Join us for the USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7
Upcoming Events
In-Person SCA Graduate Information Session
January 1, 2025 - December 24, 2025, Varies
SCA Courtyard
Join the SCA Admissions staff for an in-person information session to learn more about applying to the SCA graduate programs for the Fall 2024 semester. Topics will include an overview of the school, programs and facilities, financial aid, Q&A with staff and more!
Virtual SCA Graduate Information Session
January 1, 2025 - December 24, 2025, Varies
Online - Access Information Sent Via Email
Join the SCA Admissions staff for an online information session to learn more about applying to the SCA graduate programs for the Spring/Fall 2024 semester. Topics will include an overview of the school, programs and facilities, financial aid, Q&A with staff and more!
CTCS-467: Television Symposium
January 13, 2025 - May 12, 2025, 7:00 P.M. - 9:30 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
This Spring 2025 semester, the School of Cinematic Arts will offer a very special course called CTCS-467: Television Symposium, a four-unit elective class open for enrollment to ALL USC STUDENTS OF ANY MAJOR that brings you face-to-face with the leading television writers, producers, directors and actors working today. Each week, students watch contemporary television programming selected from the best shows on the air, followed by an exclusive Q&A with the creative team behind the show. The class is taught by MARY MCNAMARA, Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic and cultural editor for the Los Angeles Times and meets in person every Monday night @ 7:00 P.M. in the Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108.
FIDELIO
March 23, 2025, 12:00 P.M.
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Following a string of awe-inspiring Met performances, soprano Lise Davidsen stars as Leonore, who risks everything to save her husband from the clutches of tyranny. Tenor David Butt Philip is the political prisoner Florestan, sharing the stage with bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny as the villainous Don Pizarro, veteran bass René Pape as the jailer Rocco, and soprano Ying Fang and tenor Magnus Dietrich, in his company debut, as the young Marzelline and Jaquino. Bass Stephen Milling sings the principled Don Fernando, and Susanna Mälkki conducts the Met’s striking production, which finds modern-day parallels in Beethoven’s stirring paean to freedom.
THE CLASS: Free Docuseries Screening & Discussion at USC
March 24, 2025, 6:00 P.M.
The Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, RZC 119, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, 3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Join us for a special screening of the 1st episode of a new PBS docuseries about high school seniors during the '20-'21 COVID school year.
AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL (1964)
March 25, 2025, 3:00 P.M.
The Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, RZC 119, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, 3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Driven by an overwhelming desire to have a son, the wicked undertaker Zé do Caixão (Coffin Joe) embarks on a search to find the perfect woman to bear his child. Nothing and no one will get in the way of his blood-splattered quest to propagate his bloodline and secure his only chance at immortality! Defying both military dictatorship and religious censorship to become Brazil's first horror film, writer/director/star José Mojica Marins' AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL is an unforgettable gothic horror classic that introduced the world to the legendary Coffin Joe.
HOLLAND
March 25, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
In this wildly unpredictable thriller, Nicole Kidman is the meticulous Nancy Vandergroot, a teacher and homemaker whose picture-perfect life with her community pillar husband and son in tulip-filled Holland, Michigan tumbles into a twisted tale. Nancy and her friendly colleague become suspicious of a secret, only to discover nothing in their lives is what it seems.
SOLDIERS OF SONG
March 26, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Soldiers of Song follows the extraordinary journey of Ukraine’s most beloved musicians as they unite their war-torn nation through the transformative power of music. Amidst the chaos of Russian aggression, artists like Slava Vakarchuk (Okean Elzy), Andriy Khlyvnyuk (Boombox), and Svitlana Tarabarova share their deeply personal experiences of resilience, hope, and defiance. From intimate interviews and gripping performances, the film intertwines their stories, revealing how their melodies have become anthems of unity and resistance. As these musicians navigate the perils of war, their music becomes a beacon of courage for their fellow citizens, offering solace and strength when it’s needed most. Set against the haunting backdrop of the ongoing conflict, Soldiers of Song captures the emotional weight of their fight. Slava Vakarchuk reflects on the early days of the invasion. Andriy Khlyvnyuk, balancing life as a drone operator and a musician, works tirelessly to raise funds for the defense effort. Meanwhile, an injured opera singer dreams of performing again, while an orchestra conductor recounts the destruction of the Mariupol Theater. Amidst air raids and missile strikes, the production team weaves these stories into a powerful narrative of hope and resistance, showcasing music’s unparalleled ability to heal and unify a nation in its darkest hour.
