[image 1]San Antonio native and acclaimed filmmaker Ya’ke Smith presented one of his latest short films, “dawn” at the Palmetto Center for the Arts theater on Feb. 23.
Smith, CEO of Exodus Filmworks and the Morgan Woodward Distinguished Professor of Film at the University of Texas at Arlington, visited NVC in celebration of Black History Month and Northwest Vista College’s 20th anniversary. The NVC Public Relations team, in collaboration with Student Leadership and Activities, invited Smith, whose films have screened on HBO, Showtime, BET and PBS.
[image 2]Texas Public Radio’s director of Cultural and Community Engagement, Nathan Cone, moderated the discussion with Smith after the film and noted that Smith’s movies are often filmed in San Antonio.
Smith briefly gave remarks prior to showing “dawn,” which is about a woman who gets out of prison and is struggling to fit back into society. He said the story is based loosely on his sister’s struggles.
[image 3]Ron Wojnar, assistant professor and program coordinator for the NVC Digital Video & Cinema Production (DVCP) program, said, “We’re very fortunate to have with us a major voice in independent cinema.”
“He is recognized for his unflinching style of storytelling and tackles the most difficult topics head on,” added Wojnar, who gave the welcoming introduction at the moving screening and brought his students to the event.
[image 4]Afterwards, Smith toured the college's DVCP facilities and said he was “impressed.”
Attending the screening were several faculty including Craig Coroneos, who brought his Humanities class; Barbara Lee who brought her ESL class; Natalia Trevino, Tim Jones, Mellissa Marlowe and Alicia Tafoya.
Smith’s movies have screened or won awards at film festivals worldwide, including the International Film Festival, the Dallas International Film Festival and the American Black Film Festival. He is the recipient of a Director’s Guild of America Student Film Award and an HBO Short Film Award. Smith has been featured on NPR, CNN, HLN, Texas Public Radio, Ebony Online and Shadow&Act.
Thank you goes out to Palmetto Center for the Arts staff and the Student Leadership and Activities team for helping to make Smith’s visit possible.