Fine Cut | KCET
More than twenty years ago, Jack Larson approached KCET with the idea of creating a student film series that would provide talented students with the opportunity to have their short films aired on television. 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 Festival of Films." Submissions have closed at this time. Stay tuned to watch the winning films!
Upcoming Airdates
Don’t Panic
Season 21, Episode 4
Chapman University offers a comedic retelling of the time Johnny Carson started the first toilet paper crisis in the short film “Out of Stock.” A young woman married to a paranoid survivalist must escape in “The Art of Survival,” from UCLA. Finally, the short film “Hey Neighbor” from Chapman University, is followed by two animated shorts “Mr RuRu’s Adventure” from Cal Arts and “A HOLE” from USC.
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2021-01-23T10:00:00-08:00KCET-HD
California Now and Then
Season 21, Episode 1
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.
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2021-01-30T10:00:00-08:00KCET-HD
Fight
In "The Moon and The Night, a film from Chapman University, A native Hawaiian teenage girl must confront her father after he enters her beloved pet in a dog fight. Followed by "Prey", an animated film from Cal State LA depicting the natural cycle of human society.
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2021-02-05T16:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
Outsider
Season 21, Episode 2
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 from USC. Also included is Cal State Long Beach documentary “Faith Alone” and USC’s animated film “Low-Key.”
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2021-02-13T10:00:00-08:00KCET-HD
2020 Short Films
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Fine Cut
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, directed by Molly Murphy.
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Fine Cut
A long and dangerous trip home for businessman Mr. RuRu, in the animated short film, “Mr. RuRu’s Adventure” from CalArts, directed by Siti Lu.
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Fine Cut
“Hey Neighbor,” a film from Chapman University directed by Emu about leaning out a window late at night and finding a friend.
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Fine Cut
A young woman married to an increasingly paranoid survivalist in rural Idaho must escape him using the skills he taught her in “The Art of Survival,” a film from UCLA, directed by Greg Armstrong.
-
Fine Cut
“Out of Stock,” a film from Chapman University directed by Bryan Taira, offers a comedic retelling of the time Johnny Carson inadvertently started the first toilet paper crisis.
-
Fine Cut
A girl recalls a formative childhood memory of stealing a popsicle from a shop in “Melted,” an animated film from CalArts, directed by Shuting Zhong.
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Fine Cut
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 in “The Kitchlets,” an animated film from CalArts, directed by Clarisse Chua.
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Fine Cut
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, directed by Skyler DeYoung.
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Fine Cut
The American Pavilion short film, “Black Hat" uncovers the secret double life of a pious Hasidic man on a night out in L.A. Directed by Sarah Smith.
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Fine Cut
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, directed by Urvashi Pathania.
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Fine Cut
Chapman University offers a comedic retelling of the time Johnny Carson started the first toilet paper crisis in the short film “Out of Stock.” Explore the future of filmmaking with other short films from Chapman Univ., UCLA, CalArts, USC.
-
Fine Cut
“Low-Key,” an animated film from USC directed by Collin Schuster, Cal and his friend Grace traverse through Cal's memories to figure out why he had a falling out with his old best friend, and by looking through the past they hope to fix the present.
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Fine Cut
"Faith Alone,” a documentary from Cal State Long Beach, directed by Jess Kung, explores changes to the Methodist church through the dual perspectives of a minister mother and her queer child.
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Fine Cut
An orphanage spirals into mayhem when a boy discovers a shadowy creature who comes to collect more than just the children’s teeth in “Milk Teeth,” a horror-fantasy fairytale from USC, directed by Felipe Vargas.
-
Fine Cut
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, directed by Yueh Tzu Sun.
-
Fine Cut
A woman travels back to India upon her mother’s sudden death while navigating her family in “Unmothered” from USC. Explore the future of filmmaking with other films from USC, American Pavilion, LMU, CalArts.
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Fine Cut
When a young girl finds a flower growing in her apartment complex, her world is changed forever.
