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Three USC student-produced projects were chosen as finalists for the 2023 Yugo BAFTA Student Awards, including one win:
I Am More Dangerous Dead — Majiye Uchibeke ’23 (Director/Writer), Denzel Jenkins ’22 (Producer), Miles Lagoze ’23 (Producer) — was a finalist in the Documentary category.
Crab Rhapsody — developed by You Liang ’23, Di Wen ’23, Celine Tang ’24, Yuefeng He ’24, Sanketh Bhat ’24 — was a finalist in the Games category.
Body of Mine — Cameron Kostopoulos ’22 (Director/Writer) — was the winner of the Immersive category.
Gaz Alazraki ’01 is set to direct a movie for Candle Media’s Exile Content Studios about the true story of four Colombian children who survived a plane crash and lived in the Amazon Rainforest for 40 days.
Danielle Canepa ’14 produced the feature film Mrs. Booker on 8th Avenue with her brother, Alexander, which won the Reel-Life Award at the Chattanooga Film Festival. The film was also chosen as the US Spotlight Film at the 2023 Richmond International Film Festival.
Rui Cui ’17 completed his debut feature film, Lost in the Stars (消失的她), which premiered in China in June 2023 and in the US in July 2023. Upon release, it topped the global box office for two weeks and has remained in the top 10 box office earners for 2023, earning $500M USD so far.
Julio Vincent Gambuto ‘16 published his first book, Please Unsubscribe, Thanks! in August from Avid Reader Press at Simon & Schuster.
Gwydhar Gebien ‘15 recently published her third novel, Enfant Terrible: Showstopper, the next installment in a series of engrossing rock novels about a complicated antihero.
Hannah Getts ’14 is producing the off-Broadway play Job, written by Max Wolf Friedlich and running September 6 - October 8 at the SoHo Playhouse after winning the Lighthouse Series 2022.
Reuben Guberek '15 released his short film The Flower of Battle which he co-wrote and directed. The film is a comedic revival of the classic 'swashbuckler' genre.
Jordan Guingao ’20 was selected as one of five Humanitas New Voices Fellows with his script, Little Light.
Feyza Safoglu ’23 was a finalist for the fellowship with her script, Insurgents; and Yeon Jin Lee ’20 was a semi-finalist with her script, Gwihyang.
Howard Emanuel ’23 will participate in the WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab as one of five winners with his script, Shortstop. He also entered the Top 15 of Write LA’s Pilot Competition. Gabriel Brugni da Cruz ’16 received an Honorable Mention at WeScreenplay with his script, The White Lobster.
Randal Kleiser ’74 self-published his second book, Drawing Directors, featuring sketches of famous film directors and his memories of meeting them.
Peter LoGreco ’00 (Showrunner/Executive Producer/Director) received a Peabody Award for his work on HBO’s We’re Here. The show was also recognized by the Television Academy Honors.
Annapurna Animation will produce an adaptation of the award-winning video game Stray, which was written by Steve Lerner ’11.
Chris Lightbody ’00 released the film Bootyology that he co-wrote, produced, and starred in. It’s currently available on VOD.
Dr. David Melbye ’06 was awarded a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship for two years at the University of Huddersfield. While there he will complete his third book Crime-Jazz Diasporas: African American Music in Overseas Cinema.
Elizabeth Newman ’05 (Annenberg & Dornsife) has joined Literate as its first new partner since the management and production company was launched in early 2018.
Allegra Rosenberg ’18 signed a contract with Norton for her debut nonfiction book, titled Fandom Forever (and Ever), about the history of fandom.
The Draymond Green Show — produced by Jackson Safon ’18 (Annenberg) — had an exclusive live podcast event at the UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival.
Corey Sherman ’16 directed his first feature film Big Boys, which premiered at BFI Flare and won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Outfest LA.
Gordon Shoemaker Foxwood ’14 will premiere his first feature film Wild Eyed and Wicked, which he wrote and directed, at the Austin Film Festival 2023. The film was produced by Powell Robinson ’14 and Patrick R. Young ’14, and edited by William Ford-Conway ’14.
Andrew Silver ’83 was the Supervising Music Editor for Postcard from Earth, an immersive production directed by Darren Arronovsky for MSG Sphere. He was also recently credited as Supervising Music Editor on Salem’s Lot and The Whale and as Music Editor on A Good Person.
