Jude Ferrigno, C’25 & MA’25 and Weike Li, C’25 & MA’26 | Research Honors Thesis | $250 each
Jude Ferrigno is a double major in Cinema & Media studies and English as well as a submat student in English. He hails from the cultural mecca of the United States — Deptford, NJ. Concerning CIMS, he loves their near-limitless tea supply, the kindness of the students and faculty, and their boundless willingness to entertain even the oddest of projects he has in store.
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Weike Li is a senior studying Cinema & Media Studies and English, and a submatriculant in the English Department. He comes from Chongqing, China. He is interested in common practices like walking and sleeping, and the mediated everyday life. Regarding CIMS, he loves the dark chocolate, the coffee machine, and most of all, the kindest and the most intelligent people in the world.
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(Headshots Miette & Sean)
Miette Gourlay, C’25 and Sean Park, C’25 | Creative Honors Thesis | $250 each
(Miette's bio)
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(Sean's bio)
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Ejun Hong, C’25 | Screenplay | $500
Ejun Mary Hong is a senior double-majoring in Fine Arts and Cinema & Media Studies, with a minor in Design, and is from Edmonton, Canada, and Seoul, South Korea. She is a storyteller who brings life to her dreams and the lost stories of the world with her animated films, and she has created four animated films that explore personal yet universal themes, offering connection, meaning, and the potential for healing. Her three favorite things about the Cinema & Media Studies department are the supportive and inspirational group of professors who have taught her how a love for one's passion can inspire others to continue dreaming, fellow students who hold the same love for cinema, and academically enriching cinema courses that broaden students' perspectives in the world of cinema.
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(Headshot Maria)
Maria Della Porta, C’25 | Undergrad Essay & Creative Project | $500
(Maria's bio)
Award Commendation:
Maria Della Porta's essay "Unraveling Hausu : Exploring the Connections to TV Ads" is an historically and aseptically informed essay that surprises us with its insights.
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(Headshot Taylor)
Taylor Whitehead, C’25 | Undergrad Community Leadership Award | $500
(Taylor's bio)
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Anat Dan, PhD in Comparative Literature | Timothy Corrigan Dissertation Award | $1,000
Anat Dan studies contemporary documentary media cultures and teaches courses in film and media at the University of Pennsylvania. Her multimodal dissertation explores contemporary tensions between humanist and posthuman aesthetics in experimental documentaries within the film festival circuit. For the past six years, CIMS has been her second home. A community of cinephiles and theory buffs who care deeply about both Philadelphia and the world we live in, CIMS taught her the value of asking questions, engaging in conversations, and making humble contributions.
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(Headshot Janneane)
Janneane Blevins, PhD Candidate in Cinema & Media Studies | Grad Essay & Creative Project | $500
(Janneane's bio)
Award Commendation:
Janneane Blevins' designed syllabus “Violence and Care: Reimagining How We Relate to Nature” grabs students’ attention with the urgency of its topics: “The destruction of Hurricane Helene, orcas ramming boats, recurring wildfires, COVID-19, deepening drought, wartime ecocide – these catastrophes of climate change are juxtaposed against calls for river rights, personhood for forests, discovery of plant intelligence, and AI conversation with whales. How do we make sense of these narratives of nature? How are we relating? Can nature be violent? Are humans violent against nature? What about the role of care?” The syllabus provides students with critical and imaginative tools designed to help students begin to make sense of the moment in which we live. The course is structured around three main questions: 1) How did we get here? 2) What could our relationship with nature be instead? And 3) What now? The committee was impressed by the creative assignments, which include a self-ecology map, a photo essay, and a group zine; by the sense of hope and collective responsibility this course inspires; and by the rigor of Blevins’ brilliant pedagogical imagination.
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Lynette Shen, PhD Candidate in Cinema & Media Studies | Grad Teaching/Community Leadership Award | $ 500
Lynette Shen was born and raised in Shanghai, China, and is a graduate student from the Cinema and Media Studies department at the University of Pennsylvania. In her research, she is obsessed with images of bad quality and failure and pays attention to how such moving images shape Sinophone women and queer subjects in diaspora. Her three favorite things about Penn CIMS are: the supportive environment for students' wild ideas, the department's embrace of interdisciplinary conversations, and the strong sense of community and mutual care. (Bonus points for the chocolates at the CIMS office.)
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