Click below to see selections of alumni from each of the School’s four Programs:


Film and Video

Akosua Adoma Owusu (MFA 08), artist and filmmaker (Black Sunshine, Me Broni Ba)

Bruce Berman (BFA 74), producer, chair of Village Roadshow Pictures (Mad Max: Fury Road, Training Day, The Matrix)

Anna Biller (MFA 93), independent filmmaker (Viva, The Love Witch)

Beth Bird (MFA 03), documentary filmmaker, producer

Patrick Brice (BFA 11), writer-director (The Overnight, Creep)

Q. Allan Brocka (MFA 01), writer-director, creator of Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World

Madison Brookshire (MFA 07), artist and filmmaker

Bill Brown (MFA 97), documentary filmmaker and photographer, author

Alexandra Cuesta (MFA 09), filmmaker and artist

Sean Daniel (BFA 73), producer (Dazed and Confused, The Mummy)

Dane A. Davis (BFA 81), sound editor (The Matrix) — Academy Award

Rhys Ernst (MFA 11), filmmaker and artist, producer (Transparent)

Rodney Evans (MFA 96), writer-director (The Happy Sad, Brother to Brother)

David Fenster (MFA 04), independent filmmaker (Pincus, Trona)

Robert Fenz (MFA 02), experimental filmmaker (Meditations on Revolution, Crossings)

Mariah Garnett (MFA 10), experimental filmmaker

John Gianvito (BFA), filmmaker (Wake (Subic)), curator and critic

Daniel Hui (MFA), independent filmmaker (Snakeskin)

William E. Jones (MFA 90), artist and filmmaker (Is It Really So Strange?, Tearoom)

Carole Kim (MFA 01), interdisciplinary media artist

Gina Kim (MFA 99), independent filmmaker (Invisible Light, Never Forever)

Hyun-kyung Kim (MFA 04), independent filmmaker

Laura Kraning (MFA 09), experimental documentary filmmaker

Laida Lertxundi (MFA 07), filmmaker and artist

Brigid McCaffrey (MFA 09), experimental documentary filmmaker

Natasha Mendonca (MFA 10), filmmaker (Jan Villa) and artist

Soudabeh Moradian (MFA 15), filmmaker

M. David Mullen (MFA 91), director of photography (Jennifer’s Body, Akeelah and the Bee, United States of Tara)

Mike Ott (MFA 05, BFA 03), independent filmmaker (Littlerock, Lake Los Angeles) — Independent Spirit Award

Peter Bo Rappmund (MFA 10), landscape documentarian

Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias (MFA 14), independent filmmaker (Santa Teresa and Other Stories)

Deborah Stratman (MFA 95), artist and filmmaker (Hacked Circuit, O’er the Land)

Jason Tippet (BFA 08) and Elizabeth Mims (BFA 08), documentary filmmakers (Only the Young, Thompson)

Naomi Uman (MFA 98), nonfiction filmmaker (Removed, Ukrainian Time Machine) and visual artist

Erika Vogt (MFA 04), artist

Chris Wilcha (MFA 98), documentary filmmaker and commercial director

Travis Wilkerson (MFA 01), documentary filmmaker (An Injury to One)

C.W. Winter (MFA 07), artist and filmmaker

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Film Directing

Andrew Ahn (MFA 11), writer-director (Spa Night)

Christine Beebe (MFA 05), director of Non-Fiction Development at Lucasfilm; producer of Hal; director-producer of Felix Austria! 

