On Dec. 19 and 20, Professor of Comparative Literature Scott MacDonald served as a juror at the Black Maria Film Festival. The Black Maria, named for Thomas Edison's original filmmaking studio in New Jersey (it was covered in black tar paper), specializes in independent cinema, particularly on short documentary, experimental and animated films. Prizes include Best Film, Best Animation, Best Documentary and Best Narrative. The other jurors were Jenny He, a film curator at the Museum of Modern Art, and Patricia R. Zimmermann, professor in the Park School of Communications at Ithaca College and director of the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival. The winning films tour the United States each spring.
