CSULB Film & Electronic Arts

Shoutout to Creative Nonfiction alum, Paula Kiley who recently completed the Armed with A Camera (AWC) Fellowship with Visual Communications! Paula Kiley (she/her) is a multimedia journalist and documentary filmmaker who strives to tell stories that connect and empower people with information, the truth, and most importantly — one another. Through the AWC fellowship Paula was able to produce a short documentary called BALIK/BAYAN which chronicles the life of Manny Paez, the founder of Manila Forwarder, a balikbayan box company serving LA’s Filipino American community since 1998. Through poignant vignettes, the film journeys from Paez’s childhood memories of receiving balikbayan boxes from his uncle to his own migration to the U.S. in the 80s, shedding light on the sacrifices made in pursuit of the “American dream” and the intangible losses that accompany it.

The film had its world premiere at VC Film Fest on May 2 in the East West Players theater and an encore screening at the Art Theatre Long Beach on May 9 alongside other films created by this year’s AWC fellows.

Congratulations Paula, we can’t wait to see what you do next!

**WINNERS HAVE BEEN SELECTED**

We're giving away TWO PAIRS (4 tickets) to 'Maestro of the Movies: The Music of John Williams and More' on July 12-14 at The Hollywood Bowl. Legendary composer John Williams curates three magical nights of movie music with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Like this post and tag a friend in the comments for the chance to win! Two winners will be chosen by Thursday at 10 AM PST, and will be contacted through their social media accounts. LA Phil Hollywood Bowl

Congratulations to Creative Nonfiction 2024 grad, Riley Hodgson! Riley has been accepted to the Television Academy Internship Program!

She is thrilled to be a part of this prestigious program and will be working in the Development department at 44 Blue Productions this summer. Riley is incredibly honored and excited about the opportunity to learn and grow through the program. She has a passion for unscripted content and unfiltered aspects of life, which drives her ambition to create impactful television that resonates with and inspires audiences.
Go Riley!

Special thanks to Toby Brooks from the Sundance Institute who stopped by to talk about the Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellowship with our students in Prof. Helen Hood Scheer’s Advanced Documentary class this past semester! This prestigious fellowship is for emerging nonfiction and fiction filmmakers ages 18-25, focusing on directors with a specific project in mind.

Throughout the year, selected filmmakers work with a Sundance alumni mentor, receive a $3,000 artist grant, participate as a cohort in monthly webinars and workshops, and receive a complimentary Adobe Creative Cloud 12-month membership. This program is highly competitive; last year 10 filmmakers were selected from 1,000 applicants.

Get your short films ready for next year’s applications in February!

Happy first day of summer! What adventures lie ahead for you this summer? Share with us in the comments!

Free screening tomorrow! Featuring discussions with CSULB Film Prof. Tasha Hunter!

On Juneteenth, a free screening of the movie "Origin" will take place at the Art Theatre Long Beach in partnership with California State University, Long Beach's Department of Cinematic Arts. Origin is a film about an individual who overcomes tragedy through the discovery of writing a book. The introduction and discussion of the film will be led by CSULB Cinematic Arts Lecturer - Tasha W. Hunter.

For more information:
www.arttheatrelongbeach.org

As we reflect on the spring semester, we celebrate the start of a new chapter for our 2024 grads! BIG congratulations to 2024 screenwriting grad, Julia Nava who will begin her PhD studies this fall at University of California, Irvine School of Humanities! She plans to pursue a graduate emphasis in Feminist Studies and focus her research on feminist theory, neglected international cinemas, digital media development, and activist media. Julia leaves behind a legacy in our department as the former president of Csulb's Women in Film Club and extensive involvement in advocating for more representation in the films screened in our critical studies courses.

“I am so honored and excited to continue my education at UCI and pursue a PhD. It was through the film department's critical studies courses that I learned everything I know about film and developed my passion for film scholarship and research. I am eternally grateful for the education and support I received at CSULB and will take everything I learned during my time in undergrad with me throughout my research and graduate studies." -Julia

Congratulations Julia, we are so proud of you!

FREE Juneteenth Screening Event at Art Theatre Long Beach!

“ORIGIN” (2023)

Introduction and Discussion led by CSULB Cinematic Arts Prof. Tasha W. Hunter!

