From BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY
The Bowling Green State University 2026 Animation and Film Senior Showcase is back with a new batch of animated and live action shorts from BGSU’s Digital Arts and Film programs. People can come see a variety of 2D, 3D, stop motion, and live action films, all crafted by BGSU seniors.
The senior showcase will take place on Friday, April 24, starting at 4 p.m. at the Donnell Theater in the Wolfe Center on BGSU’s campus. At 6 p.m., the School of Art and Department of Theatre and Film will host a reception to allow audience members to meet the artists and ask questions about their work. At 7 p.m., the Department of Theatre and Film will showcase a variety of senior workshop films. The event is free and open to the public.
Beginning pre-production in the fall, the Digital Arts seniors spent the past few months crafting a variety of films. From first concept to completion, each animator spent the past two semesters creating character designs, storyboards, and multiple sets for their pieces. Each film is a reflection of the animator’s hard work and experiences.
The Department of Theatre and Film senior students have submitted a collection of films that were produced across a range of classes from their program. These graduating filmmakers created works that encompass different roles across production, including directing, scriptwriting, cinematography, and editing. Every film is designed to incorporate practices that help prepare students for their future careers as filmmakers.
Senior Corinne Dyer, creator of the film “The Wayward Witch Detective,” being shown at the event, spoke to a group of students about their works, each of which had their own original ideas and stories they wanted to convey through the medium of their choice, and captured their responses.
Senior and honors student McKenna Mahakian created a 2D animation called “The Black Hole Problem.” The film is about a young woman named Sam, who is suffering from an abnormal illness, a black hole spouting from her arm. However, when she takes it to the doctor, her case is dismissed and downplayed.
“I read a lot of stories and personal accounts [from specifically college students] that recount the ways in which their concerns were pushed aside to extreme measures, which was heartbreaking. I wanted to reflect these stories in a relatable and somewhat exaggerated way to show the underlying issue of medical dismissal,” Mahakian said.
Senior Margaret Schoettker directed and animated the film “The Tomato Hamster,” which follows a little tomato hamster hybrid conquering his fears and finding an unexpected friend in an unfamiliar world. This little guy was created a long time ago but, slowly over time, became more than just a doodle.
“The tomato hamster as a character, just used to be a funny-looking thing I’d draw to make me or my friends laugh. Now, I feel like he’s become so much more in the sense that he has a character now. I feel like I’ve gotten to know him on a personal level – I know things that make him happy or sad, and knowing the ins and outs of how he moves. Now more than ever, I can really say he’s a character, who is a lot more than just the silly guy I’d draw when I didn’t know what else to draw,” Schoettker said.
Senior Madelyn Jager tapped into her faith with her piece. Combining the media of 2D and 3D animation to tell a story about a girl pulled between two worlds, the “flesh” and “soul” representing two opposing forces.
“The title of my film is ‘Flesh and Soul.’ In antiquity, biblical writers referred to negative, impulsive desires as the ‘flesh.’ From this perspective, the God-given soul of a person, which includes the desire to do what is good, is what separates them from the rest of the fallen and broken world. Celeste (the main character) is hand-drawn but animated on a 3D-modeled skeleton in a 3D world. She is in the world but not of that world,” Jager said.
During the film block of the showcase, senior Wyatt Voit will be premiering “My Dearest Mothman,” a film made during an independent study course in the film program.
Voit stated, “‘My Dearest Mothman’ is a gothic romance following recently dumped Mary (Faith Louise-Jackson) as she rebounds with the elusive Mothman (Elijah Ackles). For this film, I wanted to explore the dissonance and juxtaposition of fantasy and reality. The fantasy of the whirlwind romance with Mothman gives way to the intimate character-driven story that lays at the film’s core.”
“I’m also always interested in blending genre tropes and themes with different aesthetic touchstones to create a unique film language. Tackling Mothman as a character was a unique challenge for the team. The costume completely covers the actor head-to-toe, and the character has no lines of dialogue. He communicates exclusively through physical action and sound design. Developing the physicality and body language with the actor was paramount to bring the character to life on screen – it goes to show how collaborative film can be when every department pitches in to create this character,” Voit continued.
The 2026 Animation and Film Senior Showcase is a cultivation of passionate artistic vision and a platform for unique voices among graduating seniors at BGSU. The event is free and open to the public, welcoming BGSU students, faculty, and the general public in celebrating these future filmmakers and their first step into their careers.
