Student Video Productions (SVP) 

Student Video Productions’ goal is to provide University of Iowa students with the resources to produce creative projects and offer job opportunities. From pre-production to post-production, members collaborate to create content ranging from short films, music videos, and promotional material. 

Name: Eva Sample

Major: Double Major in Cinema and Screenwriting Arts

Hometown: Pleasantville, Iowa

Position/Title: General Manager of SVP

Favorite Film: It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Advice to Incoming Majors: Get comfortable being uncomfortable. This is a space where you make mistakes and you'll definitely make them more than once, but that's how you learn and grow as a student, as a filmmaker, and as a person. It can feel extremely awkward first coming in, you know next to no one; you've maybe never touched a camera or talked theory before in your life, but that's exactly why you're here so don't dwell in it, branch out and get comfortable. 

Past Accomplishments/Future Goals: Our organization has made huge strides this past year in making it better than we ever could have imagined. There are still bumps as every org experiences, but our members have increased significantly, we continue to make two full length shorts every semester alongside smaller projects, and really created a fun community that I enjoy seeing every Tuesday when I walk into the room. Every person that shows up is a part of this creative family and when a project is done, you are all the closer for it.

Cinematic Arts Student Organization (CASO)

The purpose of CASO is to support the activities, affairs, and education of students participating in cinematic arts. They work closely with faculty and students to build a creative community that ensures fulfillment in academic and social experiences.

Name: Abril Garcia Rojas

Major: Double Major in Cinema and Screenwriting Arts, Minor in Theatre Arts

Hometown: San Antonio, Texas (military kid, last place to live in before coming to UI)

Position/Title: President of CASO

Favorite Film: The Worst Person in the World (2021)

Advice to Incoming Majors: Getting involved as much as possible is beneficial. Many people hold back and later have difficulty finding career opportunities because they didn’t engage during college. Join a club, make a production, write, or simply create something. Creating never hurt anyone!

Past Accomplishments/Future Goals: 48 Hour Film Challenge Competition, hosting director workshops, Golden Corn Screenwriting Competition, and leading the Cinemixer event!

Women in Film 

Women in Film aims to provide a space for women to connect to other women, share ideas, build strong relationships for future projects, and be able to experiment and grow their creativity in a space that allows their stories to be told.

Name: Caitlyn Guth

Major: Double Major in Cinema and Art

Hometown: Buffalo Grove, IL

Position/Title: Co-President of Women in Film

Favorite Film: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Advice to Incoming Majors: My advice is to get involved early! Even if you don’t know what you want your path to be, there are so many passionate and friendly people involved in clubs. Everyone is so welcoming, and clubs are a great gateway to testing each part of the field without committing to a whole class. The people I did projects with in Freshman year are the same people I trust four years later.

Past Accomplishments/Future Goals: In Fall 2025, Women in Film took ten club members to Chicago to meet with women working in the field. We got to tour different companies, met up with Women in Film Chicago for lunch, and even had coffee with Allie Solomon. The hope is to continue offering this tour to club members in the future. Women in Film continues to meet with industry professionals, and our network of women in the field grows exponentially. On top of that, there are so many wonderful women who work for our department at the university who come to meetings, run workshops, and provide a safe space to talk.

Bijou Film Board

The Bijou Film Board is a non-profit, student-run organization dedicated to the exhibition of independent, foreign, and classic cinema. Established in 1972, the Bijou has built a reputation as one of the preeminent student-run cinema organizations in the nation.

Name: Charlie Hickman

Major: English on the Pre-Law Track

Hometown: Lemont, IL

Position/Title: Executive Director of Bijou Film Board

Favorite Film: Blow Out (1981)

Advice to Incoming Majors: Don't be afraid to check out activities off campus! On a whim, I went to a Bijou After Hours screening one Saturday night when I was a freshman and found the community and programming super engaging, and now I'm a part of the leadership team. Exploring organizations both on and off campus is super rewarding.

Past Accomplishments/Future Goals: One highlight of this year so far has been our trip to Columbia, Missouri, for the international True/False Documentary Film Festival. A few of our leadership team members attended the fest, watched a ton of cool movies, and gained a ton of insight into how a university and local film community can collaborate to put on a complex and renowned festival. It was both super fun, unlike anything the organization had done before, and a great opportunity for professional development. In the future, we hope to lead the charge in expanding Iowa City's Refocus Film Festival into something every student can be excited about and involved in. 

SIGGRAPH

The University of Iowa SIGGRAPH Student Chapter unites students passionate about animation, visual effects, and interactive media through career events, interdisciplinary workshops, peer collaboration, and guest talks featuring artists, technologists, and industry leaders.

Name: Fin Deevy

Major: Computer Science (BS/MCS)

Hometown: Walker, Iowa

Position/Title: President of SIGGRAPH

Favorite Film: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

Advice to Incoming Majors: Don't be afraid to teach yourself what isn’t covered in an offered class whether it be technical or artistic. I've had a lot of doors open for me because I learned more complex "industry standard" tools often without anyone explicitly directing me to. This might come off as heterodox advice, but artists should be fluent in technology, and engineers should be fluent in the arts if they want to achieve their goals in games/animation/cinema. A solid understanding of both is a requirement for making high quality digital art, and you can't get by on one or the other. Each deserves respect as its own discipline.

Past Accomplishments/Future Goals: My proudest SIGGRAPH accomplishment has to be bringing in the head of computer graphics from Disney Animation Studios to speak at the University of Iowa Computing Conference.  It was great to bring back an Iowa alum who has had a career in the intersection of the arts and computing (what SIGGRAPH is all about)!

Vertical Cinema

Vertical Cinema is dedicated to the exhibition of experimental and avant-garde moving image work. We screen films and videos that would not otherwise be seen by the University of Iowa community, and foster conversation about them.

Name: Humberto González Bustillo

Major: MFA in Film and Video Production

Hometown: Maracaibo, Venezuela 

Position/Title: President of Vertical Cinema

Favorite Film: The Journey (2016)

Advice to Incoming Majors: Follow what moves you, and stay connected to what’s happening around you. Go to screenings, artist talks, and community events, those are where a lot of the most exciting ideas and collaborations happen.

Past Accomplishments/Future Goals: Recently, we hosted “As I Was Moving Backwards,” featuring Venezuelan director Diego Andrés Murillo and producer Eduardo Díaz. It was a chance to talk about diasporic filmmaking, memory, and making work outside the usual industry paths, stuff that doesn’t get enough attention.