Amani Hagmagid

Where do you attend school, and what what are you studying?

I have a B.A. In Cinema from VCU, with minors in History and Creative Writing. Currently I'm finishing my MFA in Film and Media Arts at American University, concentrating in Fiction Filmmaking

What have your teaching opportunities been outside of Fairfax Collegiate?

I have been a substitute teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools for the past three years. I have also been a Teaching Assistant at both VCU and AU, and have guest lectured in Directing, Cinematography, and Film Studies.

What sort of experience have you had in the subject you’ll be teaching this summer?

I am a screenwriter and director based in the Washington, D.C. area. I have worked on numerous television and feature film projects in extras casting and production, the latest being Netflix’s A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE (2025) and Apple TV’s SILO (2023). I have also served as an on-set consultant for television on Apple TV’s SWAGGER (2021). I wrote and directed the short film SHE'S GONE, a film about a Muslim woman dealing with suppressing her anxiety on the day of her sister's wedding, and it premiered at the Dayton Black Women's Film Festival in 2025.

What excites you about teaching and working with students?

Teaching an art practice is more than just providing students with information, it is about helping mold their creativity into something tangible. It requires a space for students to test out ideas and to sharpen their skills to prepare themselves to show the world what they can create. Creativity isn’t a skill to learn. In its truest form, creativity is an intangible and private ability. It’s one of the most beautiful parts of human nature, the ability to imagine stories and scenarios that don’t always directly reflect oneself, but are inherently built off of how one sees and understands the world. I am a product of successful teaching strategies that focus on nurturing the creative mind and I seek to provide the same to my students, helping them convert the intangible to tangible while allowing for individual artistic vision to continue to thrive on its own.

Outside of work, what are some hobbies you enjoy?

I am an avid reader, music listener, and cross stitcher.