Rate My Professor Joel Potrykus

Joel Potrykus is an Associate Professor of Film & Video Production in the Department of Visual & Media Arts at Grand Valley State University, where he teaches courses including FVP 261 Scriptwriting I, FVP 362 Scriptwriting II, FVP 321 Fiction Filmmaking I, and FVP 421 Fiction Filmmaking II. A Michigan-based independent filmmaker and alumnus of the university, he earned a BS in Film & Video Production from Grand Valley State University and an MFA in Writing for Film and Television from Emerson College. Potrykus specializes in screenwriting and guerrilla-style production, with his films examining the unhealthy ways antisocial outsiders confront anxiety and isolation. His screenplays are preserved in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Permanent Collection and the George A. Romero Archival Collection.

Potrykus's feature films have achieved acclaim at international festivals. Ape (2012) won Best New Director at the Locarno Film Festival. Buzzard (2014) received the FIPRESCI Prize at the Ljubljana International Film Festival. Additional features include The Alchemist Cookbook (2016), Relaxer (2018), and Vulcanizadora (2024), the latter premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival where it earned a Special Jury Prize for actor Joshua Burge. His works have screened at SXSW, Lincoln Center for the Arts, Cinémathèque Française in Paris, Fantasia International Film Festival, and are streaming on the Criterion Channel. In 2025, students surprised Potrykus with a visit to the Criterion Closet, where he selected favorite films for the popular YouTube series, further highlighting his influence in independent cinema. Through his dual roles in filmmaking and academia, Potrykus contributes significantly to visual storytelling and education in film production.