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Fine Cut
Follow Guatemalan-born “Doña Julia” through the streets of L.A. in search of recycling to make ends meet.
-
Fine Cut
In 1876 San Francisco, when law prohibited women from wearing trousers, a frog catcher known as a transgender man develops a relationship with the wife of a wealthy businessman.
-
Fine Cut
Friends and family recount the life and death of Latasha Harlins, the forgotten spark that ignited the ‘92 L.A. riots, a documentary from USC, directed by Allison A. Waite.
-
Fine Cut
Explore the future of filmmaking with short films from NYFA, USC, Cal State LB and USC.
-
Fine Cut
Discover the forgotten spark that ignited the L.A. Uprising. Explore the future of filmmaking with short films from USC, UCLA, Cal State LA, CalArts.
-
Fine Cut
Now on its 21st season, “Fine Cut” showcases 19 short films made by a new generation of storytellers from Southern California.
2020 Short Films
-
Fine Cut
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, directed by Molly Murphy.
-
Fine Cut
A long and dangerous trip home for businessman Mr. RuRu, in the animated short film, “Mr. RuRu’s Adventure” from CalArts, directed by Siti Lu.
-
Fine Cut
“Hey Neighbor,” a film from Chapman University directed by Emu about leaning out a window late at night and finding a friend.
-
Fine Cut
A young woman married to an increasingly paranoid survivalist in rural Idaho must escape him using the skills he taught her in “The Art of Survival,” a film from UCLA, directed by Greg Armstrong.
-
Fine Cut
“Out of Stock,” a film from Chapman University directed by Bryan Taira, offers a comedic retelling of the time Johnny Carson inadvertently started the first toilet paper crisis.
-
Fine Cut
A girl recalls a formative childhood memory of stealing a popsicle from a shop in “Melted,” an animated film from CalArts, directed by Shuting Zhong.
-
Fine Cut
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 in “The Kitchlets,” an animated film from CalArts, directed by Clarisse Chua.
-
Fine Cut
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, directed by Skyler DeYoung.
-
Fine Cut
The American Pavilion short film, “Black Hat" uncovers the secret double life of a pious Hasidic man on a night out in L.A. Directed by Sarah Smith.
-
Fine Cut
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, directed by Urvashi Pathania.
-
Fine Cut
Chapman University offers a comedic retelling of the time Johnny Carson started the first toilet paper crisis in the short film “Out of Stock.” Explore the future of filmmaking with other short films from Chapman Univ., UCLA, CalArts, USC.
-
Fine Cut
“Low-Key,” an animated film from USC directed by Collin Schuster, Cal and his friend Grace traverse through Cal's memories to figure out why he had a falling out with his old best friend, and by looking through the past they hope to fix the present.
-
Fine Cut
"Faith Alone,” a documentary from Cal State Long Beach, directed by Jess Kung, explores changes to the Methodist church through the dual perspectives of a minister mother and her queer child.
-
Fine Cut
An orphanage spirals into mayhem when a boy discovers a shadowy creature who comes to collect more than just the children’s teeth in “Milk Teeth,” a horror-fantasy fairytale from USC, directed by Felipe Vargas.
-
Fine Cut
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, directed by Yueh Tzu Sun.
-
Fine Cut
A woman travels back to India upon her mother’s sudden death while navigating her family in “Unmothered” from USC. Explore the future of filmmaking with other films from USC, American Pavilion, LMU, CalArts.
-
Fine Cut
When a young girl finds a flower growing in her apartment complex, her world is changed forever.
-
Fine Cut
Follow Guatemalan-born “Doña Julia” through the streets of L.A. in search of recycling to make ends meet.
-
Fine Cut
In 1876 San Francisco, when law prohibited women from wearing trousers, a frog catcher known as a transgender man develops a relationship with the wife of a wealthy businessman.
-
Fine Cut
Friends and family recount the life and death of Latasha Harlins, the forgotten spark that ignited the ‘92 L.A. riots, a documentary from USC, directed by Allison A. Waite.
-
Fine Cut
Explore the future of filmmaking with short films from NYFA, USC, Cal State LB and USC.
