Alumnus Needs Your Vote

Netflix Competition

Writing alumni Paul Jensen (M.F.A. '06) and Robbie Pickering (M.F.A. '06), along with Peter Stark alumnus Brion Hambel (M.F.A. '06), have had their project Natural Selection named as one of the 10 semi-finalists for the NETFLIX/Find Your Voice Competition.

Chase B. Kenney and Philip G. Flores M.F.A. alumni ('07) from the production program have also made the top ten with their project Touchback.

In order to advance to finals and have a shot at turning the concept into a feature, they need your vote.

Natural Selection: The dark comedy, which Pickering wrote while he was a graduate student at USC, is being produced by Jensen and Hambel. The project depicts what happens when a dutiful, albeit barren Christian housewife discovers that her devout husband has suffered a stroke at a sperm bank where he's been secretly donating his seed for the past 25 years. She leaves her sheltered world and starts off on a journey to find his eldest biological son—a mullet-headed, foul-mouthed ex-con, with whom she develops an odd, but close relationship.

Touchback: Bug, a smart but awkward high school freshman, is drafted into a sick contest based on having sex with freshmen girls by his older brother Truck and his friends, a group known as “Tough Club”. When Bug’s best friend and first love Kallea becomes another tally on Tough Club’s growing scoreboard, Bug struggles to break free and overcome the dark fate that’s trapped his brother.
From now until July 5, viewers can go online to view and vote for the clip. The top-five films that receive the most votes will advance to the finals. A special panel of judges (Josh Brolin, Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen, John Sayles, Stephanie Allain and Dustin Lance Black) will then select the ultimate winner.

The finalist team will receive $150,000 in cash and over $220,000 in goods/services to make their film, as well as a premiere at next year's LA Film Festival.

The NETFLIX/Find Your Voice Competition is sponsored by Netflix and Film Independent.