As part of TAFFNY 2025, we proudly present a special showcase featuring the work of graduating students from the prestigious MFA & BFA Film Programs at City College. Recognized as one of the top graduate and undergraduate film schools in the country, City College has nurtured a new generation of visionary filmmakers. This screening will highlight a selection of thesis films, followed by an engaging Q&A session with MFA Program directors Andrea Weiss, Antonio Tibaldi, BFA Program Director Deirdre Fishel, and participating filmmakers.
SMALL WORLD
Kayla Battle | U.S. | Fiction | 2025 | 12 min
In this science fiction drama, an unlikely pair struggles to find common ground while stuck in a small apartment, but things quickly get a lot harder to manage when their food supply is suddenly cut off.
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Kayla Battle is a Bronx native writer, director, and visual artist, passionate about exploring unique circumstances and perspectives through storytelling. As half of the filmmaker duo, the Battle Twins, she has produced narrative, documentary, and experimental films. When not tackling her own projects, she gravitates toward G&E work. Having completed instruction at the Ghetto Film School, she currently studies film at the City College of New York where she continues to grow her portfolio.
ARREGLADA
Camila Carrillo | U.S. | Documentary | 2025 | 7 min
A deeply personal documentary that takes us on a journey through the filmmaker’s evolving relationship with beauty. Beginning with childhood memories, the narrative examines how family expectations of beauty have influenced the filmmaker’s identity and self-image over time. Using a blend of home videos, archival footage, and intimate scenes of daily life, the film includes the voices of the filmmaker’s mother and grandmother, sharing their own experiences, linking the past and present in a generational exploration of beauty ideals.
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Camila Carrillo is a Colombian documentary filmmaker and anthropology student based in New York City. Her work explores themes of migration, gender, beauty standards, and social justice through poetic, human-centered storytelling. She is completing her BFAs in Film and Anthropology at The City College of New York. Camila’s films blend personal memory and lived experience with collective struggles.
ASHES TO THE EYES
Teresa Castillo | U.S | Documentary | 2025 | 14 min
When Stamatis Germanos was 21 years old, he lost four close friends in a car fire. His survivor’s guilt drove his need to prevent this from happening to anyone else. So, Stamatis became a volunteer firefighter, something he risks his life to do, with no safety net or government support, because that is how much he believes in his cause and his country. «Ashes to the Eyes» features dramatic bodycam footage, as well as intimate, fly-on-the-wall observations, that puts front and center the human cost of the wildfire crisis in Greece.
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Teresa Castillo is an award-winning Maltese American documentary filmmaker who hails from the story capitals of Detroit, MI and Buffalo, NY. Inspired by the communities she calls home, Teresa’s films focus on women and the interpersonal dynamics of communities and relationships, particularly within families. Her film, «I’ll Find a Way or Make One—A Rosie Story» debuted at the Buffalo International Film Festival in 2022, where it was named best film in its category. It went on to win several more festival awards and is available on PBS. Teresa is a video editor for New Jersey PBS. Teresa will receive her MFA in Film from the City College of New York in 2025. She resides in Westchester, NY.
DONKEY SKIN
Taha Aziz | U.S. | Fiction | 2025 | 15 min
A determined village boy and a stranded spoiled socialite must overcome class divides and the desert’s perils to reach the city. A resourceful Amazigh boy and a stranded socialite form an unlikely alliance, navigating the harsh Moroccan desert and deep class divides.
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Taha Aziz is a Moroccan filmmaker based in New York, born in Casablanca. His work explores multiculturalism, social justice, and identity through an anthropological lens. A recipient of the 2024 Ostrovsky Chantal Akerman Grant for his upcoming film Donkey Skin (2025), he is also a BAFTA-New York scholarship candidate and a CCNY nominee for the 2025 BAFTA Student Award.
BEFORE DAWN
Julia Galeta | U.S | Fiction | 2025 | 11 min
Kyiv, Ukraine, the middle of winter. A spacious apartment on the third floor is the only one with the lights on. Former classmates hold a reunion party. Ten years after graduation. They plan to hang till dawn, just as they did on their prom night. It all goes well until people start disappearing without leaving a trace.
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Born and raised in Ukraine, Julia has been exploring storytelling through different genres and forms, varying from text to site-specific art. As a filmmaker, she spent a few years working as a production assistant and distribution manager for documentaries. She holds a master’s degree in Literature and Comparative Studies from National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Currently, she is an MFA student in the Film program at The City College of New York.
