18th Annual FINE CUT Festival of Films Series Premiere on KCET and Link TV Nationwide June 14 Showcasing Exemplary Short Films
Press Contact for KCET and Link TV:
JP Shields
(747) 201 - 5886
jpshields@kcet.org
With Over 3,000 Entries From Around The Globe Nine Acclaimed Industry Experts Selected Three Winners To Attend The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase in Cannes
Comedian Demetri Martin (CBS Films’ Upcoming Feature ‘Dean’)To Host June 4 Public Screening Event In Partnership with IndieWire and American Cinematheque
KCET.org/finecut and LinkTV.org/finecut
BURBANK, Calif. – May 17, 2017 – KCETLink Media Group, a leading national independent nonprofit public broadcast and digital network, announced today the Southern California KCET and Link TV nationwide broadcast dates for the finalist films in the 18th annual FINE CUT Film Festival, a collection of short films from student and emerging filmmakers. After a call for submissions in December 2016, over 3,000 shorts were received from 112 countries eligible for awards in the competition ranging from cutting-edge animation to the best in documentary cinema. All short films selected as finalists in the FINE CUT Film Festival will be included in a series of one-hour broadcast episodes on KCET public television in Southern California and also on Link TV nationwide (DirecTV 375 and Dish Network 9410) that will air starting Weds., June 14 at 9 p.m. with films available for streaming at kcet.org/finecut and linktv.org/finecut.
Also announced today were this year’s four winners and a special screening event on June 4 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood hosted by comedian Demetri Martin.
For the first time, honorees from the festival will have an opportunity to be a part of one of the most important events on the global film calendar, the 70th annual Cannes International Film Festival, thanks to a partnership with The American Pavilion, the epicenter of American hospitality and communication at the world’s largest film market. Additionally, three of the winning films from The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase competition will be featured in the FINE CUT broadcast series.
Top films were judged by an industry expert panel that included MUST SEE MOVIES host Pete Hammond, the International Documentary Association's Executive Director Simon Kilmurry, "Bloodline" actress Linda Cardellini, producer and former talent agent John Ptak, "Project Greenlight" Producer Effie T. Brown, IndieWire staff writer Steve Greene, Peruvian filmmaker Javier Fuentes-León and Academy Award® winning short filmmakers Corinne Marrinan and Chris Tashima.
A screening event sponsored by American Cinematheque and IndieWire is open to the public and will be held on Sunday, June 4 at Hollywood's iconic landmark, the Egyptian Theatre (6712 Hollywood Blvd., LA, CA 90028) starting at 4 p.m. The event will be hosted by comedian Demetri Martin (“The Daily Show”) who is an emerging filmmaker himself after making his directorial debut in CBS Films’ “Dean” (also acting as writer and star). Tickets are free and can be reserved by going to KCET.org/finecut. More information on American Cinematheque can be found at americancinematheque.com
Films were judged in two categories: Emerging Filmmakers Competition and Student Filmmakers Competition (one third of the entries were from student filmmakers). All films were also eligible for a third category, the Viewers Choice Competition, where filmmakers had a chance to have their peers vote online at KCET.org. Winners of the three categories were selected as part of The American Pavilion’s Emerging filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival, which will take place in late May. Each filmmaker will receive five-night accommodations through The American Pavilion plus $500 cash to go toward air travel. Winners were notified April 11, 2017.
Student filmmakers from Southern California film schools ranging from Santa Barbara to San Diego also had the chance to win The Jack Larson Southern California Student Filmmaker Award, where the winning filmmaker received a cash prize.
The winners were as follows:
STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD
DOOR TO FREEDOM (TUR ZUR FREIHEIT)
2016, 20 min., Austria, Drama, Subtitles, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences
Writer/Director: Jeremias Bayerl
Logline: What if the deepest issue of the refugee crisis is packed into the moral of a bedtime story? A drama, in which a boy has to escape from war and overcome several barriers in order to reach his goal, a wooden door, his only chance to freedom. A paradox world that is truly sad, finally revealing a bizarre surprise.
VIEWERS CHOICE AWARD
THE OUTCAST
2015, 16:33 min., USA, Drama, Subtitles, Columbia College Chicago
Director: Bucher Almzain
Writer: J. Scott Sibley, Bucher Almzain
Logline: After escaping a war torn country, a young woman is now torn herself when her husband is denied entry into the U.S. Alone and with little money, she struggles to get him in before he is deported. Surrounded by a foreign culture, she must learn to quickly adapt while feeling like a true outcast.
EMERGING FILMMAKER AWARD
HIDE AND SEEK (GRAND HUIT)
2015, 23:48 min., Drama, Subtitles, France
Writer/Director: Camille Fleury
Logline: Alice is in the hospital. Here, she does not invite: she gets visitors.
THE JACK LARSON SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD
HUM
Writer/Director: Tom Teller
Logline: A solitary dish-washing robot living out his life in the back room of a restaurant is enlightened to the world that exists beyond his four walls when, with the help of a small friend, he breaks free of confinement to pursue his dream of exploration.
The festival is a tribute to FINE CUT founder Jack Larson who was an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer who may be best known for his portrayal of photographer/reporter Jimmy Olsen in the 1952-1958 television series “Adventures of Superman.” In the late 1990s Larson approached Southern California’s KCET with 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. KCET shared Larson’s enthusiasm and together they created FINE CUT, which continues to be a flagship program for KCET today.
Funding for Fine Cut is generously provided by The Bridges/Larson Foundation
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ABOUT KCETLINK MEDIA GROUP
KCETLink Media Group is a national independent, nonprofit, digital and broadcast network that provides high-quality, culturally diverse programming designed to engage the public in innovative, entertaining and transformative ways. With a commitment to independent perspectives, smart global entertainment, local communities, and opportunities for engagement and social action, KCETLink depicts people and the world through a lens unavailable elsewhere in U.S. media. A viewer-supported 501(c)(3) organization, KCETLink content is distributed nationally via satellite on Link TV DIRECTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410 and on KCET in Southern and Central California via broadcast and cable, as well as through various digital delivery systems. For additional information about KCET and Link TV productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org or linktv.org. Select programming from KCET and Link TV is also available for streaming on Hulu, Apple TV, and Roku platforms.