Christopher Makoto Yogi ’09 will direct Merv and the Miracles, a Hawaiian doc that explores the renowned 1982 college basketball game between Chaminade and Virginia. Co-produced and co-financed by Partizan and RTG Features, the film will receive an early first look during the opening weekend of the 43rd annual Hawai’i Film Festival.
Julie Zackary ’04 has joined Annapurna Animation as its Head of Animation.
Several USC students were recognized at the Humanitas College Screenwriting Awards in the following categories:
2023 Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award Finalists: AJ Currie ’24, Feyza Safoglu ’23
2023 Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award Semi-finalists: Renee Cunningham ’23, Carrie Finn ’23, Marcus Crawford Guy ’23, Ahmed Uthman ’24, Cynda Wang ’23
2023 David and Lynn Angell College Comedy Award Semi-finalists: Isabela Aquino ’24, Kareem El Arab ’23, Gabrielle Ruiz ’23
New Films in Release
57 Seconds
Ryan Winterstern ‘11 (Executive Producer)
All Fun and Games
Holly Hubsher ‘16 (Executive Producer)
American Fiction
Cristina Dunlap ‘09 (Director of Photography)
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Nicole Flores ’16 (Line Producer)
Back on the Strip
Kip Konwiser ‘88 (Executive Producer)
Jared Underwood ‘90 (Marshall) (Associate Produer)
Joshua Reis ‘03 (Roski) (Director of Photography)
Barbie
Will Ferrell (Annenberg) ‘90 (Actor)
America Ferrera (Dornsife) ‘13 (Actor)
The Beanie Bubble
Brian Grazer ‘74 (Dornsife) (Producer)
Ron Howard (Producer)
Beautiful Disaster
Lucas Jarach ‘98 (Executive Producer)
Joshua Reis ‘03 (Roski) (Director of Photography)
Bella!
Steven Wacks ‘85 (Director of Photography)
Born in Chicago
Richard Foos (Dornsife) (Executive Producer)
Canary
Danny O’Malley ‘07 (Director)
Carpet Cowboys
Sebastian Pardo (Executive Producer)
Corner Office
Ted Kupper ‘04 (Writer)
Lucas Jarach ‘98 (Executive Producer)
The Creator
Natalie Lehmann ‘11 (Executive Producer)
Erik Aadahl ‘98 (Supervising Sound Editor)
The Crusades
Nadia Davari ‘03 (Gould) (Associate Producer)
Dark Windows
Ulvrik “Wolf” Skaftason Kraft ‘07 (Writer)
Dead Shot
Oscar Eugenio Guido ‘08 (Executive Producer)
Deliver Us
Lee Roy Kunz (Co-Director/Writer/Producer)
Isaac Bauman (Producer/Director of Phorography)
Dicks: The Musical
Steven Wolff ‘79 (Architecture) (Production Designer)
Dreamin’ Wild
Andrew Van Wyk ‘16 (Co-Producer)
Dumb Money
John Pariseau ‘09 (Co-Producer)
The Equalizer 3
Todd Black ‘82 (SDA) (Producer)
Expend4bles
Spenser Cohen ‘08 (Writer)
Tad Daggerhart (Writer)
Fair Play
Tim White (Producer)
Rian Johnson ‘96 (Executive Producer)
Franklin Peterson ‘07 (Editor)
Fear the Night
Lucas Jarach ‘98 (Producer)
Luke Taylor ‘11 (Thornton) (Executive Producer)
Ferrari
Bernard Weiser '83 (Supervising Sound Editor)
Vahan Yepremyan ‘97 (Executive Producer)
Fremont
Marjaneh Moghimi ‘83 (Dornsife) (Producer) (Deceased)
The Good Mother
Shaun Sanghani '05 (Producer)
Gran Turismo
Devon Franklin '00 (Producer)
Gray Matter
Jonathan Berry ‘06 (Executive Producer)
Yolanda T. Cochran ‘93 (Leventhal) (Producer)
Andrew Jeric ‘13 (Director of Phorography)
Haunted Mansion
Jeffery Waldron ‘03 (Director of Photography)
Heart of Stone
Greg Rucka ‘93 (Dornsife) (Writer/Executive Producer)
Allison Schroeder '06 (Writer)
David Ellison (Producer)
The Hill
Angelo Pizzo (Writer)