Jason Reitman Double-Feature: JUNO (2007) & UP IN THE AIR (2009)
March 27, 2025, 6:30 P.M. & 8:15 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
JUNO (2007): When precocious teen Juno MacGuff becomes pregnant, she chooses a failed rock star and his wife to adopt her unborn child. Complications occur when Mark, the prospective father, begins viewing Juno as more than just the mother of his future child, putting both his marriage and the adoption in jeopardy.
UP IN THE AIR (2009): An idea from a young, new co-worker (Anna Kendrick) would put an end to the constant travel of corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), so he takes her on a tour to demonstrate the importance of face-to-face meetings with those they must fire. While mentoring his colleague, he arranges hookups with another frequent-flier (Vera Farmiga), and his developing feelings for the woman prompt him to see others in a new light.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: Can Comedy be Automated?
March 28, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
A spirited debate examining the role AI plays, and might play, in comedy and entertainment, from both a creative and an industry standpoint - current industry trends, labor disputes, writers rooms, copyright issues, and more. Moderated by Vulture's Jesse David Fox.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: FRIENDSHIP
March 28, 2025, 9:00 P.M.
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor, but Craig’s attempts to make an adult male friend threaten to ruin both of their lives.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7
March 28, 2025 - March 30, 2025, Varied
Varied
The 7th Edition of the USC Comedy Festival returns to campus this March 28 - 30 to celebrate community and share laughter, while exploring the changing nature of comedy in contemporary society. We open with a spirited debate about the role AI might play in comedy development, followed by a sneak of A24's Friendship. Saturday will include a panel on Late Night Comedy Writing, plus a sneak of Onyx Collective/Hulu's new comedy series Deli Boys, a new documentary from Drafthouse Films, Thank You Very Much, about the legendary Andy Kaufman, and a discussion with the creators of Will & Harper. Sunday will focus on Comedy Podcasting, plus a sneak of the romantic comedy A Nice Indian Boy with cast & crew. The festival wraps Sunday night with our annual Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Master of Comedy Award, this year presented to Academy Award-nominated Writer/Director/Producer, and USC Alumnus, Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air, Saturday Night).
USC Comedy Festival Vol. 7
March 28, 2025 - March 30, 2025, Various Time
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Over three days of film, television, and webisode screenings and panel discussions, the seventh USC Comedy Festival will introduce emerging artists, honor comedy legends, and feature high-profile USC alumni working in comedy.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: Punchlines & Power Moves: Women Showrunners in Comedy
March 29, 2025, 10:00 A.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Presented by Women of Cinematic Arts for the USC Comedy Festival 2025, this dynamic panel brings together powerhouse showrunners to share their journeys through the world of comedy television. From breaking in to breaking barriers, these industry leaders will discuss their career experiences, offer guidance on climbing the ranks, and provide insight into navigating the ever-evolving landscape of film and television. Whether you're an aspiring writer, director, or producer, this conversation will deliver invaluable advice, candid stories, and inspiration from some of the most influential voices in comedy today.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: Writing Comedy for Late Night
March 29, 2025, 12:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
A special event with the late-night staff from Jimmy Kimmel Live - including his monologue writer, co-head writer, and co-executive producer. Moderated by former head monologue writer for Jimmy Fallon, Wayne Federman.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: DELI BOYS
March 29, 2025, 2:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
When their convenience store-magnate father suddenly dies, a pair of pampered Pakistani American brothers (Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh) lose everything and are forced to reckon with their Baba’s secret life of crime as they attempt to take up his mantle in the underworld.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: THANK YOU VERY MUCH
March 29, 2025, 4:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Andy Kaufman's provocative comedy often outraged audiences, challenging them to confront their own presumptions. Through never-before-seen footage and intimate recollections, filmmaker Alex Braverman explores Kaufman’s brief but impactful life and career. As the lines between performance and reality blur in our present age, Kaufman’s genius resonates more than ever.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: WILL & HARPER
March 29, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Three years ago, Will Ferrell was filming a movie when he received a most surprising e-mail: his dear friend of nearly 30 years was coming out to him as a trans woman. That friend was Harper Steele, a writer he met on his first day at Saturday Night Live back in 1995. From that fateful first meeting in the halls of 30 Rock, Will knew he had found a match made in comedy, and their friendship and creative partnership would only continue to grow over the next 3 decades. In this intimate, honest, and heartfelt documentary, Will and Harper hit the open road together to process this new stage of their friendship and reintroduce Harper to the country that she loves – this time, as herself. Over 16 days, the two drive from New York to LA, visiting stops that are meaningful to them, to their friendship, and to America. Through laughter, tears, and many cans of Pringles, they push past their comfort zones as they re-examine their relationships to these spaces, and to each other, in this new light.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: Podcasting and Beyond: The New Comedy Hustle
March 30, 2025, 2:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Podcasts, video podcasts, TikTok, Insta, drop-ins, showcases, tours, specials—there are seemingly more comedy outlets than ever, and the comedy hustle can be more hectic than ever. We’ll discuss the current comedy landscape and how to manage a comedy career in the midst of unprecedented change.
USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: A NICE INDIAN BOY
March 30, 2025, 4:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
When Naveen brings his fiancé Jay home to meet his traditional Indian family, they must contend with accepting his white-orphan-artist boyfriend and helping them plan the Indian wedding of their dreams.
The Jack Oakie & Victoria Horne Oakie Masters of Comedy Lecture Series honoring Jason Reitman, USC Comedy's 2025 Oakie Award Recipient
March 30, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Jason Reitman is an Academy Award® nominated filmmaker who most recently directed SATURDAY NIGHT, a film he co-wrote with Gil Kenan. Reitman made his feature film debut with the 2006 Sundance hit THANK YOU FOR SMOKING for which he won best screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. He notably earned Academy Award® nominations for directing JUNO and UP IN THE AIR, the latter of which earned Reitman a WGA Award and BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay. Reitman has collaborated with screenwriter Diablo Cody on four critically acclaimed films, including YOUNG ADULT, TULLY, and JENNIFER’S BODY. As a producer, Reitman oversaw four seasons of the Golden Globe nominated Hulu comedy series CASUAL. He also produced the Academy Award-winning film WHIPLASH and Jean-Marc Vallee's DEMOLITION. In 2010, Reitman co-created the Live Read series with Elvis Mitchell, which ran for five seasons at LACMA where he also sat as an artist-in-residence. In 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic, Reitman created and directed the Home Movie Princess Bride, raising over a million dollars for World Central Kitchen. In 2021, Reitman directed and co-wrote GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE with Gil Kenan, and in 2023, produced and co-wrote its sequel, GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE. In early 2024, Reitman assembled 35 prominent film directors in order to save the Westwood Village Theater.
GUNS (1990)
March 31, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
The Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, RZC 119, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, 3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
No filmmakers capture the playful chaos of action cinema’s Golden Age like Andy and Arlene Sidaris (HARD TICKET TO HAWAII). South American criminal Juan Degas (Erik Estrada, CHiPs) has been using the Hawaiian Islands as his base for smuggling weapons from China to Latin America. Tracking the evil mastermind from Hawaii to Las Vegas, agents Donna (Dona Speir, HARD TICKET TO HAWAII) and Nicole (Roberta Vasquez, PICASSO TRIGGER) must watch their backs while attempting to take down their prey. The fifth installment (!) of a series that includes MALIBU EXPRESS, PICASSO TRIGGER, SAVAGE BEACH, and DO OR DIE, GUNS is another over-the-top winner from exploitation cinema’s most eminent power couple. And don’t miss Danny Trejo (MACHETE) as Erik Estrada’s bad guy partner!
AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: VEGAS IN SPACE (1991)
April 1, 2025, 3:00 P.M.
The Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, RZC 119, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, 3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Would you change your sex to save the entire universe? The fabulous Captain Tracy Daniels would! Disguised as show girls from Earth, Daniels and her fierce space crew travel to the “babes-only world” of VEGAS IN SPACE. Once there, they must Dance! Dance! Dance! to save the universe! This movie has more wigs than Wigstock, more make up than a Miss America pageant, and all the fabulousness of THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT. With tongue planted firmly in cheek and outfits that would make RuPaul jealous, these cross-dressing divas are more fabulous than Julie Newmar, and shine brighter than a supernova. One of the first truly queer midnight movies, VEGAS IN SPACE is a campy, psychedelic, and loving homage to 1950s and ‘60s B-movie sci-fi with an all-drag cast!
