Photography, Film, and Animation News

The Character Mosaic Project is a recently revived initiative that aims to build a library of 3D characters — diverse in their ethnicities and backgrounds — that are open source for animators to seamlessly use as a broader range of subjects in their films. The project is led by Kevin Bauer, graduate director of the film and animation MFA program.

On Saturday, Oct. 11, the Big Shot will return for its 37th event to illuminate the Buffalo Bills Highmark Stadium. RIT and the Bills invite the community to shine a light on the interior of the stadium to document the iconic location before it closes, making way for a new stadium set to open in 2026.

Having the right networking connections can make or break a career in the film industry. Thankfully for Marica Joseph, there are plenty of RIT alumni who she can learn from.

Accomplished alumni, creative technology research, and interdisciplinary program offerings set RIT’s School of Film and Animation apart from others on The Hollywood Reporter’s 2025 top film schools list. RIT was ranked number 22 this year, a leap ahead from the school’s rank in 2024.

Many employees of RIT City Art Space have used their experience working in the gallery to prepare for fulfilling careers in museums, community art centers, and project and event management.

Meghdad Asadilari, assistant professor in the School of Film and Animation, was awarded the 2025 ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum Faculty Grant.

Human resources executive Jane Elliott, physician Brenda Haynes, and entrepreneur Chance Wright have been named to RIT’s Board of Trustees.

RIT has received a gift of $11.1 million through the estate of late alumnus and former trustee Henry Navas and his late wife, Deborah Robbins. Included is a gift of $4.8 million to RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the largest gift in its history.

RIT graduate Sebastian Nazario-Colon presented at the Cannes Film Festival. He says documentary filmmaking courses and the RIT in LA study away program paved the way to his success.

Carson Munn '26 has taken advantage of the endless resources available in RIT's School of Film and Animation, including well-equipped facilities, supportive faculty, and an opportunity to spend a semester studying in an entertainment epicenter, Los Angeles.

After 39 years of teaching in RIT’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, Professor Michael Peres looks toward retirement and fondly recalls the memories he’s made on campus.

When RIT students create video games, they don’t just mail it in. A team of students recently won the Grand Prize at GameFest 2025 for developing Pelican Post. The game is about a pelican mailman delivering mail to a small town of unique characters.