It’s Oscars weekend! What better place to get an expert take on the best and worst movies of 2019 than Birmingham-Southern’s Media and Film Studies department?

At the top of Dr. Teddy Champion’s list of the year’s films sit “Little Women,” “Marriage Story,” and “Uncut Gems.” He and Robert Corna predict big Oscar wins for “Parasite” and “1917,” but they also commend a few less talked-about films like “Honey Boy” and “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” both starring Shia LaBeouf.

The Academy Awards, which will air at 7 p.m. Sunday on ABC, will cap off the annual film awards season. Around this time of year, both Champion, program director, and Corna, assistant lecturer, always spot a few familiar faces at televised awards shows. Both have extensive backgrounds in production (seen on Champion’s and Corna’s IMDb pages) and have made connections across the industry.

Their combined professional expertise helps mold the core objectives of the Media and Film Studies (MFS) program. Majors can explore interests in any type of media, from filmmaking and screenwriting to podcasts and sound design. Students get hands-on industry experience in the classroom and through required internships.

“We hope students are using all kinds of knowledge from all kinds of experiences to tell stories. The art of what we’re doing is narrative and story-based,” Champion says. “Good students will take what we teach them to tell whatever kind of stories they want.”

The program provides the equipment students will need to produce their own work, including various cameras, a dally, a studio space, and an editing lab. With these resources and the flexibility to pursue different forms of narrative, professors like Champion and Corna help guide each student on a one-on-one basis.

“Since we are a smaller program, we can give personalized instruction,” Corna says. “We also have really impressive equipment for the size of school we are. Rarely will a student not have access to the equipment they need.”

When they’re not teaching, both Champion and Corna stay involved in the industry and work on their own creative projects. Champion records and mixes sound for TV and film and is in the process of writing a documentary series on rock history. His interest in how music and film work together is what drew him to 2019 films like “Blinded by the Light” – based on the true story of a Pakistani teenager inspired by the music of Bruce Springsteen – and “Yesterday” – a film that imagines a world where The Beatles never existed.

Corna, who teaches more of the production classes, has a couple of different documentary projects in the works. He’s also writing a feature film, which he’ll work on this summer with Hannah Scofield ’19, a current grad student at the University of Southern California.

Both instructors keep students connected with experiences and professionals outside of the classroom. Through Skype calls and guest speakers, they are able to get students in touch with experts, locally and outside of the South. Champion and Corna also took an E-Term class to the Sundance Film Festival in January.

As for some of their least favorite movies of the year, popular films like “Us” and “The Irishman” are lower on Champion’s list than you might expect. He and Corna are also disappointed in the lack of diversity among this year’s nominees, an issue that’s important to the department.

MFS students have even been inspired to host their own film festival, designed to represent a diverse range of filmmakers. They’re currently working on the plans for a diversity and inclusion film festival that will accept submissions from around the world to be shown on campus. With this opportunity, students can interact with other filmmakers and find a real place in the industry.

“Doing work out in the world helps people find what they want to do and get some expertise,” Champion says.

If you’re tuning in to the Oscars this weekend, here are Champion’s personal picks and predictions.

Best Actor:
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story” (personal pick)
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” (prediction)

Best Supporting Actor:
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman” (personal pick)
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (prediction)

Best Actress:
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story” (personal pick)
Renée Zellweger, “Judy” (prediction)

Best Supporting Actress:
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” (personal pick and prediction)

Animated Feature Film:
“I Lost My Body” (prediction)

Cinematography:
Roger Deakins, “1917” (personal pick and prediction)

Directing:
Greta Gerwig, “Little Women” (personal pick, but NOT EVEN NOMINATED!)
Sam Mendes, “1917” (my prediction)

Documentary Feature:
“Honeyland” (personal pick and prediction)

Editing:
Jeff Groth, “Joker” (personal pick and prediction)

Screenplay Adapted:
Greta Gerwig, “Little Women” (personal pick)
Taika Waititi, “Jojo Rabbit” (prediction)

Screenplay Original:
Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story” (personal pick)
Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite” (prediction)

Best Picture:
“Little Women” (personal pick)
“1917” (prediction)