The Production Department Awards celebrate the outstanding artistry, collaboration, and vision of our MFA students in Film and Television Production.
Award recipients were announced at Picture’s Up! The LMU SFTV MFA Production Awards Ceremony on May 14, 2025 — an evening dedicated to celebrating the creativity, craft, and community that define our department. Highlighting the artistry and craft across Cinematography, Editing, Creative Producing, and Directing—in both fiction and non-fiction storytelling.
Social Impact in Filmmaking Award
In keeping with LMU’s mission of fostering social justice, the Social Impact in Filmmaking Award supports students who are using cinema as a tool for meaningful change. This award honors emerging filmmakers whose thesis projects address pressing societal issues, reflecting the university’s values of justice, sustainability, and purpose-driven leadership.
Eligibility: 2nd-year LMU PROD Directing students
Faith Fleming
2nd Year MFA Candidate
Project Title: First Kill
Award Recipient
Nadia Ross
2nd Year MFA Candidate
Project Title: San Ak Rasin
Award Runner Up
The Collaborative Filmmaking Award
Collaboration lies at the heart of great storytelling—and at the core of LMU’s creative philosophy. The Collaborative Filmmaking Award recognizes Directing students who build cross-disciplinary teams and engage talent from across the School of Film and Television, including Screenwriting, RECA, Theater, and Animation. The goal is to foster rich artistic partnerships and long-term professional connections that lead to powerful, collaborative work.
Eligibility: 2nd-year LMU PROD Directing students
Victor Morelli
2nd Year MFA Candidate
Project Title: What Might Have Been
Award Recipient
Joshua Whiteaker
2nd Year MFA Candidate
Project Title: Crash Test Dummies Ballad
Award Runner Up
Specialization Awards
These awards recognize outstanding student achievement across the core disciplines of the Production Department. Open to students who exemplify creative excellence in their area of specialization.
Eligibility: 2nd and 3rd-year LMU PROD students
Specialization Awards - Directing Fiction
Specialization Awards - Directing Non-Fiction
Taban Patrick Consantino, S.J.
2nd Year MFA Candidate
Excellence in Directing Non Fiction
Specialization Awards - Cinematography
Sofia Riccio
2nd Year MFA Candidate
Excellence in Cinematography
Specialization Awards - Editing
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Specialization Awards - Creative Producing
Lidong Wang
2nd Year MFA Candidate
Excellence in Creative Producing
Thesis Film Jury Awards
Selected by a panel of distinguished industry professionals, these awards honor the most exceptional thesis films in each of the five areas of Production. The jurors bring deep expertise and represent a range of cinematic disciplines.
Eligibility: LMU PROD Thesis Students
Thesis Film Jury Awards
Regina Rios
Maybe I'll Find You In A Robbery (Tal Vez Te Encuentre En Un Asalto Bea)
Best Director – Fiction
Hobbes Reynolds
Maybe I’ll Find You In A Robbery (Tal Vez Te Encuentre En Un Asalto)
Best Cinematography
Danny Nsouli
Cosmic Crusaders
Filmmakers' Choice Award
Voted on by peers, faculty, and mentors during the final thesis screenings, this award honors the film that resonated most with fellow filmmakers—those who understand the challenges, craft, and creative risks behind the work.
Jury Members
Maureen Bharoocha
Fiction Directing Juror
Feature films, late night, premium cable, episodic TV and short films –Maureen Bharoocha can direct it all, and she does so with excellence, as she’s proven time and time again through her impressive roster of projects. Maureen started off her career as a segment director on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for 3 seasons. Her theatrical released films, (THE PRANK starring Rita Moreno and Ramona Young and GOLDEN ARM starring Betsy Sodaro and Mary Holland) and her work in TV (GRAND CREW, CRANK YANKERS, SAVED BY THE BELL, and Peacock’s PITCH PERFECT spin-off, BUMPER IN BERLIN. ) have screened all over the world; at SXSW, Santa Barbara Film Fest, Germany, India, and on HBO, Netflix and Peacock.
Steven Bocsi
Editing Juror
Steven Bocsi is a Post-Production Executive and Supervisor with over 20 years of experience in the film industry. A graduate of Emerson College, Steve began his career in development before transitioning to production, contributing to films like Shutter Island, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and as Executive Producer on the film Alex Cross. Most recently Steve has held roles as a Post-Production Executive at Netflix and as the Head of Post-Production at Sony’s Screen Gems label. Steve recently Post Supervised the film Until Dawn and is a Lecturer at LMU, leading a Post-Production Supervision Workshop.
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Shana Hagan, ASC
Cinematography Juror
For over 30 years, Shana Hagan, ASC, has shot Oscar and Emmy-winning projects with such distinguished filmmakers as Michael Apted, Jay Duplass, Rory Kennedy, Jessica Yu and Paul Feig. A proud alum of LMU’s Film School, she is now a member of the ASC, the DGA, AMPAS, BAFTA, the ICG, ATAS and the IDA and was recently elected Governor of the Cinematographers Peer Group of the TV Academy.
Nic Cha Kim
Nonfiction Directing Juror
Nic Cha Kim is a 7-time L.A. Emmy-award winning documentary filmmaker and journalist and has been recognized twice as the Broadcast Journalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club. Nic currently works as the Senior Producer of Arts and Culture at PBS SoCal and is the producer of the anthology documentary series, Artbound.
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Quan Phung
Creative Producing Juror
Quan Phung is a creative executive and producer with 25 years of experience in the US and global television industry. He’s held senior level positions at industry- leading studios, networks, start-up ventures and independent production companies.
From 2019 to 2024, he was Senior Vice President, Original Series at Topic/First Look Media, a New York-based film and television company (A REAL PAIN, 100 FOOT WAVE). At Topic, he opened the company’s television division in Los Angeles and led a team that sold projects to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV+ and Peacock.