The cast and crew of "The Icarus Project" (submitted photo).

Filming ‘The Icarus Project’

Luke Wilson, a sophomore with a double major in Physics and Media and Communication, was responsible for the digital effects and worked on the screenplay with Ana Elizia de Melo Garcia, who will graduate May 16 with a master’s in English.

“On set, Ana was invaluable because she was working on story and scene rewrites as well as helping the cast through their lines (dialogue coach), while Sebastian (Hahn) and I focused on other aspects of the production. Without her, this would not have been possible," Wilson said.

Other students worked on lighting, sound, score, and editing, while Sam Rosenthal and Italia Kolar played the film’s main characters. Other key members of the cast and crew included Reed Mattingly, Lincoln Rutter, Adam Bougher, Lindsay Curley, and Sebastian Hahn.

Sam Rosenthal played the main character in "The Icarus Project" (submitted photo).

Co-directors are roommates

Sophomores Wilson and Hahn, who has a double major in Marketing and Business Analytics, were co-directors on the project.

“Luke brought together the MAFIA-based crew at first and brought me alongside because I am his roommate and we worked in the past for the football program making hype videos,” he said. “We have been friends since freshman year when we met in the Honors College.”

Hahn incorporated his passion for project management and analytical thinking.

“I built the call sheet, production schedule, and budget, then passed those over to Lindsay Curley, an incredibly organized crew member on set who helped keep us on track during the shoot." 

Hahn added, "On viewing that final cut on the eve of submission, I discovered that we had created a small, intimate story of two lovers separated by circumstance."

Wilson also was the cinematographer, colorist, and the lead editor for last year's winning film, “Stillness of Loss.” Rutter, the gaffer (lighting assistant) on “The Icarus Project,” was the director for “Stillness of Loss.”

“The Icarus Project” has funding from the MJF department and will be submitting the film to several film festivals.

The "Bittersweet" documentary recently won the Best International Documentary Feature award at the International Black and Diversity Film Festival. Yvette Harris accepted the award (submitted photo).

And more good news

The team at Miami that made “Bittersweet: Black College Life at a Predominantly White Institution” recently won the Best International Documentary Feature award at the International Black and Diversity Film Festival in Toronto. Yvette Harris, professor of Psychology, recently came back from Toronto with the trophy.

“Bittersweet” was part of a Boldly Creative-funded project to create an archive on the lived experiences of Black students, faculty, and staff at Miami University. It was produced by Jerome Conley, Jacqueline Johnson, Seth Seward, Andy Rice, Yvette Harris, Helen Sheumaker, Curt Ellison, and Alia Levar-Wegner between 2022 and 2026. 

The documentary highlights the Black leaders past and present who fought to create spaces of belonging and legacies of success at Miami, with sections focused on the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion before it closed in 2025.

A campus premiere of the film was shown on April 29, followed by a conversation among Black student leaders that was moderated by Philip Thomas, a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Leadership. The students were A'Dymond Sammons, Brianna Vondrak, Kennedy Monroe, Jaylyn Nurredin, Thomas Bodie, and Myron Barker Jr.

There will be a virtual premiere for select groups of alumni who sign up to host a screening the weekend of June 5, followed by a noon webinar on June 8.

Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg. Interested in learning more about the Department of Media, Journalism, and Film? Visit the website for more information.