Fine Cut Festival of Films Press Materials

Press Contact:
JP Shields
(747) 201 - 5886
jpshields@kcet.org

 

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.

The winning Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Jack Larson Student Filmmaker Award films will be selected as part of the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmakers Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, hosted by The American Pavilion as well as a networking event. Each filmmaker will receive a cash prize up to $500 to use towards airfare and accommodations for five nights through The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Travel Accommodations program.  Additionally, three of the winning films from The 21st Annual American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase competition will be featured in the FINE CUT broadcast series.

All short films selected as finalists in the FINE CUT Festival of Films will be included in a series of half-hour broadcast episodes on KCET  public television in Southern California that will air starting Wed., Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. with many films available for streaming at kcet.org/finecut. Winners in each of the categories will be announced at a private awards ceremony and screening event sponsored by IndieWire on Wed., Sept. 19.

The finalists were announced as follows:

-al imam (University of Southern California) 
Documentary directed by Omar Al Dakheel 

-Candy Crushed (California Institute of the Arts)
Animation directed by Chloe Hsu

-Deviant (San Diego State University)
Narrative directed by Benjamin Howard 

-Dumpling (California Institute of the Arts)
Animation directed by Siti Lu 

-General Dupont in General Dupont Does Laundry (University of California, Los Angeles) 
Animation directed by Kim Nguyen

-If You Want Out (San Diego State University) 
Documentary directed by Mark Ledbetter 

-Kip (Biola University)
Documentary directed by Nicholas Moyer & Nate Norell 

-Labor (University of California, Los Angeles) 
Narrative directed by Cecilla Albertnini 

-On Time (University of Southern California) 
Narrative directed by Xavier Neal-Burgin 
 
-One Small Step (University of Southern California)
Narrative directed by: Aqsa Altaf

-Raccoon and the Light (California Institute of the Arts) 
Animation directed by Hanna Kim 

-Serial Killer Superstar (University of Southern California)
Narrative directed by Joseph Picozzi

-Where I was Born (California Institute of the Arts) 
Animation directed by Jungmin Cha

American Pavilion (AP) Selections 
-Guns Found Here (Emerging Filmmaker) ñ won AP “Best Emerging Documentary 2018” 
Documentary directed by David Freid 

-My Mom and the Girl (Emerging Filmmaker) ñ AP “Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ Showcase ñ Honorable Mention 2017” 
Narrative directed by Susie Singer Carter

-Night Call (Chapman University) ñ won AP “Best Student Film 2018”
Narrative directed by Amanda Renee Knox

Press Images