UNLV Film proudly celebrates Assistant Professor Thomas Bjelic, whose sound design work will be featured in two major theatrical releases this March: YOUNGBLOOD and MAYA & SAMAR.
YOUNGBLOOD premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2025. Directed by Academy Award-nominated Hubert Davis (BLACK ICE) and starring Ashton James and Blair Underwood, the film follows a hockey prodigy who joins the Hamilton Mustangs and confronts toxic locker-room culture on his path to the NHL draft. Praised for its intense hockey sequences, powerful performances, and character-driven storytelling, the film reimagines the 1986 cult classic starring Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze, which explored masculinity and trauma within competitive sports. Rated PG-13, YOUNGBLOOD releases in theaters across North America on March 6, 2026, with Bjelic serving as Sound Designer.
MAYA & SAMAR premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Fall 2025, earning acclaim for its cinematic and emotionally charged sapphic storyline. Directed by Academy Award-nominated Anita Doron, the film is set in contemporary Athens and tells the story of two young women from conflicting cultures whose brief yet torrid affair endangers one while propelling the other to sudden online fame. The story follows a privileged Canadian journalist and a queer Afghan refugee, weaving in timely political themes. The production team consulted Afghan refugees living in Athens and highlighted both the vibrancy of Afghanistan’s queer community and the repression many have faced. Rated NC-17, MAYA & SAMAR opens in theaters across North America on March 20, 2026, with Bjelic also serving as Sound Designer.
Bjelic’s work as Sound Effects Editor can also be heard in the horror feature SHELBY OAKS, directed by Chris Stuckmann and executive produced by Mike Flanagan. The film was released by NEON on October 24, 2025.
With more than 35 years in the film industry, Bjelic has earned hundreds of screen credits across film and television. His distinguished career includes 19 awards and 48 nominations, including a 2003 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special for HITLER: THE RISE OF EVIL Part I and a 2016 Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing - Long Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television for TEXAS RISING (Episode “Vengeance Is Mine”). Bjelic is best known for his sound design work on many of the SAW horror franchise films produced by Twisted Pictures. He is also recognized for his work as Sound Effects Editor on ORPHAN BLACK (2013–2017) and Supervising Sound Editor on KILLJOYS (2015–2016), along with many, many more. Bjelic began his career as Assistant Sound Editor on David Cronenberg’s 1993 cult classic M. BUTTERFLY.
To learn more about the UNLV Department of Film, along with Thomas Bjelic’s Sound Design classes, visit https://www.unlv.edu/film.