sure that everything is running smoothly. She also gained managerial know-how. Mhraf says that she would often doubt herself in life, but never would when doing TFF work. There, she “felt right at home,” which signaled to her that she should continue to be a part of a cohesive team “doing cool stuff” for years to come.
2016
bettina gonzalez
Bettina first heard about Cinestudio during her freshman orientation. When she found out that students could volunteer there, she immediately signed up. Through Cinestudio, Bettina learned about the second annual 2013 Festival. Her connection to the festival began when a film professor encouraged her to submit the experimental film she had been working on in class. Bettina had told the professor that one of her dreams before graduating was to see a film of hers up on the big screen at Cinestudio. After submitting her film, she received an email from John Michael Mason reviewing and complimenting it, a milestone which she said “changed her life.” Eventually, she got the official notice that her film had been accepted. From then on, she just “fell in love with TFF.”
One of the films that was most impactful to Bettina was the 2017 Alumni Choice winner In a Heartbeat directed by Beth David & Esteban Bravo. The film depicts a gay love story. Bettina is a queer person, and returning to Trinity’s campus for the showing, a place where she did not feel accepted during her undergraduate years, the Festival allowed her to see a queer film premiere on the big screen. This was a moving experience for her. Further, she was part of the Alumni Choice deliberations and was able to recognize this film for its many merits, adding to the experience even more.
See the film here: In a Heartbeat - Animated Short Film - YouTube
Bettina now works in nonprofits, and she credits Cinestudio and the Festival for her passion in a “drive for a mission.” She notes that both organizations are fueled by the idea that a team works together tirelessly in the pursuit of something bigger than themselves. After graduation, she wanted her profession to be nourished by the same sentiments. Now, she is an independent consultant, freelance video producer, and currently serve as a communications specialist for a Native American non-profit.
The Early Years
2012
Jake says he fondly remembers staying up late with friends to watch all the films and help decide which submissions would make the cut. His favorite film was 2012 third place winner “Pissin in the Wind” by filmmaker Julian Beltran of UT Austin. He also remembers viewing Trinity students’ films, which was enjoyable for him because he had seen them shooting around campus in the preceding months.
See the film here: (3) Pissin in the Wind - YouTube
Jake is now a high school educator in Durham, North Carolina.
Jake Prosnit
Jake’s involvement with TFF stemmed from his close college friendship with Founder John Michael Mason. He was also heavily engaged in service work at Trinity, being both the head of the community service dorm and an employee of their office, so he was always eager to be involved in events such as the Festival. During his time with TFF, he was mainly focused on marketing and promotion. This work included handing out flyers and t-shirts in the main dining hall on campus, as seen in the YouTube video below. Jake expresses that he “never thought that it would be ten years later that a) John Michael would still be at Trinity and b) there would be someone interviewing me about it.” He is happy to see what a mark TFF has left on Trinity.
Francis Russo
Francis’ involvement with the Festival originated from his friendship with John Michael, long-time involvement with Cinestudio and the Austin Arts Center, and love for film. More specifically, his engagement began with John Michael’s recruitment of the members of Trinity’s film club, Francis being one of them. He remembers that in the early years, everyone pitched in on most every task the team completed, each one utilizing their unique set of talents and contacts. One of Francis’ skills was graphic design. Since he was the artist behind Cinestudio’s posters at the time, he assumed the same role for TFF. (See his poster celebrating TFF’s last ten years at the bottom of this page!) He also recalls attending many planning meetings and participating in early debates, such as whether filmmaker attendance to the on-campus screening and awards ceremony should be obligatory.
Francis describes TFF’s impact on him as “overall, just a lot of fun.” The first two Festivals took place during his junior and senior year. So, his years at Trinity concluded with a passion project surrounded by close friends. He says that he has enjoyed watching it grow into such an “institutionalized and international” event after his graduation.
After obtaining his master’s at Columbia University, Francis is currently continuing his education with a PhD program in American history at the University of Pennsylvania.
Victoria Trentacoste
After earning her master’s degree in children’s book illustration at a London university, Victoria is currently working on her master’s in creative writing.
Victoria was already a regular volunteer at Cinestudio and passionate about the arts, but she explains that getting involved with TFF was “100% because of the people.” As a studio arts major, she worked as a photographer for the first few years of the Festival. During her time photographing, she truly realized what a point of pride being involved in this event was for her. She loved to watch the impactful connection TFF fostered by way of art for people of all ages and nationalities.
Victoria always had an affinity for the animated shorts. She says that she still watches Elaine Wu & Christine Kim of Ringling College of Art & Design’s film “Chicken or the Egg” when she needs a smile.
See the film here: Chicken or the Egg - Elaine Wu's Portfolio (format.com)
Poster by Francis Russo ‘13