Student Short Film Series FINE CUT Celebrates 25 Years Showcasing Southern California’s Top Emerging Filmmakers with New Season Premiering Sept. 18
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Los Angeles, Calif. – Aug. 14, 2024 – PBS SoCal Southern California’s flagship PBS organization, announced today the 33 student finalists and their short films selected as participants for the 25th season of the FINE CUT Festival of Films. After 25 years of being founded by Jack Larson, who may be best known for his portrayal of photographer/reporter Jimmy Olsen in the 1952-1958 television series “Adventures of Superman,” FINE CUT continues to showcase a collection of short films from hundreds of student filmmakers across Southern California through a series of broadcast episodes and an in-person Awards event. This year, a record-breaking $65,000+ in prizes will be awarded to the winners that were selected by a panel of 10 esteemed industry judges. In 2024, over 350 films were submitted by students from more than 45 schools (more than ever before) around the region. The FINE CUT program is made possible by a generous grant provided by the Bridges-Larson Foundation as well as the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture Creative Recovery LA Fund. The FINE CUT Festival of Films will be broadcast as a series of six one-hour broadcast episodes starting Wed., Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus in Southern California with many FINE CUT films available for streaming at pbssocal.org/finecut and on the free PBS app.
Panel of Judges. Finalists and winners in each category were determined by an industry panel of ten esteemed individuals that included (in alphabetical order) Director/Producer David Altrogge (“Clemente,” “Neat”), Director Rachel Goldberg (“Agatha All Along,” “Gen V,” Fox’s Tideline Productions “The BM”), Owner/Principal of JFG Consulting LLC/Studio Executive Jill Gilbert (“Epic Games,” “Moonbug,” “Supercell,” “The British Film Commission”), Writer Skander Halim (“Ghosts,” “Murphy Brown,” “Pretty Persuasion”), Director/Writer Tanya Hamilton (“Night Catches Us,” “Good Country People”), Story Artist/Creator/Actor Michael Herrera (“Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical,” “Zootopia Plus”), Writer/Director/Show runner Elizabeth Ito (Netflix’s “City of Ghosts,” Cartoon Network’s “Welcome to My Life,” “Adventure Time”), Director/Producer Shaun Kadlec (“Possible Selves,” “Born This Way”), Actor/Organizer/Artist Support Manager Gabriella Ortega Ricketts (“Rebel Hearts,” “The Andy Warhol Diaries,” “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World”) and Actor/Producer Bellamy Young (“Scandal,” “Prodigal Son,” “The Other Black Girl”).
Awards Event. To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of FINE CUT, this year’s Awards ceremony event on Tues., Sept. 10 in the heart of Hollywood at Landmark Theatres Sunset (8000 Sunset Boulevard at Crescent Heights) will welcome back previous winners, judges, local community supporters, Fine Cut fans and invite the general public via the Eventbrite link HERE as well as this year’s 10 judges and all of the student finalists. During the event, three winners will be named in the categories of Documentary, Animation and Narrative short films. Also, one student’s strength as a storyteller will be recognized and awarded the prestigious Jack Larson Southern California Student Filmmaker Award. Guests will have the opportunity to view winning films from the competition showcasing this year’s most talented and promising young filmmakers. Similar to the past two years, this year’s event will be co-hosted by Variety Television Editor Michael Schneider and his Variety colleague Senior Entertainment Writer Angelique Jackson.
Prizes. This year’s three winners in the categories of Documentary, Animation and Narrative short films and one winner of the prestigious Jack Larson Southern California Student Filmmaker Award will receive a variety of prize packages offering useful filmmaking resources like rental equipment, animation software subscriptions, design tools and more, valued to be worth more than $65,000 – the highest number ever in the history of FINE CUT.
