Official Selections: 1st-7th LA Student Film Festivals
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Scroll Down to learn more about each film
Uncommon Application
Los Angeles Premiere
A high school senior discouraged by college applications explores alternative and morally questionable methods to the process.
Director: Ris Igrec
Producer: Danielle Gould, Ris Igrec, Stella Wunder
Writer: Ris Igrec and Stella Wunder
Cast: Stella Wunder, Giuliana DeMarinis, Catherine Nastasi, sandile mhlaba, Laetitia, Denisse Estefany Mendoza
Cinematographer: Tony Wang
Editor: Seamus Slattery
Yale in Hollywood Official Selection (Virtual Student Film Festival), Ezra Stiles Student Film Festival Winner for Best Film
Website: filmfreeway.com/UncommonApplicationInstagram: @uncommonappfilm
Walking Thin Lines
USA Premiere
After Danielle shows up at her home in the middle of the night with tears and bruises, Edith, who has survived an abusive marriage herself, tries to help her daughter come to terms with the reality of her own abusive relationship. Paying keen attention to symbolism, physical (prop and set design) storytelling, and the nuances of a mother, daughter relationship born in an abusive environment, this short film explores generational trauma from the perspective of the pivotal generation: Edith. The plot is heavily driven by subtext in this horror-esque drama. Currently, still in the festival circuit, it has been selected by 4 festivals (yet to be aired) and has won 3 awards, so far (Best Screenplay Student Short, Best Women Short, and Best Narrative - Fiction) in IMDb certified competitions. This was written and executive produced by Candice Horde in her second year of film school. It grew from words on a page to a living breathing story with the help of her LMU Cohort and other friends.
Director - Preston Ray
Producers - Candice Horde, Patrick Kelly, and Delaynna Corley
Writer and Executive Producer - Candice Horde
Cast - Kristen Horde (Danielle), Selandra Wright (Edith), Marvin Edmonds (Clay)
Cinematographer - Caleb Sng
Editor - Rachel Zhou
Gaffer/Key Grip - Connor Sweeney
1st AC - Lexa Aguas
Script Supervisors - Cal Coleman and Alexis Hunter
Sound Mixer - Ella Bettarello
UPM - Ethan Raduns-Silverstein
Production Assistant - Alexis Hunter
When She Was Good
West Coast Premiere
When a young girl discovers that Santa is not real, she questions the lies told by adults and the terrible secret that she has been forced to keep.
Director: Margarita Milne
Producer: Emma Hanson
Writer: Margarita Milne, Becca Sugar
Cast: Georgina Morgan, Barry Ward, Frances Grey, Amelie Whiteley, Summer Richards, Julia Florimo
Cinematographer: Jamie Touche
Editor: Cecilia de Lena
Any awards, accolades or additional details about the process you would like to mention:
Wildsound Film and Screenplay Film Festival 2021 - Winner of Best Cinematography
Watersprite Film Festival 2022 - Winner of Best Editing &Nominated for Best Production Design
Beeston Film Festival 2022 - Nominated for Best Drama and Best Script
Website: margaritamilne.com/when-she-was-good
Instagram: @margaritamilne
Twitter: @milne_margarita
Wolf Watchers
Short Documentary
Braving the realities of the harsh Montana winter and changing hunting regulations, hobby and career biologists track and study wolves in the Northern Tier of Yellowstone National Park. While the fate of wolves remains uncertain, the devotion and passion of Yellowstone’s Wolf Watchers are always a constant.
Director: Olivia Belluck, Claire Barber
Producer: Olivia Belluck, Claire Barber
Cinematographer: Olivia Belluck, Claire Barber
Editor: Olivia Belluck, Claire Barber
Oregon Documentary Film Festival Best Editing Award, Texas Short Film Festival Best Picture Nominee, LA & Toronto Documentary Short Film Festival Best Cinematography Award.
Instagram: @wolfwatchersdoc
Upon Reflection
Upon Reflection is a two-minute short film I made with my little sister and my dad while in quarantine.
Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, & Editor: Johnny Cruz
Cast: Julia Cruz, Tony Cruz
So far, Upon Reflection has gotten Finalist at the New York Flash Film Festival, and Semi-Finalist at the Student Los Angeles Film Festival. Still Sadie, a pseudo-documentary I wrote, directed, and made with my friends and family, won Best Documentary at the Reale Film Festival in Milan, Italy. I also write feature screenplays. One of them, Repair the Carrows, won the Grand Prize at the 13th Annual Storypros Awards, and placed in the Top 100 submissions at the 2020 Scriptapalooza International Screenplay Competition.
