Outside the Box [Office] and AppleTV+ invite you and a guest to attend

A Special Theatrical Screening of

COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT

WINNER: Festival Favorite Award - 2025 Sundance Film Festival

Nominated for Best Documentary Feature
at the 98th Academy Awards

Nominated for Best Cinematography for a Documentary
at the 40th American Society of Cinematographers Awards

Directed by Ryan White
Produced by Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Ryan White, and Stef Willen
Cinematography by SCA Alumnus Brandon Somerhalder

Followed by a Q&A with Cinematographer Brandon Somerhalder
Moderated by Director/Cinematographer Arlene Nelson

7:00 P.M. on Monday, February 23rd, 2026

The Eileen Norris Cinema Theater at the Frank Sinatra Hall
3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089

FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVPs REQUIRED.

FOOD AND DRINKS ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED IN THE AUDITORIUM.
 

CLICK HERE TO RSVP
 

About Come See Me in the Good Light

Come See Me in the Good Light is a poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley facing an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit and an unshakable partnership. Through laughter and unwavering love, they transform pain into purpose, and mortality into a moving celebration of resilience.

Provided courtesy of AppleTV+. Running time: 104 minutes.

About the Guests

BRANDON SOMERHALDER (Cinematographer, SCA Alumnus)

Brandon Somerhalder is an American cinematographer/producer raised between Colorado and Kansas, and currently based in Los Angeles. After initially studying analog photography, he attended the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, and while in school fell in love with documentary filmmaking and began photographing issue-driven documentaries around the world. He was the co-director of photography on the Oscar®-nominated short documentary A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION, which chronicles the journey of Horace Bowers from the Jim Crow South to Los Angeles through a candid conversation with his grandson, composer Kris Bowers. Brandon has produced and lensed two short documentary series with The New York Times; ALMOST FAMOUS, profiling people on the fringes of our history books who found happiness without the fame, and CAUSE OF LIFE, eulogizing lives lost early in the Covid pandemic as told by their loved ones. One of the New York Times ALMOST FAMOUS films, THE QUEEN OF BASKETBALL, documenting the life of Mississippi basketball legend Lusia Harris, which Brandon lensed and produced, won the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 2022. In 2021, he produced and photographed a documentary across four continents chronicling the history of UNICEF for its 75th anniversary and its role during the pandemic in distributing over two billion vaccines worldwide. Other projects as Director of Photography include the Netflix documentary series LIVE TO 100: SECRETS OF THE BLUE ZONES, the HBO feature documentary THE LIONHEART; THANK YOU VERY MUCH, a feature documentary about the life of legendary comedian Andy Kaufman that won Best Documentary at the 2023 Venice Film Festival; STEVE! (MARTIN) for Apple TV+; THE EYES OF GHANA, executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama and recently premiering at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival; and COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT, which won the Audience Favorite Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Apple TV+, and nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature in 2026. Most recently, he shot the short documentary THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL, directed by Ben Proudfoot & Steph Curry, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival in 2026. He resides in Los Angeles and enjoys developing film photos in his home office and camping among California’s natural beauty while not out filming.

ARLENE NELSON (Moderator)

Arlene Nelson, ASC DGA, is an accomplished director and cinematographer known for her compelling storytelling across a range of genres, from large-scale productions to intimate narratives. Most recently, she directed HBO’s acclaimed Angel City, a mainly verite series chronicling the groundbreaking first season of Angel City Football Club, a National Women’s Soccer League team founded by Natalie Portman, along with Alexis Ohanian, and Kara Nortman.

Nelson directed Apple TV+’s Gutsy episode “Mothers and Daughters,” featuring Hillary and Chelsea Clinton with guests Goldie Hawn and daughter Kate Hudson engaging in candid discussions about the integral mother daughter relationship. Nelson co-directed A&E’s Secrets of Playboy, a gripping 10-part series exploring the darker side of the Playboy empire, which won the Critics Choice Real TV Award for Best Crime/Justice Show. For Ava DuVernay's Home Sweet Home, Nelson served as lead cinematographer and directed multi-camera finales for the social experiment docuseries.

Nelson is an award-winning cinematographer, including a Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for her work on Morgan Neville’s Troubadours: Carole King / James Taylor & The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter, a documentary from American Masters. She is the first female director of photography to have shot a feature film for Castle Rock /Warner Brothers Studios with A Mighty Wind.

With a career that bridges innovation and depth, Nelson continues to push creative boundaries in both directing and cinematography, delivering projects that captivate and inspire.

About Outside the Box [Office]

Outside the Box [Office] is a weekly showcase for upcoming releases highlighting world cinema, documentary and independent film titles. The series draws from around the globe to present movies that may challenge, inspire or simply entertain.

To view the calendar of screenings, click here

To SUBSCRIBE to our MAILING LIST for upcoming free screenings and events, e-mail the word "Subscribe" to: aago@cinema.usc.edu
 

Check-In & Reservations

This program is open to all eligible individuals. The USC School of Cinematic Arts operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

This screening is free of charge and open to the public. A reservation confirmation will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 6:30 P.M.

All SCA screenings are OVERBOOKED to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

Accessibility Needs

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact Alessandro Ago, Assistant Dean, Programming and Special Events, at aago@cinema.usc.edu or 213-740-2330. It is requested that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least seven days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.

Parking

On-campus parking at the University of Southern California is limited. We recommend buying a day pass for the Royal Street Structure, located at the intersection of Royal Street and W. Jefferson Blvd. Parking passes are $20/car. For more information about parking at USC, please visit USC Transportation Website:

https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/daily-and-hourly-parking/
https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/about-us/entrance-hours/

Contact Information

Name: Alessandro Ago
Email: aago@cinema.usc.edu