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Watch the Future of Filmmaking Unfold: An Episode Guide for 'Fine Cut' Season 21

A video camera showing an image of people gathered in the frame | Kushagra Kevat/Unsplash
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This has been an unprecendented year in human history, but the challenges of the past six or so months has not stopped young filmmakers from telling the stories they need to tell. Join us every Wednesday as we present today's promising young filmmaking talent drawn from all over Southern California. Tune in Wednesdays starting Sept. 30 at 10 p.m. PT on KCET in Southern California and on Thursdays starting Oct. 1 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide (Dish Network 9410 and DirecTV 375) to catch a glimpse of tomorrow's big names in filmmaking. 

Mark your calendars for these upcoming episodes: 

Episode 1: California Now and Then  

Wed., Sept. 30, 10 p.m. PT on KCET

(Episode 1) Simone Baker in The Dope Years: The Story of Latasha Harlins  - Director Allison Waite - USC
Simone Baker in "The Dope Years: The Story of Latasha Harlins" directed by Allison Waite of USC.

Friends and family recount the life and death of Latasha Harlins, the forgotten spark that ignited the ‘92 L.A. riots in “The Dope Years: The Story of Latasha Harlins”, a documentary from USC. UCLA’s “Frog Catcher” is inspired by the true story of a transgender man who develops a relationship with the wife of a wealthy businessman in 1876. Then, follow Guatemalan born “Doña Julia” through the streets of L.A. in a documentary from Cal State LA. Then, Blue and her twin Yellow adapt to separation in “Two”, an autobiographical animated film from CalArts.  Finally, a young girl finds a flower growing in her apartment complex, and her world is changed forever in “Sprout” an animated film from USC.  

Episode 2: Outsider

Wed., Oct. 7, 10 p.m. PT on KCET

(Episode 2) Long, Shao-Hua in A-Tien - Director Yueh Tzu Sun - NYFA
Long, Shao-Hua in "A-Tien" directed by Yueh Tzu Sun from NYFA

A freelance taxi driver can't stand big taxi company 5-Star snatching customers so he forms a protest in “A-Tien,” a comedy from New York Film Academy.  Then, an orphanage is invaded by a shadowy creature in “Milk Teeth,” a horror-fantasy fairytale from USC.  “Faith Alone,” a documentary from Cal State Long Beach, explores changes to the Methodist church through the dual perspectives of a minister mother and her queer child. Finally, in “Low-Key,” an animated film from USC, Cal and his friend Grace explore Cal’s past using a special ring of keys. 

Episode 3: Different Path  

Wed., Oct. 14, 10 p.m. PT on KCET

(Episode 3) The Kitchlets - Director Clarisse Chua - Cal Arts
A frame from "The Kitchlets" directed by Clarisse Chua from Cal Arts

Priyanaka, a rebellious American college student, travels to India upon her mother’s sudden death, navigating the inevitable culture clash led by her loveable but insane family in “Unmothered,” a dark comedy from USC.  In the American Pavilion short film, “Black Hat,” the secret double life of a pious Hasidic man is uncovered on a night out in L.A. Then meet Paul, a 25-year-old with Down syndrome who bucks expectations while falling in love in “Nothing Down About It,” a documentary from Loyola Marymount University.  In “The Kitchlets,” an animated film from CalArts, a lonely woman depends on the company of three little house spirits that feed off her positive emotions and take care of her negative ones. Finally, a girl recalls a formative childhood memory in “Melted,” an animated film from CalArts. 

Episode 4: Don’t Panic   

Wed., Oct. 21, 10 p.m. PT on KCET

(Episode 4) Out of Stock
A frame from "Out of Stock"

“Out of Stock,” a film from Chapman University, offers a comedic retelling of the time Johnny Carson inadvertently started the first toilet paper crisis. Then a young woman married to an increasingly paranoid survivalist in rural Idaho must escape in “The Art of Survival,” a film from UCLA.  In “Hey Neighbor,” a film from Chapman University, it only takes leaning out a window late at night to find a friend. Then, follow Mr. RuRu on his long and dangerous trip home, in the animated short film, “Mr. RuRu’s Adventure” from CalArts. Finally, the world is about to be swallowed by a black hole, when a wealthy entrepreneur offers an escape lottery in “A HOLE,” an animated film from USC.  

Top Image: A video camera showing an image of people gathered in the frame | Kushagra Kevat/Unsplash

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