Valuable prize packages include a $10,000 camera package from Keslow Camera, $10,000 camera package rental from Stray Angel, a stage rental from A Very Good Space (estimated value of $6,500), four $2,500 cash prizes to each winner from First Entertainment Credit Union, DCP services from UKN Post (estimated value of $4,000), a DFI Rentals package (estimated value of $2,000), four licenses to Blackmagic Design (estimated value of $1,200), production supply credit to Quixote (estimated value of $1,000), a membership to the International Documentary Association (with exposure to 3,000 IDA members) and a two month membership to The Black List for three of the winners. Honorees will also receive prizes donated from some of the industry’s most reputable names including Adobe, Key Code Education, Avid Technology, Toon Boom Animation, Sunset Supplies, Dragonframe, Entertainment Partners (Movie Magic), XP Pen, Proko, TV Paint, Seed&Spark, Foundry and Backstage.
Student Roundtable Workshop. Students across Southern California will be invited to FINE CUT’s 5th Mentor Workshop hosted by Warner Bros. Entertainment on Sun., Sept. 29 at Warner Bros. Students will have the chance to customize their workshop experience. The roundtable-style Workshop will offer valuable guidance and provide students the opportunity to ask mentors their questions directly.
The Presentations/Panels section will feature mentors discussing relevant topics such as “A Financial Guide to the Entertainment Industry (in partnership with First Entertainment). In “Portfolio Reviews & Filmmaking Networking,” students will also receive feedback on their portfolios and learn ways to build relationships within the entertainment industry. The small-group format is designed to provide tomorrow’s generation of filmmakers with one-on-one opportunities to engage with various experts in the film, television, animation and documentary fields. More details, including how to attend, and the list of industry mentors attending will be announced on pbssocal.org/finecut at a later date.
This Year’s Submissions. Final films selected include themes focusing on economic inequality, immigration and the environment. 70% of the finalist’s films were female directors with 82% having at least one female producer and 3% of directors were transgender/non-binary. 67% of the finalist’s films had a lead character or main subject from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group and 70% of the directors were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group.
The 2024 FINE CUT finalists are listed below and episodes will air as follows
(*schedule subject to change):
“Deep Connection”- Wed., Sept. 18
A boxer is torn between pursuing his dream or supporting his family in USC drama “Donut Boy.” USC documentary “Marionnettiste” interviews the puppets making dreams come alive at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater. CalArts animated short “Man’s Best Friend” takes a playful look at pet ownership. Followed by CSUN documentary “Hooligans” and CalArts animated shorts “Dead Bird.” and “Testimony.”
Filmmakers: “Donut Boy” – directed by Bunthoeun Real – USC / “Marionnettiste” – directed by Brandon Walsh – USC / “Man’s Best Friend” – directed by Jaimi Qiu – CalArts / “Hooligans” – directed by Chelsea Ringle and Jerome Mariategue – CSUN / “Dead Bird” – directed by Matthew Lei – CalArts / “Testimony” – directed by Su Min Ha – CalArts
“Her Next Era” - Wed., Sept. 25
An unlikely friendship leads to a successful wallpaper business in “When Beverly Met Reita,” a documentary from Chapman Univ. A grandmother learns computer science in “The Code of Family” from USC. A married couple embarks on a new career as farmers in “Seeing with Hawaiian Eyes” from Chapman Univ. Followed by animated short “Eclipse” from CalArts and documentary “Ballet Folklórico” from SDSU.
Filmmakers: “When Beverly Met Reita” – directed by Brianna Rebecca Schatt – Chapman University / “The Code of Family” – directed by Kayla Sun – USC / “Seeing with Hawaiian Eyes” – directed by Hunter Naho'okaika – Chapman University / “Eclipse” – directed by Mina Chacko – CalArts / “Ballet Folklórico” – directed by Nindiya Andarini Maheswari Putri – SDSU
“Trapped”- Wed., Oct. 2
An immigrant taxi driver finds himself at odds reporting undocumented passengers in "Esperanza" from UCLA. A witch helps a girl discover true love in "ESOTERICA" from CalArts. An innocent apocalypse drill turns into a real disaster in comedy short "DOOMED" from New York Film Academy - LA. A boy falls prey to an insidious sugar-coated entity in “Cereal” from Santa Monica HS. Followed by New York Film Academy - LA documentary “Ten Days.”