-
Fine Cut
Discover the forgotten spark that ignited the L.A. Uprising. Explore the future of filmmaking with short films from USC, UCLA, Cal State LA, CalArts.
-
Fine Cut
Now on its 21st season, “Fine Cut” showcases 19 short films made by a new generation of storytellers from Southern California.
2019 Short Films
-
Fine Cut
Brothers Sam and Max can't agree on anything, but when Max's ambitions to fly to the moon in a cardboard box put them both in grave danger.
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Fine Cut
An inside look at the work of the Food Riders Club at Orange Coast College, a group of OCC students who recover excess food from the campus cafeteria and transport it to local food pantries via bicycles and trailer.
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Fine Cut
A young woman struggles to admit that she's literally falling apart in this film directed by Christian Whittemore.
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Fine Cut
A pair of mismatched U.S. Marshals – a reformed outlaw and a shrewd former slave – is sent to the Kansas frontier to uncover the fate of a Marshal gone missing while escorting a member of a notorious gang to his hanging.
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Fine Cut
Two really long distance girlfriends share their true feelings. Directed by Robyn Romain of CalArts.
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Fine Cut
Inspired by true events. After being taken from their home in Jacmel, Haiti, two young sisters must escape a child sex trafficking ring, disguised as a Catholic orphanage.
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Fine Cut
The girl has a magical experience visiting the gallery with her dad for the first time. Directed by Jinghan Tian of USC.
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Fine Cut
“Our history was disappearing as quickly as we were making it.” With that realization, Deborah Edel and Joan Nestle co-founded the Lesbian Herstory Archives. More than 40 years later, Deb must consider the future of the collection.
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Fine Cut
In a world where children bond with magical teddy bears that eventually transform into their perfect, human life partner; an optimistic and strongwilled young woman struggles when her teddy mate subverts society’s expectations.
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Fine Cut
“888 Tours” is a quirky animated short from CalArts that follows a tour guide’s quest to say on schedule.
-
Fine Cut
In the wake of NFL superstar Junior Seau’s suicide, coaches and families tackle the dangers and rewards of playing youth football in “Delay of Game,” a powerful documentary from USC.
-
Fine Cut
In “Prey,” a beautifully animated film from Cal State LA, get a vivid view of the natural cycle in human societies as seen through lens of karma on a microscopic scale.
-
Fine Cut
In “The Moon and The Night,” a film from Chapman University, a Native Hawaiian teenage girl must confront her father after he enters her beloved pet in a dog fight.
-
Fine Cut
Directed by John Morgan, this film follows a man living in downtown L.A. (Jon Cryer) who must rely on the help of two strangers to bury his dog.
-
Fine Cut
Clara, a suburban housewife stuck in conventionality, stumbles upon hints that her beloved husband, William, has been cheating on her. Transfixed in her domestic situation, Clara re-discovers herself while baking an elegant cake for William.
-
Fine Cut
Nationally-known disability rights advocate Carole Patterson takes on the world with her offbeat humor and brutal honesty in this profile of her challenging life as she prepares to marry a non-disabled man despite his family's concerns.
-
Fine Cut
Directed by Susie Singer Carter, “My Mom and The Girl” is a 2016 film that stars Valerie Harper in her last role. It is based on a true story of an East Coast woman with Alzheimer’s who has an unusual chance meeting that affects the lives of three women.
-
Fine Cut
Directed by Noel Belknap, this 2007 animated documentary is about the life cycle of a majestic unicorn. Noel Belknap currently works at Disney Television Animation and will soon be working on “The Curse of Molly McGee” as a Storyboard Specialist.
-
Fine Cut
Now on its 20th season, “Fine Cut” showcases 14 short films made by a new generation of storytellers from Southern California.
2019 Short Films
-
Fine Cut
Brothers Sam and Max can't agree on anything, but when Max's ambitions to fly to the moon in a cardboard box put them both in grave danger.
