KCETs Annual Fine Cut Student Film Festival Honors Filmmakers From Eight Schools, Premiering June

Four-Week Series to Showcase Student Films from Art Center

College of Design, CalArts, Chapman University,

Columbia College Hollywood, Loyola Marymount University, UCLA and USC

Burbank, Calif. - Jun. 10, 2014 - KCET, in collaboration with the Bridges/Larson Foundation, presents FINE CUT: KCETS ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF STUDENT FILMS, honoring filmmakers from seven renowned schools across Southern California. Now celebrating its 17th year, the four-week series will showcase some of the finest documentaries, comedic, dramatic and animated shorts by students. The series, hosted by legendary actor/producer Jack Larson, begins June 23, 2014 at 9 p.m.

This seasons participating student filmmakers hail from Art Center College of Design, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Chapman University, Columbia College Hollywood, Loyola Marymount University (LMU), the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT) and University of Southern California (USC).

Were excited to continue our 17-year tradition of showcasing exceptional films from talented Southern California student filmmakers, said Bohdan Zachary, Senior Vice President of Broadcasting, Programming and Syndication for KCETLink, who also serves as executive producer of the annual series. This body of work is so impressive that its hard to believe these films are made by students who are still in the process of honing their craft. We are pleased to extend their fan base and share their work to a diverse, enthusiastic Southern California audience.

FINE CUT: KCETS FESTIVAL OF STUDENT FILMS, kicks off on Monday, June 23 with Into the Silent Sea, a Grand Prize winner at the prestigious 2013 BAFTA Student Awards. Directed by Andrej Landin of Chapman University, the short follows Alexander, a lone cosmonaut, who is adrift in orbit around Earth. He has lost communications and life-support systems are dwindling fast. At the same time in Italy, a radio engineer is working the night shift. He discovers a voice amidst the empty static. Under desperate circumstances, and across vast distances, an intense connection is made.

Other films featured that night include: US by Seth Ronquillo of UCLA TFT, which chronicles the American Dream through the eyes of an undocumented immigrant family; and In Passing, a short film about a man who jumps off a building to end it all, and the woman he falls in love with on the way down, directed by Alan Miller of USC.

The series will also feature, Yamashita by Hayley Foster of LMU on July 7, which is the 2014 winner for Animation in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 41st Student Academy Awards competition.

FINE CUT is made possible by the Bridges/Larson Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting programs that serve film students.

Selected films are chosen by professors and submitted to KCET for final selection. FINE CUT showcases films as diverse as the students who make them. Projects making the final cut have ranged from nail-biting suspense to gut-wrenching stories of love and loss.

Often, FINE CUT marks the television debut of a students work - which has led to other industry opportunities. Spanish-born director David Martin Porras, whose UCLA TFT film Ida y Vuelta (Round Trip) was featured in the 2010 series, is now a director at Disney/ABC Television Group.

Detailed information about all of the film shorts in this years series is available at kcet.org/finecut, which includes filmmaker biographies, film synopses, streaming video and discussion boards. Below, please find a complete list of films and scheduled airdates:

MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014

INTO THE SILENT SEA

Andrej Landin, Chapman University

US

Seth Ronquillo, UCLA TFT

IN PASSING

Alan Miller, USC

MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2014

MY LIGHT HAS GONE

Jason Kummerfeldt, Chapman University

ALMA

Paul Joseph, Columbia College Hollywood

CYBERBULLIED

Doug Cembellin, USC

MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

YAMASHITA

Hayley Foster, LMU

FABIAN DEBORA, A LIFE FOR ART

Jessica Kaye, USC

THE PROMISED LAND

Vanessa Knutsen, UCLA TFT

MONDAY, JULY 14, 2014

PRESENT TRAUMA

Mark Manalo, USC

SWEET, SWEET COUNTRY

Dehanza Rogers, UCLA TFT

ISTIFA (RESIGNATION)

Rahat Mahajan, Art Center College

NEW YEARS EVE

Eileen Hsu, CalArts

About KCET

On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 50-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and childrens programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. KCET is a service of KCETLink.

About The Bridges/Larson Foundation

The Bridges/Larson Foundation was created by filmmaking collaborators James Bridges and Jack Larson in 1992, just before Bridges death. The writer and director of films such as Urban Cowboy and The China Syndrome, Bridges was passionate about encouraging educators to train the next generation of filmmakers. Actor and producer Jack Larson--perhaps best known as cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the 1950s TV version of Superman--has upheld Bridges vision by consistently funding programs that serve film students. In addition to supporting Fine Cut, the Bridges/Larson Foundation has made major donations to the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Over the years, the foundation has expanded its purview beyond film-education programs. Larson is espe

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