Wright State’s motion pictures program enters new era of excellence in filmmaking

Alum Nichol Simmons is the inaugural director of Wright State’s Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures.

Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures adds director

Wright State graduate Nichol Simmons is the inaugural director of the Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures, the state-of-the-art facility that houses the university’s award-winning motion pictures program.

Since earning a bachelor’s degree in motion picture production in 1999, Simmons has been immersed in the film industry and has mentored other Wright State alumni.

Now, as the director of the Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures, Simmons is poised to help even more.

“One of my goals in this job and for this program is to shift the narrative about the motion picture program,” Simmons said. “People think of us only as being an arts program, and there’s artistry in what we do, but there is also science and technology involved. We hit every letter in STEM.”

Simmons emphasized that it is also an economic development program.

“There is a lot more production happening in Ohio than most people may realize,” said Simmons.

In Ohio, the motion picture and television industry is responsible for more than 18,500 jobs and more than $1.23 billion in wages, while the indirect and induced impact on local vendors and other businesses included more than 51,100 jobs in 2022, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

Simmons‘ goals include starting a high school summer film camp and bringing back a summer production class for non-motion picture majors.

Another goal is to build relationships and advocate for the center by collaborating with businesses and fostering connections with alumni.

“I have been laying the groundwork for doing this job for a long time,” Simmons said of her activity on behalf of Wright State over the years. ” I’m very passionate about this program.”

Honoring a filmmaking legend

Another passion close to Simmons’s heart is establishing an endowment in memory of Julia Reichert, professor emeritus of motion pictures at Wright State, who died in 2022.

An Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Reichert is known as the “godmother of American independent documentaries.”

“She and I became very close. She was my teacher and my mentor and my friend,” Simmons said. “She helped me get my first job. I wouldn’t have had the production career that I had if Julia wasn’t there. She also laid the foundation for what I aspire to be as an instructor and a leader.”

The aim is to raise $2.5 million for professional development, a visiting artists series, and modern equipment for students.

“This endowment is critical to what I‘m trying to do,” Simmons said. “I want to take what worked before that got our students’ films Student Academy Award nominations and Student Emmy and Sundance awards and to train students to be storytellers engaged in the world around them.”

Simmons added, “I want to prepare students to be able to walk into the professional world and feel like they are trained to the highest level for those early positions. But most importantly, we want to help students find their voice.”

To donate to the Julia Reichert Endowment, visit wright.edu/Julia.

2014 Wright State motion pictures graduate Brittany Shyne.

Alumna Brittany Shyne wins top documentary prize at Sundance Film Festival

Dayton-based filmmaker and 2014 Wright State motion pictures graduate Brittany Shyne won the prestigious U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival for her debut film, “Seeds.”

The documentary, an intimate exploration of Black intergenerational farmers in the American South, captivated Sundance audiences and film critics with its emotional storytelling and evocative black-and-white cinematography.

In its award announcement, the Sundance jury called Shyne a “new voice with something powerful, rich, and poignant to say.”

For Shyne, the recognition culminated nearly a decade of work.

“I’ve been on such a long journey with this film,” she said. “You never know with your first film. There are so many ups and downs — it‘s like a roller coaster. The fact that the film has been received in such a way is still a lot for me to process.”

As Shyne worked on the film, she realized she was also documenting the final stages of life of the elderly farmers who appear in “Seeds.”

“I knew these stories would disappear if I didn’t document them,” she said. “The film was always about preservation and cultural heritage.”

Journey to Germany and Austria in May 2026

Wright State University alumni are invited to travel with Gary Schmidt, Ph.D., dean of the College of Liberal Arts, for an insider perspective on German and Austrian history and culture. The 12-day tour begins in Berlin, Germany’s cosmopolitan capital that brings the past and present together in a cityscape filled with memorials, museums, galleries, palaces, theaters, and nightclubs.

Next stop is the city of Nuremberg, followed by the medieval walled town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Enjoy exquisite artworks by Albrecht Dürer and visit the Kaiserburg, where the Holy Roman Emperor resided when he was in town.

Crossing into Austria, the group will spend two nights in the baroque city of Salzburg, birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and setting for the movie “The Sound of Music.”

The journey concludes in Vienna, city of waltzes and operas and the former seat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Tour ornate baroque palaces and churches, see paintings by Gustav Klimt, attend a concert, and sample Austrian wine and cuisine.

Potential travelers can express interest by emailing gary.schmidt@wright.edu.

Visit wright.edu/Europe2026 for more information.

This article was originally published in the 2025 issue of the Wright State Magazine. Read more stories at wright.edu/magazine.