-
Fine Cut
An inside look at the work of the Food Riders Club at Orange Coast College, a group of OCC students who recover excess food from the campus cafeteria and transport it to local food pantries via bicycles and trailer.
-
Fine Cut
A young woman struggles to admit that she's literally falling apart in this film directed by Christian Whittemore.
-
Fine Cut
A pair of mismatched U.S. Marshals – a reformed outlaw and a shrewd former slave – is sent to the Kansas frontier to uncover the fate of a Marshal gone missing while escorting a member of a notorious gang to his hanging.
-
Fine Cut
Two really long distance girlfriends share their true feelings. Directed by Robyn Romain of CalArts.
-
Fine Cut
Inspired by true events. After being taken from their home in Jacmel, Haiti, two young sisters must escape a child sex trafficking ring, disguised as a Catholic orphanage.
-
Fine Cut
The girl has a magical experience visiting the gallery with her dad for the first time. Directed by Jinghan Tian of USC.
-
Fine Cut
“Our history was disappearing as quickly as we were making it.” With that realization, Deborah Edel and Joan Nestle co-founded the Lesbian Herstory Archives. More than 40 years later, Deb must consider the future of the collection.
-
Fine Cut
In a world where children bond with magical teddy bears that eventually transform into their perfect, human life partner; an optimistic and strongwilled young woman struggles when her teddy mate subverts society’s expectations.
-
Fine Cut
“888 Tours” is a quirky animated short from CalArts that follows a tour guide’s quest to say on schedule.
-
Fine Cut
In the wake of NFL superstar Junior Seau’s suicide, coaches and families tackle the dangers and rewards of playing youth football in “Delay of Game,” a powerful documentary from USC.
-
Fine Cut
In “Prey,” a beautifully animated film from Cal State LA, get a vivid view of the natural cycle in human societies as seen through lens of karma on a microscopic scale.
-
Fine Cut
In “The Moon and The Night,” a film from Chapman University, a Native Hawaiian teenage girl must confront her father after he enters her beloved pet in a dog fight.
-
Fine Cut
Directed by John Morgan, this film follows a man living in downtown L.A. (Jon Cryer) who must rely on the help of two strangers to bury his dog.
-
Fine Cut
Clara, a suburban housewife stuck in conventionality, stumbles upon hints that her beloved husband, William, has been cheating on her. Transfixed in her domestic situation, Clara re-discovers herself while baking an elegant cake for William.
-
Fine Cut
Nationally-known disability rights advocate Carole Patterson takes on the world with her offbeat humor and brutal honesty in this profile of her challenging life as she prepares to marry a non-disabled man despite his family's concerns.
-
Fine Cut
Directed by Susie Singer Carter, “My Mom and The Girl” is a 2016 film that stars Valerie Harper in her last role. It is based on a true story of an East Coast woman with Alzheimer’s who has an unusual chance meeting that affects the lives of three women.
-
Fine Cut
Directed by Noel Belknap, this 2007 animated documentary is about the life cycle of a majestic unicorn. Noel Belknap currently works at Disney Television Animation and will soon be working on “The Curse of Molly McGee” as a Storyboard Specialist.
-
Fine Cut
Now on its 20th season, “Fine Cut” showcases 14 short films made by a new generation of storytellers from Southern California.
Articles
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Fine Cut
Watch the virtual ceremony to catch a glimpse of some great works and to see which of the filmmakers get to bring home the grand prize.
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Fine Cut
This year, the Fine Cut Festival of Films Awards ceremony has gone virtual!
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Fine Cut
What happens when you graduate in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic that requires you to stay six feet away from everyone outside your household? For film students, it’s a mixed bag.
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Fine Cut
Tune in Wednesdays at 10 p.m. PT to catch a glimpse of tomorrow's big names in filmmaking. Here's a guide to upcoming episodes.
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Fine Cut
These are the judges for the 2029 Fine Cut Festival of Films.
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Fine Cut
Apart from being featured in one of six half-hour episodes, "Fine Cut" also offers a variety of prizes meant to help the growth of future filmmakers.
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