Russell Geyser ‘85 (Marshall) (Executive Producer)
Tyler W. Konney ‘12 (Dornsife) (Executive Producer)
Invisible Beauty
John Boccardo ‘71 (Executive Producer)
It Lives Inside
Jack Price ‘07 (Editor)
Landscape with Invisible Hand
Megan Ellison (Executive Producer)
Michael Abels '84 (Thornton) (Composer)
The League
Boyron Motley ‘85 (Thornton) (Producer/Executive Producer)
Lost in the Stars
Rui Cui ‘17 (Director)
Miguel Wants to Fight
Michael Glassman '16 (Marshall) (Executive Producer)
Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie
Bettina Lopez Mendoza ‘13 (Dornsife) (Writer)
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
David Ellison (Executive Producer)
Muzzle
Dallas Sonnier ‘02 (Executive Producer)
Ryan Winterstern ‘11 (Producer)
Natty Knocks
Dwight H. Little ‘79 (Director)
The Nun 2
Akela Cooper ‘06 (Writer)
Tristan Nyby ‘03 (Director of Photography)
Once Upon a Time in Uganda
Amanda Hughes ‘08 (Writer)
Operation Napoleon
Marteinn Thorisson ‘94 (Writer)
Oppenheimer
Ludwig Göransson ‘08 (Thornton) (Composer)
Charles Roven (Producer)
Passages
Mauricio Zacharias ‘91 (Writer)
Perpetrator
Nicholas Lazo '12 (Executive Producer)
Red, White & Royal Blue
Brianna Oh ‘09 (Producer)
Retribution
Shanna Eddy ‘94 (Marshall) (Producer)
Samuel Shipp ‘18 (Creative Director: StudioCanal)
Shortcomings
Hieu Ho ‘07 (Producer)
Shrapnel
Luke Taylor ‘11 (Thornton) (Executive Producer)
R.J. Cooper ‘03 (Editor)
Sound of Freedom
Leo Severino ‘96 JD ‘99 (Dornsife/Gould) (Executive Producer)
Brian Scofield ‘11 (Editor)
Spy Kids: Armageddon
David Ellison (Producer)
Stephen Curry: Underrated
Ryan Coogler ‘11 (Producer)
Strays
Josh Greenbaum (Director/Producer)
Will Ferrell ‘90 (Annenberg) (Actor)
Supercell
Herbert James Winterstern ‘11 (Writer/Director)
Anna Elizabeth James ‘13 (Writer)
Andrew Jeric ‘13 (Director of Photography)
Sympathy for the Devil
Steven Holleran ‘12 (Director of Photography)
Theater Camp
Talia Cohen ‘07 (Marshall) (Associate Producer)
Jessica Elbaum ‘99 (Annenberg) (Producer)
Will Ferrell ‘90 (Annenberg) (Producer)
They Cloned Tyrone
Juel Taylor '15 (Director/Writer/Producer)
Tony Rettenmaier '15 (Writer/Producer)
Poppy Hanks '95 (Executive Producer)
Pierre Charles ‘18 (Thornton) (Composer)
Saira Haider '14 (Editor)
Osahon Tongo '16 (Second Unit Director)
Jan Bezouska '14 (Sound Effects Editor)
Chris Navarro '98 (Thornton) (Adr Mixer)
Robert Abilez '15 (First Assistant Editor)
Dominique Pieb '15 (Assistant Editor)
Brian Rhodes '15 (Storyboard Artist)
They Listen
Dan Balgoyen '04 (Executive Producer)
Til Death Do Us Part
Luke Dylan Taylor ‘11 (Thornton) (Executive Producer)
The Unknown Country
Samuel Jones ‘09 (Thornton) (Composer)
War Pony
Mato Wayuhi ‘20 (Associate Producer/Co-Composer)
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Robert D. Yeoman ‘79 (Director of Photography)
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
Alison Peck ‘05 (Writer)
New Series in Release
The Afterparty, Season 2 (Apple TV+)
Nick Olah ‘10 (Editor)
Ahsoka (Disney+)
Rick Famuyiwa ‘96 (Director)
George Lucas ‘66 (Writer/Based On)
The Amazing Race, Season 35 (CBS)
Mark Vertullo ‘86 (Annenberg) (Executive Producer)
Jay Gammill ‘07 (Editor)
Big Brother, Season 25 (CBS)
William Yelton ‘16 (Writer)
Tyler Montgomery ‘18 (Writer)
Big Nate, Season 2 (Paramount+)
Alex van der Hoek ‘12 (Writer)
