Join us to celebrate the School of VISUAL ARTS MFA Social Documentary Film program with the Fifth Annual Thesis Showcase. This screening series is a preview of our 2015 graduates' films, all works-in-progress. Most filmmakers will be present, and Q&As will follow each screening.

The reception for filmmakers and guests is Saturday, September 26, 8:30-10:30pm. All events are free & open to the public and held at the SVA Theatre in New York City.

Full line-up of films & RSVP here.

Huge welcome to the new class of the Social Documentary MFA program! The class represents students from all over the world: Australia, Zambia, China, Korea, Finland, Ecuador, Thailand, Canada, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Memphis, D.C., and New York City. We look forward to working together and to the films they will create influenced by their experience as journalists, biologists, filmmakers, educators, drummers, pre-med students, dancers, engineers, parents, travelers, and shark divers.

And, we're excited to introduce our new Director of Operations, Rose Vincelli Gustine. Rose has come to SVA from the IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project), where she led public programming for their new Made in NY Media Center and ran filmmaker support programs including IFP's Labs for first features. Welcome to the team, Rose!

School of Visual Arts’ After School Special 2015 features some of SVA’s most accomplished alumni filmmakers.

Closing the festival will be the acclaimed documentary THANK YOU FOR PLAYING, directed by Soc Doc 2011 alumnus David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall. The screening will be preceded by documentary short THE PERFECT 18, directed by SVA alumnus Mickey Duzyj. A filmmaker Q&A will follow.

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING screens Sunday, Sept. 20 at 5:30PM at the SVA Theatre in Chelsea. FREE!

For more information on this and other festival screenings, please visit www.svatheatre.com

Three of our SocDoc Faculty will present their new works-in-progress documentaries at IFP's Independent Film Week in New York in September. They are: Ann Collins, editor of SWIM TEAM, Kirsten Johnson director and producer of A BLIND EYE, and Beth Levison, producer of RULES TO LIVE BY. The filmmakers will take part in Spotlight on Documentaries, a meetings-driven forum providing introductions to key industry executives who are seeking new projects to support. Congratulations!

Additionally, SocDoc staff Rose Vincelli Gustine and Joe Eisenstein will be attending the IFP Conference -- say hello if you see us there!

Follw us @svasocdoc on Instagram for all the latest eye candy from our department and news from our current students, alumni and faculty in the field!

(And find us on Twitter and Facebook, too!)

Save the date for MFA Social Documentary Film info sessions on Nov. 7 and Dec. 10, or make an appointment to come in for a private tour. Find out all that SVA SocDoc has to offer as you develop your career in documentary filmmaking!