Media Contact:
Brittany Gash, 323-449-5345
csunfilmspress2011@yahoo.com
(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Apr. 14th, 2011) ― Cal State Northridge and actress Jenna Elfman, a former CSUN student, will shine a spotlight on Hollywood’s next generation of filmmakers at the university’s 21st annual “Senior Film Showcase” at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Wednesday, May 4.
The showcase, which culminates four years of study for the university’s senior-level film students, is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The screenings will take place in the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre of the Academy at 5220 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood.
Cinema and television arts professor Nate Thomas, head of CSUN’s film production option, said the films in the showcase represented the best of Northridge’s program.
“The films this year continue to show the professional and creative skills of our film students, a largely working class constituency, and their ability to tell diverse stories,” Thomas said. “These filmmakers have the talent and knowledge to manage the materials of film arts and compete in the industrial world that surrounds their efforts.”
Thomas noted that students featured in previous showcases have gone on to receive CSU Media Arts Awards, American Society of Cinematographers Heritage Student Awards, first place honors from the Kodak Film School Competition and, most recently, top honors from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation, which recognized last year’s showcase entry, “Misdirection.”
“Our film students are definitely crawling up the backs of those at USC, NYU and AFI,” Thomas said.
The May 4 showcase will honor Elfman, who starred in and garnered a Golden Globe Award for the hit ABC television series “Dharma and Greg,” which aired from 1997 to 2002. She also starred in such feature films as “Keeping the Faith” with Ben Stiller and Ed Norton and “Edtv” with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
The four student films to be premiered at the showcase are:
• “Carousel,” directed by Nicole Owen. Two troubled couples from different parts of the world meet by chance at a carnival. After receiving curious fortunes from a carnival machine, the two couples split and venture out on their own. They end up uniting with each other’s significant other and their relationships are called into question.
• “Abosolution,” directed by Aaron Blum, is based on a true story. The year is 1952 in the state of Georgia. Death row inmate Peter Lieb attempts suicide two days before his execution. Prison doctor Thomas Gelson, conflicted about saving his life, is quickly drawn to Lieb’s artistic side and feels there may still be time for Lieb’s absolution.
• "If We Don’t Go,” directed by Adam Ramirez. Don and Claire appear to have what it takes to have a happy life. The solidity of their relationship falls into question because of a 1965 Shelby Mustang.
• “Giddy Up Grandma,” directed by Travis Marlatt, tells the story of Jesse Oldman, who has just gotten a job at White Oaks Retirement home. The job seems easy enough at first, but that quickly changes as the night gets progressively weird.
A reception with live music from the Tim Russ Band will be held in the Academy lobby following the screenings.
The evening is sponsored by the CSUN Associate Students Instructionally related Activities Fund and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. All of the showcase entries’ directors have the distinction of being Hollywood Foreign Press Association Fellows.
For more information about the showcase, call CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts at (818) 677-3192.
Cal State Northridge’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts has an international reputation for producing dedicated and talented industry professionals who recognize the value of hard work as they learn and continue to perfect their crafts. The department’s alumni work in all aspects of the industry, from writing, producing and directing to manning cameras and having the final say in what project is made.
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