Rate My Professor Elisa Herrmann

Elisa Herrmann serves as Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Coordinator of the BA in Film program in the Department of Mass Communication at Sam Houston State University. She earned an EdD in Higher Education Leadership from Sam Houston State University, an MFA in Mass Communication and Media Arts from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a BED in Art Education from the Federal University of Paraná, and a graduate certificate in Audiovisual Communication from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. Originally from Brazil, Dr. Herrmann joined Sam Houston State University as an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication around 2016, advancing to her current associate professor role. Her teaching encompasses film production, advanced editing for film and television, and mentoring students in creating original films, while she promotes the film program through festivals and screenings.

Dr. Herrmann specializes in documentary filmmaking, with a focus on cultural, historical, and social narratives drawn from her Brazilian heritage. Her debut feature documentary, 'Umbanda: Offerings of Faith' (2021), premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, as part of the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition, exploring the syncretic religion's African, European, and Indigenous roots through interviews with practitioners and scholars; it won Best Feature Documentary at the All That Moves Film Festival in 2022 and has garnered over 52,000 YouTube views. 'Undocumented: A Dream of Education' (2022), addressing challenges faced by undocumented students, earned Best Film at the Tampa Bay Latin International Film Festival. Earlier, 'Rodrigo Herrmann – Life and Works' premiered at the 34th Music Festival of Curitiba and screened at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. Currently, she is developing a feature documentary on Brazilian WWII soldiers, the Pracinhas of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, featuring archival materials and interviews connected to her family history. In recognition of her contributions, Dr. Herrmann was selected for the Television Academy Foundation's 2018 Faculty Fellows program in Hollywood and recently received a medal from the WW2 Soldiers Legion of Paraná for preserving their legacy. Her films have been screened at festivals and conferences worldwide, enhancing multicultural dialogue and influencing film education in mass communication.