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20 YEARS OF MADNESS

March 27, 2016, 5:00 P.M.

The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building Lobby, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007

The SCA Alumni Screening Series and Gravitas Ventures invite you and a guest to a special preview screening of

20 Years of Madness

 

Directed by SCA Alumnus Jeremy Royce
Produced by Jeremy Royce, SCA Alumnus Jerry White, Jr., and SCA Alumnus Kaveh Taherian
 

Followed by a Q&A with Jeremy Royce and Jerry White, Jr.
 

5:00 P.M. on Sunday, March 27th, 2016

The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108
900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007


FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVPs REQUIRED.

 

  • Slamdance Film Festival - Honorable Mention for Feature Documentary
  • RxSM Self-Medicated Expo - Best Documentary
  • Oak Cliff Film Festival - Best Documentary
  • FilmQuest Festival - Best Documentary, Best Editing
  • Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival - Best Documentary Audience Award
  • Laughlin International Film Festival - Best U.S. Documentary Feature.

Available on VOD beginning Tuesday, April 12th, 2016.
 

About 20 Years of Madness


Generation X is forced to reconcile its teenage dreams with the realities of adulthood in this poignant and playful documentary. When the founder of a bizarre mid-90s Public Access TV show in Detroit reunites the cast after 20 years to make a new episode, he discovers that most of his childhood friends are struggling with issues ranging from mental illness and drug addiction to the mundane pressures of the daily grind. The group is forced to take a hard look at their relationships and decide whether the magic of their show was a fleeting youthful experiment or a creative community they will share for the rest of their lives. Reminding us that it’s never too late to chase your dreams, 20 Years of Madness is brimming with stunning cinematography, eccentric characters, and a heartfelt story about the desire to do something great while confronting the reality of failure.

Provided courtesy of Gravitas Ventures. Not rated. Running time: 90 minutes.

Visit the Official Website: http://www.20yearsofmadness.com/
Visit the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/20YEARSOFMADNESS

Visit the 30 MINUTES OF MADNESS Website: http://30mom.com/

Director's Statement


I heard of 30 Minutes of Madness (30MOM) in 2009, shortly after Jerry and I first met. I had recently been accepted to USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Jerry was one year ahead of me. We randomly moved into the same house before we met each other. As housemates and grad school colleagues, we shared a lot of our early work with one another. Jerry was quick to show me the highlights of 30 Minutes of Madness soon after we met. I immediately related to the experience of being a teenager, falling in love with movie making and forming unique friendships with those who shared that love. With the show, Jerry created a space for outsiders to collaborate and thrive. 20 YEARS OF MADNESS celebrates the spirit of the show, and the friendships of the show’s creators.

That outsider narrative drew me to Jerry and to the show in part because I related to it. When I was sixteen years old I snuck into the cinema and watched a movie called Dark Days, a documentary that shows the homeless population living in the abandoned subway tunnels of New York City. That film chronicles their struggle to survive on the fringes of society. At the time, I had recently run away from home. I left when I was 16, and bounced around before settling in my own apartment at 17. When I watched Dark Days, I connected with the film’s themes of loneliness, survival and alternative society. I left the theater and saw the world in a new light. That film sparked a lifelong passion to tell stories about people who are often ignored by society. 20 YEARS OF MADNESS is part of my ongoing mission to tell that story. I hope to challenge people to look differently at the outsiders and the struggles they face, and to remind ourselves to connect with each other, no matter the distance or time between us.

-- Jeremy Royce

About the Guests


JEREMY ROYCE (Director/SCA Alumnus)

After graduating from the Film and Digital Media production concentration at UC Santa Cruz, Jeremy Royce worked as an documentary editor for five years. In the first half of 2009, he directed a twelve part web-series examining the explosion of community based non-profits in response to the 2008 presidential election. His work has screened at festivals across the country and earned him multiple awards for both directing and cinematography. Jeremy graduated with an MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2012 and continues to work as a freelance cinematographer/director. 20 Years of Madness is Jeremy’s feature directorial debut and marks a return to his teenage obsession with stories about artists on the verge of insanity, chasing their unlikely dreams.

JERRY WHITE, JR. (Producer/Protagonist/SCA Alumnus)

A native of the verdant suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, Jerry has been writing, directing, producing, and acting in videos since 1990. Jerry graduated magna cum laude from Oakland University with a B.A. in German Language and Literature then moved to Japan where he taught English and played some choice gigs with his band. He returned to the US and attended USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, earning his MFA in Film Production. Jerry co-starred in the 2013 Student Oscar-winning short film Josephine and the Roach and currently lives in Los Angeles where he works as a multi-hyphenate writer/director/actor and producer. Jerry never lost his love for his old Public Access TV show, 30 MINUTES OF MADNESS, and the community it represented and hopes to use all that he’s learned to make the new episode the best yet, while still staying true to the original vibe and spirit that made the show special.

About the SCA Alumni Screening Series


The School of Cinematic Arts invites you to an exciting free screening series featuring a dynamic selection of new feature films by SCA alumni and faculty throughout the Spring 2016 semester. All screenings and events will be free of charge and open to the public, although we do ask for an electronic reservation for each screening, which can be made through the website for each individual screening.

Check-In & Reservations


This screening is free of charge and open to the public. Please bring a valid USC ID or print out of your reservation confirmation, which will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 4:30 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.

Parking


The USC School of Cinematic Arts is located at 900 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Parking passes may be purchased for $12.00 at USC Entrance Gate #5, located at the intersection of W. Jefferson Blvd. & McClintock Ave. We recommend Parking Structure D, at the far end of 34th Street. Metered street parking is also available along Jefferson Blvd.

Contact Information

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