Instagram: @johnnycruz16/
Film Freeway: filmfreeway.com/JohnnyCruz
War on Women
Short Documentary
Some things aren’t normal; they have been normalized. There’s a difference. War on Women is an informative and reflexive bite-size documentary that explores the historical and ongoing fight for women’s rights. Through interviews, archived footage, and infographics, the film explores four waves of the feminist movement, and the changes that were influenced by challenging societal expectations and laws that ultimately regress women’s rights.
Director: Brooke Malesan
Producer: Megan Sergerie
Writer: Brooke Malesan
Cast: Autumn MacDuff, Nikki Pawluk, Nazin Ghaffarizadeh
Cinematographer: Autumn MacDuff
Editor: Brooke Malesan
Instagram: @brookemalesan
What to do with Wallace Woods?
Los Angeles Premiere
Short
Howard learns that his hero isn't all he thought he was in this satirical exploration of how one separates the art from the artist.
Director: Nick Bash and Tucker Shannon
Producer: Ryan Pollard
Writer: Liam Greenlee
Cast: Liam Greenlee, Jaden Knighton, Ethan Montgomery, and Mandy Fischer
Cinematographer: Logan Mann
Editor: Nick Bash and Tucker Shannon
A project led by Biola University freshmen.
Official Selection - Newport Beach Film Festival, Joedance Film Festival, Guerrilla Student Film Festival
Best Actor - Guerrilla Student Film Festival
Instagram: @nomad.productionco
Whiskered Away
Los Angeles Premiere
Animation
When a stray cat sets out on a quest for a home, she encounters a witch who seems to be the perfect owner... maybe too perfect. Will she turn a blind eye to stay in the home she so desperately wants?
Director: Gale Smith
Producer: Gale Smith
Writer: Gale Smith
Cast: (Voice Actress:) Mabel the cat, (Animators & Colorists:) Andreas Barberia, Nicole Grimes, Jinan Jiha, Brandon Lang, Lucy Skrypzak, Gale Smith, (Background Artists:) Ethan Carter, Kara Jane, Jinan Jiha, Gabriel Moreno, Gale Smith, (Composers:) Collette Jones, Jun Matoba, Tan Onwimon, (Sound Designer:) Matthew Ruedas, (Foley Mixers:) Anna Edith Schneider, Kirsten Bünning, Vivica Priem
Cinematographer / Lead Story Artist: Gale Smith
Editor / Lead Animator: Gale Smith
- Whiskered Away” is a completely hand-drawn, 2D-animated short film. Our talented artists worked in Toon Boom Harmony and Photoshop to create over seven thousand frames for this five-minute film! Meanwhile, our wonderful composers, sound designer, and foley mixers created an original score and sound design to truly immerse us in this story.
Website: whiskered-away.weebly.com
Instagram: @galeanimation
Vlada Goes to London
Los Angeles Premiere
Vlada is a pizza delivery girl who lives in Haifa and dreams of becoming a famous DJ. Within a five-hour shift, we get a glimpse into her world full of pressure where she's willing to do whatever it takes to find the money for a flight to perform at a festival in London.
Director: Arti Savchenko
Producer: Arti Savchenko
Writer: Arti Savchenko
Cast: Shely Nave, Yarden Tuizer, Oren Hagany
Cinematographer: Ruslan Yudovsky
Editor: Naaman Hoffman
Official selections by Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Palm Springs Shortfest, BendFilm, Visioni Corte Film Festival, Catalina Film Festival, Paris Art & Movie Awards, One Shot Film Festival, International Road Movie Festival.
Website: imdb.com/title/tt13496888/
Facebook: facebook.com/VladaGoesToLondon
We are almost there
USA Premiere
Short
In 1931, Charlie, an African-American young man, his younger sister, and his girlfriend, embark on a journey to Atlantic City. A routine traffic stop by a police Officer escalates into a tense situation, forcing Charlie to choose between non-violence to protect his sister or confronting injustice, risking his own life to defend his girlfriend.
Director: Carlos Prias
Producer: Themba Moyo
Writer: Carlos Prias
Cast: Daniel Imode, Kate Coleman, Ellana Lloyd, Patrick McGrath
Cinematographer: Taylor Frontier
Editor: Carlos Prias, Edward Moyo
- Best Fiction Shortfilm at the Santa Fe de Antioquia Film Festival
Director's Instagram: @priascarlos
What a Sunny Day
USA Premiere
It is a simple love story, but not just a simple love story. Living in a fast-moving overpopulated world makes us anxious and frightened most of the time. This is a delightful film dedicated to everyone who has lost themselves in the crowd. There is always someone at somewhere sharing the same weirdness with you. Love happens when two lunatics meet each other.
Director: Scarlett Yuan Wang
Producer: Luman Cleo Zou
Writer: Scarlett Yuan Wang
Cast: Dante Brlardinelli, Naya Abou Mousa, Brian Bentz, Vas Batricevic
Cinematographer: Mu Su
Editor: Lerfilm
Instagram: @rumanddietcola/