NO OTHER LAND
April 1, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta, has been fi ghting his community's mass expulsion by the Israeli occupation since childhood. Basel documents the gradual erasure of Masafer Yatta, as soldiers destroy the homes of families - the largest single act of forced transfer ever carried out in the occupied West Bank. He crosses paths with Yuval, an Israeli journalist who joins his struggle, and for over half a decade they fi ght against the expulsion while growing closer. Their complex bond is haunted by the extreme inequality between them: Basel, living under a brutal military occupation, and Yuval, unrestricted and free. This fi lm, by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four young activists, was co-created during the darkest, most terrifying times in the region, as an act of creative resistance to Apartheid and a search for a path towards equality and justice.
A Special Evening Screening of Four New Sloan Foundation-Awarded Short Films by SCA Students
April 2, 2025, 7:00 - 9:30 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
The Alfred P. Sloan grants are merit-based awards in Production, Writing and Animation, open to all SCA undergraduate and graduate majors. The award decisions are made by the Sloan Foundation and administered through the School of Cinematic Arts,. These are prestigious awards for projects that present accurate, non-stereotypical portrayals of science and scientists in media.
DIE LIKE A MAN
April 7, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
The Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, RZC 119, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, 3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
A coming-of-age thriller set in a working-class Westside L.A. neighborhood, Freddy is gifted a gun on his 17th birthday and ordered to kill his mentor Solo’s old rival Boxer. Will Freddy kill or “die like a man” with a gun in his hand?
Camera On My Lap: Seven Short Films by Experimental South African Filmmaker Shelley Barry
April 9, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Join for the first-ever West Coast screening of select short films by multiple award winner Shelley Barry. Barry will be screening and speaking about her films, including her trilogy "Whole: A Trinity of Being" (2004) and the lockdown-produced "Camera in my Lap" (2022) which engage disability-centered filmmaking practices to interrogate queerness, sexuality, race, and disability in the Global South. This is a unique opportunity to share an evening with an internationally-recognized filmmaker and activist working at the intersection of narrative and conceptual storytelling, sociocultural critique, disability justice activism, and cultural production.
BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN in IMAX
April 14, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
The Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, RZC 119, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, 3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Becoming Led Zeppelin is the first ever authorized documentary about the band. The film charts the early musical influences and careers of each bandmate before diving deep into their first two albums and subsequent tours. The film features “never-before-seen” footage, remastered sound and video, and audio interviews with John Bonham that have been kept private for decades. Full songs play in the film, making it feel just like a concert.
An Evening with Academy Award-winning Producer & SCA Alumnus Alex Coco
April 15, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
A conversation with SCA Alumnus Alex Coco, fresh off of winning an Academy Award for Best Picture (Anora). The talk will explore Coco's career trajectory, from SCA to the Oscars.
The Iron Mountain Media & Archival Services Spotlight Screening Series Presents: RESYNATOR
April 17, 2025, 7:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Inventor Don Tavel died suddenly when his daughter was ten weeks old. Growing up surrounded by mythical stories of her “genius” father, Alison’s life is consequently absent from any true connection to him. Resynator is a narrative documentary that begins when Alison rescues Don’s synthesizer prototype from her grandmother’s attic and starts a curious resurrection project that turns into an insatiable globe-trotting quest. Aided by estranged family, lost friends, fellow inventors and celebrated musicians (Grace Potter, Peter Gabriel, Fred Armisen, Gotye, Jon Anderson and more), Alison unlocks unsettling secrets and complex truths - through which a father/daughter relationship is finally born.
CTCS-466: Theatrical Film Symposium Fall 2025
August 28, 2025 - December 11, 2025, 6:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
This Fall 2025 semester, the School of Cinematic Arts will offer a very special course called CTCS-466: Theatrical Film Symposium, a four-unit elective class open for enrollment to ALL USC STUDENTS OF ANY MAJOR that brings you face-to-face with leading film directors, writers, producers, and actors working today. Throughout the semester, students will watch a wide selection of new film releases, followed by exclusive Q&As with the creative teams behind them. The class is taught by film critic LEONARD MALTIN and meets every Thursday night in Norris Cinema Theatre from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.