From Ava DuVernay, the director of SELMA, THE 13th, A WRINKLE IN TIME and WHEN THEY SEE US. While grappling with tremendous personal tragedy, Isabel (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) sets herself on a path of global investigation and discovery. Despite the colossal scope of her project, she finds beauty and bravery while crafting one of the defining American books of our time. Inspired by the New York Times Best-Seller Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson.

🎟️: Tickets available online or at the box office.
🔗: arttheatrelongbeach.org

Big congrats to Creative Nonfiction alum, Luis Zuniga who will be starting his MFA in the fall at UCLA! Congrats Luis, we’re incredibly excited for you and this next chapter!

"I feel honored to have been accepted to the UCLA Documentary MFA program. My academic achievements couldn't have been possible without the support of people like Helen Scheer and other faculty at CSULB. It was at CSULB where I discovered my passion for telling stories and now I hope to take that passion even further at UCLA and beyond." -Luis

We have exciting news! A HUGE congratulations to our alum Martinos Aristidou ‘02 who has been nominated for a 2024 Daytime Emmy Award in the Single Camera Editing category for “Searching for Soul Food” (HULU)!!

Congratulations Martinos, we’re so proud to be part of your filmmaking journey!

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1568657/
Photography website: https://www.lensvagabond.com

Happy Pride! ❤🌈
***rpride

One last batch of photos from our Advanced Showcase just over a week ago! Thanks again Cailee Gansert ( ) for the photos!

Here's another recap from our Full Spectrum Documentary & Advanced Narrative Films! Special thanks to for the photos!

Attention filmmakers! Have you submitted your film to KCET’s 2024 Fine Cut Festival of Films? Student films made between January 2022 and the present are eligible to submit on Film Freeway.

Now in its 25th season, this festival is a tribute to Fine Cut founder, Jack Larson. In the late 1990’s, actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer Jack Larson had 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. Mr. Larson thought that public television was an excellent platform for providing critical visibility to emerging filmmakers. PBS SoCal shares Mr. Larson’s enthusiasm for showcasing local student filmmaking and 25 years later, Fine Cut continues to be a flagship program for Southern California’s flagship PBS organization.

The Film & Electronic Arts Department is fortunate to have had many finalists over the last few years!

NO ENTRY FEE!

Submit your film by May 31st: https://filmfreeway.com/finecut (link in Instagram bio)

Congratulations to three of our alums who were recognized at the inaugural “49 under 49” ceremony hosted by CSULB Alumni last month! We are incredibly proud of their work in the industry and excited for them to have this recognition!

Congratulations:

Loren Albento ‘13

Christie Stapleton ‘19

George Bartlett ‘23

Check out these photos from the ceremony recognizing the alums from across the university!

Congratulations to Narrative Production senior Mason Layag who will be interning this summer at doing production and development! The internship has also nominated Mason to be part of the Film Academy Gold Rising Program in their 2024 class which he will start in June right after graduating at the end of May.

“I'm extremely excited to learn the ins and outs of the film industry through the perspective of a major studio. I hope to better understand the landscape of the film industry and be able to contribute to the development of some mainstream Hollywood movies. I'm very grateful to both Lionsgate and the Academy for allowing me this amazing opportunity to take the first big step in my career in film post-graduation.” – Mason

Special thanks to Prof. Helen Hood Scheer for her support of Mason throughout his internship experiences in our department!

Good luck to all our Film & Electronic Arts students who are taking finals this week! You’re almost to the finish line, we believe in you! Don’t forget to stop by the UTC building outside the department office UTC 104 to grab some snacks to keep you going throughout the week.

Our end of year showcases coming up this weekend! Check out these behind the scenes images of our students hard at work in the final stages of post-production for their films! We can’t wait to celebrate our students at the Full Spectrum Student Film Showcases 5/17 in the University Theatre & 5/18 at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center !

Fuel up for finals! Stop by the Film & Electronic Arts Department office UTC 104 during finals week Monday May 13th- Friday May 17th for some FREE snacks provided by the department to keep you going throughout the week!

Calling all LA-based college, university, and young professionals!

Join the Entertainment Equity Alliance (EEA) Careers in Entertainment Expo on May 16 from 1:30pm - 4pm. The Expo will highlight Arts, Media, and Entertainment workforce training organizations, labor union training programs, post-secondary career education programs, and early-career opportunities from employers.

At 2pm, there will also be a live panel discussion on the film, Sweetwater, written and directed by Martin Guigui. Panelists will dive into the filmmaking process from start to finish and what it was like working with the California Film Commission.