Giulia Caruso (MFA 13), writer-director (Aurora Notte)

Scott Cummings (MFA 07), writer-director (Buffalo Juggalos)

Fabian Euresti (MFA 10), documentary filmmaker (Everybody’s Nuts)

Javier Fuentes-León (MFA 98), writer-director (Undertow) — Sundance Audience Award, L.A. Outfest Award 

Rachel Goldberg (MFA 00), writer-director (Muted, Neighbors)

Aurora Guerrero (MFA 99), writer-director (Mosquita y Mari) — Independent Spirit Award nomination

Eliza Hittman (MFA 10), writer-director (It Felt Like Love) — Independent Spirit Award nomination

Xuan Jiang (MFA 07), actress, writer-director (August 15th)

Casey Kriley (MFA 98), executive producer (Project Runway, Top Chef), executive VP of Current Programming, Magical Elves — Primetime Emmy Award

Cy Kuckenbaker (MFA 04), filmmaker, photographer, editor/

Araceli Lemos (MFA 11), writer-director

James Mangold (BFA 85), writer-director (Walk the Line, The Wolverine)

David Nordstrom (MFA 95), actor, writer-director (Sawdust City)

Andrea Pallaoro (MFA 09), writer-director (Wunderkammer, Medeas) — Venice Horizons Award nomination 

Theron Patterson (MFA 99), writer-director (Dark Cloud), editor

Mason Richards (MFA 09), writer-director (The Seawall)

Maneesh Sharma (MFA 04), writer-director (Shuddh Desi Romance, Fan) — National Film Award (India)

Tariq Tapa (MFA 08), writer-director (Zero Bridge) — Independent Spirit nomination

Elia Urquiza (MFA 13), writer-director (Next)

Pacho Velez (MFA 10), experimental documentarian (Manakamana) — Locarno Golden Leopard, Independent Spirit nomination

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Character Animation

Mark Andrews (BFA 93), animation writer-director (Brave) — Academy Award

Brad Bird (76), animation and live-action writer-director (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), Pixar Brain Trust — 2 Academy Awards, Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award

Nelson Boles (BFA 12), animation writer-producer (Clarence)

Chris Buck (78), animation writer-director (Frozen) — Academy Award

Tim Burton (79), director (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood), artist, goth icon — 2 Academy Award nominations, Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award

Brenda Chapman (BFA 87), animation writer-director (Brave, The Prince of Egypt, The Lion King) — Academy Award

Pete Docter (BFA 90), animation writer-director (Inside Out, Up, Monsters, Inc.), Pixar Brain Trust — 2 Academy Awards

Ralph Eggleston (86), animation writer-director (For the Birds), production designer (Inside Out, WALL·E) — Academy Award

Lauren Faust (95), animation writer-producer (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, The Powerpuff Girls) — Primetime Emmy Award

T.J. Fuller (BFA 11), animation artist (Maker Studios, Nix Hydra)

Mike Giaimo (78), animation art director (Frozen, Pocahontas)

Jennifer Hager (BFA 05), animation supervisor (Zootopia)

Don Hall (BFA 95), animation director (Big Hero 6) — Academy Award

Alex Hirsch (BFA 07), animation writer-producer, creator of Gravity Falls

Jasmin Lai (12), illustrator (Cartoon Network, Google, Pearson Education)

John Lasseter (BFA 79), computer animation visionary, animation writer-director (Toy Story, Cars), chief creative officer of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios — 2 Academy Awards, Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award, Hollywood Walk of Fame

Minkyu Lee (BFA 09), visual development artist (Big Hero 6, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph), writer-director (Adam and Dog)

Craig McCracken (92), animation writer-director, creator of The Powerpuff Girls, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Wander Over Yonder — 2 Primetime Emmy Awards

Rob Minkoff (83), animation and live-action director (The Lion King, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, The Forbidden Kingdom)

Rich Moore (BFA 87), animation director (Zootopia, Wreck-It Ralph, Futurama) — 2 Primetime Emmy Awards, Academy Award nomination

John Musker (77), animation writer-director (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog) — Academy Award nomination

Daron Nefcy (BFA 09), animation writer-producer, creator of Star vs. the Forces of Evil

J.G. Quintel (BFA 05), animation writer-producer, creator of The Regular Show — Primetime Emmy Award

Shane Prigmore (99), character designer and visual development artist (The Lego Movie, The Croods, How to Train Your Dragon, Coraline), VP of Creative Affairs, Disney Television Animation

Alonso Ramirez Ramos (BFA 10), character designer, storyboard artist (Gravity Falls, Mickey Mouse) — 2 Primetime Emmy Awards