Filmmakers: “Esperanza” – directed by Shruti Parekh – UCLA / “ESOTERICA” – directed by Erika Adriana Salazar Gutierrez – CalArts / “DOOMED” – directed by Helen Sun – New York Film Academy - LA / “Cereal” – directed by Chaplin Boyd – Santa Monica High School / “Ten Days” – directed by Yerzat Meirambek – New York Film Academy - LA
“That Missing Piece”- Wed., Oct. 9
A couple flees the Soviet Union during the fall of the Iron Curtain in “Nerot Shel Shabbat” from CSUN. An adopted girl struggles to find her place in “One of My Own” from Biola. A young boy grieves in “What Happens Now?” from CalArts. CSULB documentary “The Bridge Between” explores Khmer dance. Followed by animated shorts “And the Dragons Danced” from CSULB and “The Flower Snatcher” from Woodbury.
Filmmakers: “Nerot Shel Shabbat” – directed by Lital Mizrahi – CSUN / “One of My Own” – directed by Analei Song – Biola University / “What Happens Now?” – directed by Victoria Basadre – CalArts / “The Bridge Between” – directed by Tia Brieger – CSULB / “And the Dragons Danced” – directed by Mia Cesario – CSULB / “The Flower Snatcher” directed by Juliet Herrera-De Anda – Woodbury University
“The Unexpected Drops In”- Wed., Oct. 16
Donor conceived half siblings meet for the first time in CSUN documentary “#2276.” USC's Street Medicine team provides care to unhoused patients in documentary short “A Hand to Hold.” A scientist finds a mini dimension just like our own in USC animated short “In This Together.” Followed by LMU horror short “Let Us Out” and animations “Skate Bait” from APU and “King of the Nil” from Art Center.
Filmmakers: “#2276” – directed by Sara Sims – CSUN / “A Hand to Hold” – directed by Reed Martin – USC / “In This Together” – directed by Jiamu Tao – USC / “Let Us Out” – directed by Chris Allan – LMU / “Skate Bait” – directed by Kayla Dennis – Azusa Pacific University / “King of the Nil” directed by Huanran Mao – ArtCenter College of Art and Design
“See Ya Later”- Wed., Oct. 23
Three sisters navigate their strict evangelical upbringing in “Hickey” from UCLA. An architecture student seeks her first job while living out of her car in “Califoreclosed” from USC. A board game player is obsessed with winning in CalArts animated short “CAPITALISM!” A high school basketball player tries to rebalance his family dynamic in “5 Star” from CSUN. Followed by CalArts short “Cold Soda.”
Filmmakers: “Hickey” – directed by Giovanna Molina – UCLA / “Califoreclosed” – directed by Akaash Tumuluri – USC / “CAPITALISM!” – directed by Christina Wu – CalArts / “5 Star” – directed by Jerald Flowers – CSUN / “Cold Soda” directed by Huayi Yu – CalArts
This festival is a tribute to FINE CUT founder, Jack Larson. In the late 1990s, the actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer had the idea of creating a student film series that would provide talented students with the much-needed opportunity to have their short films selected for television broadcast. Larson understood how difficult it was for young filmmakers to get broad exposure for their work because, typically, student work is only seen at special screenings and film festivals. Larson thought that public television was an excellent platform for providing critical visibility to emerging filmmakers. PBS SoCal shares Larson’s enthusiasm for showcasing local student filmmaking and 25 years later, FINE CUT continues to be a flagship program for Southern California’s flagship PBS organization.
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Funding for Fine Cut is generously provided by The Bridges/Larson Foundation and the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture Creative Recovery LA Fund.
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