🔗 Register for free for the in-person event at entertainmentequityalliance.org

HUGE congratulations to our narrative filmmakers who received the Environmental Media Association Green Seal for Students for implementing sustainable practices and raising environmental awareness while producing their senior thesis films in Prof. Kent Hayward’s FEA 340 Advanced Narrative Production class!

Shoutout to the awardees:

CUTTING THE EDGE Directed by Chloe Larson

TORN UP Directed by Nix ZimLaw

TADAIMA ただいま Directed by Gordon Buck

We are incredibly proud of you and your commitment to sustainability in film!



* CUTTING THE EDGE image provided by BTS photographer Eliam Weinstock

The end of the semester is fast approaching! Kick off finals week by unwinding with our College of the Arts Dean, Royce Smith and enjoy some free snacks and mingling! Join us Monday May 13th, 1pm-2pm in UTC 123! All students, staff, and faculty are welcome!

Shoutout to Creative Nonfiction student Riley Hodgson who was selected to participate in the UNIV 300 Trip class at CSULB! This class provides a one of a kind experience for a select number of students each year to take a trip during spring break with their peers.

The UNIV 300 Yellowstone trip class this year was called “The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Politics, Culture, and Science”. Riley got the opportunity to extend her learning outside of the classroom in Gardiner, MT and Yellowstone National Park. The class focuses on the environmental and political issues surrounding the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) from different stakeholder perspectives. Some of which include: the reintroduction of wolves, brucellosis in wildlife and livestock, and interagency relationships on public land. They spent the week speaking with Yellowstone Wolf Project biologists, National Park rangers, the U.S. Forest Service, cattle ranchers, hunters, and wildlife enthusiasts. Aside from hearing each of their perspectives, they performed service work inside of the park, on national forest land, and on a regenerative agricultural ranch.

Riley and her peers will be recognized by The CSULB Center for Community Engagement in an Awards/Celebration Showcase of Community Learning on May 10th. At this event their work on the trip will be honored and a special video of the trip will be shown to attendees which was filmed and edited by Riley! We are super proud of Riley for using her filmmaking skills to elevate this important environmental and advocacy work while representing CSULB and the film department!

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) will host their June Monthly Film Festival dedicated to its celebration of its annual InFocus: LGBTQ+ Cinema program. The day consists of two InFocus: LGBTQ+ shorts programs showcasing a diverse range of exciting work from emerging LGBTQ+ creators whose films have screened at a variety of festivals and will take you on a journey, as well as writer-director Benjamin Howard’s q***r coming of age feature film, RILEY.

Our department is proud to serve as an Academic Partner with NFMLA, providing CSULB Film students with FREE tickets to the festival on Saturday June 01, 2024 03:00pm PDT - 10:00pm PDT. Sign up for a ticket: https://forms.office.com/r/1unJzAiKP0

RSVP by Friday May 17th at 5pm!

***rcinema

Big congratulations to current Creative Nonfiction senior, Richard Haywood, whose film SPEAKING WITH THE ANCESTORS produced in Prof. Kate Trumbull-LaValle’s Introductory Documentary Filmmaking class will screen tonight at the Visual Communications festival! Richard’s film will be part of the program “INDIGENOUS NOW!” at 7pm in the Aratani Central Hall at the Japanese American National Museum (100 N Central Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012). Admission is free/pay what you can and will include a Q&A with the filmmakers. Go out and support one of our students!

IT’S HAPPENING! Join us for our annual Full Spectrum: Film & Electronic Arts Student Showcases on Friday May 17th and Saturday May 18th. We are so excited to celebrate the work from our students and the end of another academic year. There will be a celebration for students, alumni, staff, and faculty on Saturday May 18th following the screening at approximately 5pm in front of CPAC. Alumni can RSVP using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/zWw3Q2ZeE1 See you there!

🎬🎬Intermediate Film Showcase (Friday May 17th)
6:00 PM In the CSULB University Theatre (UT 108)
***FREE PARKING in E8***

🎬🎬Documentary & Advanced Narrative Films (Saturday May 18th)
12:00 PM – 5:00 PM in the Carpenter Performing Arts Center
***FREE PARKING in G12***

*There will be a 30 minute break at approximately 2:15 PM
Following the screening there will be a gathering out in front of CPAC at approximately 5pm