Joe Ranft (80), animation writer and voice artist (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Cars), Pixar Brain Trust — Academy Award nomination, Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award, Disney Legend

Jerry Rees (77), story animation writer-director (The Brave Little Toaster), director of theme park multimedia and immersive experiences — Sundance Special Jury Award, Primetime Emmy nomination

Peter Sohn (BFA 99), story animation director (The Good Dinosaur), voice actor

Anthony Stacchi (BFA 86), story animation director (The Boxtrolls) — Academy Award nomination

Andrew Stanton (BFA 87), story animation and live-action writer-director (Finding Nemo, WALL·E, Finding Dory), Pixar Brain Trust — 2 Academy Awards

Jacob Streilein (BFA 14), animation artist, Jib Jab Media

Genndy Tartakovsky (cer. 92), story animation writer-director (Hotel Transylvania), creator of Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars — 3 Primetime Emmy Awards, Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award

Ann Telnaes (BFA 85), editorial cartoonist, The Washington Post — Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning

Shannon Tindle (99), story animation writer and character designer (Kubo and the Two Strings, The Croods, Coraline, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends) — Primetime Emmy Award

Gary Trousdale (82), story animation writer-director (Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

J.J. Villard (BFA 04), story animation writer-director, creator of King Star King — Primetime Emmy Award

Pendleton Ward (BFA 05), animation writer-producer, creator of Adventure Time — Emmy Award

Kirk Wise (cer. 85), story animation writer-director (Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

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Experimental Animation

Jason Carpenter (MFA 06), animation director (The Renter) and designer (He Named Me Malala)

Peter Chung (81), animation director and designer, creator of Æon Flux

Eric Darnell (MFA 90), animation writer-director (Madagascar, Antz)

Paul Demeyer (MFA 77), animation writer-director, producer of Rugrats — 2 Primetime Emmy nominations

Sara Gunnarsdóttir (MFA 12), independent filmmaker (The Pirate of Love Vol. I), experimental animation artist and designer (Diary of A Teenage Girl)

Jorge Gutierrez (MFA 00, BFA 97), animation writer-director (The Book of Life), creator of El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera — Emmy Award

Stephen Hillenburg (MFA 92), animation writer-producer, creator of SpongeBob SquarePants — Daytime Emmy Award, 8 Primetime nominations

Glen Keane (74), animation maestro, character designer and supervising animator — Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award, Disney Legend

Bo Sul Kim (MFA 09), multimedia performance director, video and animation designer, artist

Mark Kirkland (BFA 78), animation director (The Simpsons) — 3 Primetime Emmy Awards

Amy Kravitz (MFA 86), independent filmmaker and animation artist

Kirsten Lepore (MFA 12), stop-motion animation artist

Miwa Matreyek (MFA 07), animation artist, director, designer, performer, co-founder of the multimedia performance company Cloud Eye Control — Center Theatre Group Sherwood Award, TED Speaker

Mark Osborne (BFA 92), animation director (Kung Fu Panda, The Little Prince)

Joanna Priestley (MFA 85), experimental filmmaker

Christine Panushka (MFA 82), independent filmmaker and animation artist

Kathy Rose (MFA 74), animation, video and performance artist

Jen Sachs (MFA 01), independent filmmaker and animation artist

Allison Schulnik (BFA 00), painter, stop-motion filmmaker

Henry Selick (MFA 77), stop-motion animation director (Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas) — Academy Award nomination

Beomsik Shimbe Shim (MFA 09), experimental filmmaker and media artist

Steven Subotnick (MFA 86, BFA 84), experimental animation artist

Brian Gothong Tan (BFA 05), commercial director, multimedia performance designer

Momo Wang (MFA 14), comics and animation artist, creator of internet cartoon character Tuzki

David Hildebrand Wilson (MFA 76), experimental filmmaker, founder and curator of the Museum of Jurassic Technology — MacArthur Genius Fellowship

Benny Zelkowicz (MFA 02), supervising animator (Robot Chicken, SuperMansion), fantasy novelist (The First Book of Ore: The Foundry’s Edge)

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