The Changeling (Apple TV+)
Megan Ellison (Executive Producer)
The Chi, Season 6 (Showtime)
Rick Fumuyiwa '96 (Executive Producer)
Aaron Kaplan '90 (Executive Producer)
Whitney Beckwith '20 (Writer)
Shanrica Evans '20 (Director)
The Continental: From the World of John Wick (Peacock)
Chad Stahelski ‘90 (Annenberg) (Executive Producer)
Colin Woodell ‘14 (SDA) (Main Cast)
Dark Winds (AMC)
Sanford Bookstaver ‘95 (Director)
Disenchantment, Season 5 (Netflix)
Liz Elverenli '09 (Co-Producer/Co-Executive Producer)
Gen V (Prime Video)
Eric Kripke '96 (Executive Producer/Director/Writer)
Ori Marmur '93 (Executive Producer)
Nelson Cragg ‘03 (Director/Producer)
Neal Moritz ‘85 (Executive Producer)
Stephan Szpak-Fleet ‘07 (Co-Producer)
Chelsea Grate ‘17 (Executive Story Editor)
Lauren Greer ‘16 (Executive Story Editor)
Goliath (Showtime)
Bryant Robinson ‘09 (Director of Photography)
Heels, Season 2 (Starz)
Peter Segal ‘84 (Dornsife/Annenberg) (Director/Executive Producer)
Michael Lehmann ‘85 (Director)
Xavier Burgin ‘15 (Writer)
I Wanna Rock: The '80s Metal Dream (Paramount+)
Craig A. Williams ‘98 (Dornsife) (Creative Producer)
Michael Dwyer ‘06 (Director of Photography)
Justified: City Primeval (FX)
Ingrid Escajeda ‘02 (Consulting Producer)
Love Is Blind, Season 5 (Netflix)
Eric Detwiler ‘02 (Annenberg) (Executive Producer)
Model America (Peacock)
Dani Goffstein ‘15 (Director/Executive Producer)
Sam Canter ‘15 (Executive Producer)
Eric Cook ‘14 (Executive Producer)
Joe Weil ‘14 (Executive Producer)
One Piece (Netflix)
Steven Maeda ‘92 (Showrunner/Executive Producer)
Zack Estrin ‘94 (Dornsife) (Consulting Producer) (Deceased)
Kevin D. Ross ‘90 (Editor)
Only Murders in the Building, Season 3 (Hulu)
Matteo Borghese '11 (Writer/Co-Executive Producer)
Rob Turbovsky '11 (Writer/Co-Executive PRoducer)
Joshua Allen Griffith '16 (Writer/Executive Story Editor)
Noah Levine ‘19 (Writer)
Painkiller (Netflix)
Eric Newman ‘96 (Executive Producer)
Geofrey Hildrew ‘03 (Editor)
Reservation Dogs, Season 3 (FX)
Mato Wayuhi ‘20 (Composer)
Secret Celebrity Renovation, Season 3 (CBS)
Brett Walker '14 (Editor)
Selling the OC, Season 2 (Netflix)
James Gavin Bedford '82 (Editor)
Special Ops: Lioness, (Paramount+)
Chad Galster (Editor)
The Super Models, (Apple TV+)
Brian Grazer ’74 (Executive Producer)
Surf Girls: Hawai'i, (Prime Video)
Mona Xia ’17 (Segment Field Associate Producer)
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Season 2 (MTV)
Melissa Tallerine ’00 (Annenberg) (Executive Producer)
This Fool, (Hulu)
Dantonio Alvarez (Co-Producer)
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, Season 2 (Netflix)
Eric Detwiler ’02 (Annenberg) (Executive Producer)
The Upshaws, Season 4 (Netflix)
Robbi Countryman ’88 (Series Director)
Nicole Bilbrew ’06 (Dornsife) (Writer, Executive Story Editor)
Chuck Ozeas ’91 (Director of Photography)
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, (AMC)
Angela Kang ’09 (Executive Producer)Scott M. Gimple ’93 (Executive Producer)
The Winter King, (MGM+)
Sherry Marsh ’83 (SDA) (Executive Producer)
Any omissions or errors on this list are unintentional, please reach out if your name is missing from a project, or if you have an upcoming credit or news item that you’d like shared in future Hot Sheets by emailing alumni@cinema.usc.edu. Thank you for your patience, Fight On!