Upcoming Events
Festival & Distribution: General Info Sessions
August 1, 2018 - May 14, 2019, Varies
School of Cinematic Arts, SCA 255
Industry Relations presents monthly Festival & Distribution General Info Group Sessions. Learn about the first steps to submit to film festivals, strategic ways to choose where to apply, and get your general festival questions answered.
The Metropolitan Opera's 2018/2019 Live in HD Broadcast Series
October 20, 2018 - March 30, 2019, Varied
The Frank Sinatra Hall at the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, USC Thornton School of Music, USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative, and the Metropolitan Opera Invite you and a guest to select broadcasts from the 2018/2019 Live in HD Broadcast Series.
On-Campus SCA Information Session
January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019, 11:00 AM
USC School of Cinematic Arts
This information session is available for prospective applicants interested in the undergraduate and/or graduate programs at the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA). The session begins with a presentation discussing the SCA programs, admissions processes and available facilities at the school -- an opportunity for Q & A will also be given.
CTCS-466: Theatrical Film Symposium
January 10, 2019 - May 2, 2019, 6:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.
The Frank Sinatra Hall at the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
This Spring 2019 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. Each week, students watch sneak previews of upcoming Hollywood movies, followed by an exclusive Q&A with the creative team behind the film. The class is taught by film critic LEONARD MALTIN and meets every Thursday night from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. in the Frank Sinatra Hall at the Norris Cinema Theatre Complex.
40 YEARS OF ALIEN: 40th Anniversary Exhibit
January 25, 2019 - May 12, 2019, Varied
The Hugh M. Hefner Exhibition Hall, George Lucas Building Lobby, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
The USC School of Cinematic Arts and 20th Century Fox Archives present an exclusive anniversary exhibit celebrating 40 years of one of Hollywood’s most enduring and beloved cinematic franchises. Based on characters and a screenplay written by USC Cinematic Arts graduate Dan O’Bannon, Ridley Scott’s Alien exploded into global pop culture in 1979. The outer space sci-fi horror saga further evolved under the mastery of idiosyncratic filmmakers James Cameron (Aliens, 1986), David Fincher (Alien 3, 1992), and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Alien: Resurrection, 1997), followed bytwo “prequel” origin stories, Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), also directed by Ridley Scott. Pulling together elements from all six films, displays will include concept artwork and Alien creature designs by visionary Swiss artist H.R. Giger, who won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, as well as storyboards, production design blueprints, international poster art, models, costumes, props, ephemera, merchandise, and fan art.
UP NORTH
March 22, 2019, 7:30 P.M.
The American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028
Banky Wellington stars in this heartwarming comedy-drama, which follows a young man’s life-changing experience in northern Nigeria. After a bitter argument with his wealthy father involving an arranged marriage, spoiled son Bassey Otuekong (Wellington) is shipped off to the Nigerian National Service in Bauchi. There he will spend three weeks in an extremely disciplined environment designed to test his character. To his great surprise, he discovers a silver lining to his punishment when he gets the opportunity to coach a women’s track team. Featuring Adesua Etomi, Kanayo O. Kanayo and Rahama Sadau.
NOLLYWOOD IN HOLLYWOOD 2019
March 22, 2019 - March 23, 2019, Varied
The American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theatre and USC's Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre
Nollywood in Hollywood is a celebration of Nigeria’s growing cinema. From very inauspicious beginnings about twenty-five years ago, the industry grew to be the second largest in the world in terms of output. It is estimated that over 1,000 films are produced in Nollywood every year, most of them direct to video. In recent years, Nollywood films have garnered critical acclaim and have been exhibited at top film festivals. NOLLYWOOD IN HOLLYWOOD is the second edition of our annual exhibition of Nigeria's best films.
Nollywood Filmmakers Panel Discussion
March 23, 2019, 3:00 P.M. - 3:50 P.M.
The Frank Sinatra Hall at the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
A conversation about the current state of the Nollywood entertainment industry, featuring KEMI ADETIBA (Director, King of Boys), TOPE OSHIN (Director, Up North), and BANKY W (Musician, Actor - Up North, The Wedding Party), moderated by Alessandro Ago, Director of Programming at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
LIONHEART
March 23, 2019, 4:00 P.M.
The Frank Sinatra Hall at the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
In her directorial debut, Nigerian star Genevieve Nnaji constructs a moving story of female empowerment set against the backdrop of a male-dominated corporate world. After a sudden health crisis, Chief Obiagu (Pete Edochie) must appoint a temporary head of his family transportation business, which is on the brink of financial ruin. Despite her obvious qualifications, daughter Adaeze (Nnaji) is passed over for the promotion when the chief appoints her unruly uncle Godswill (Nkem Owoh) instead. Despite her feelings of betrayal, it is up to Adaeze to keep her uncle in check and the family business afloat.
KING OF BOYS
March 23, 2019, 6:30 P.M.
The Frank Sinatra Hall at the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
King of Boys follows the story of Alhaja Eniola Salami, a businesswoman and philanthropist with a checkered past and a promising political future. She is a pillar of society — loved by many, feared by most, and truly known by a select few. As her political ambitions see her outgrowing the underworld connections responsible for her considerable wealth, she’s drawn into a power struggle that threatens everything she holds dear. To come out of this on top, she will need every ounce of the cunning, ruthlessness, and strategy that took her to the top, as well as the loyalty of those closest to her. But who can she really trust?
VHYES Screening and Filmmaker Q&A
March 26, 2019, 7 PM
SCA 110
VHYES Screening and Filmmaker Q&A with USC Comedy Alumni Director Jack Henry Robbins - Tuesday, March 26, 7pm in SCA 110
Cinematheque 108 Presents: Andy Warhol's LUPE (1965)
March 27, 2019, 7:30 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
On one side of the screen, a baby-doll blonde type is primped and powdered by a make-up man, while on the other side the same girl eats a long meal in an elegant dining-room. This one is in color. At the end, both panels are used to show the girl with her head in a toilet.
COPS & COMMUNITIES: CIRCLING UP
March 28, 2019, 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, March 28th, 2019
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
In September 2018, Center for Council brought together a group of law enforcement officers and community leaders to explore where there is common ground in their seemingly disparate experiences and how Council can serve as a model for improving community-police relations.
Richard Wagner's Die Walküre
March 30, 2019, 9:00 A.M. - 1:55 P.M.
The Frank Sinatra Hall at the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Complex, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
In what is expected to be a Wagnerian event for the ages, soprano Christine Goerke plays Brünnhilde, Wotan’s willful warrior daughter, who loses her immortality in opera’s most famous act of filial defiance. Tenor Stuart Skelton and soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek play the incestuous twins Siegmund and Sieglinde. Greer Grimsley sings Wotan. Philippe Jordan conducts.
The Actor's Director: A Creative Workshop for Directors, Actors, and Writers
March 30, 2019, 9:30 A.M. - 6:30 P.M.
The Michelle & Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts (RZC), 3131 S. Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007
There is that rare breed of Director that just “knows” how to get the best out of the actor -- giving them a sense of freedom, inspiring courage, and bringing clarity. The challenge in collaborative storytelling is learning to speak the same language, and finding ways to bring out the best in each other. Co-founded by two established artists with decades in the business, actor/director Sheryl Lee and actor/writer/director Gary Hershberger discovered that there was an opportunity for growth in the way actors and directors think about each other, how they explore the process, and in turn how they have conversations about the craft.
A LAND WITHOUT BORDERS
April 1, 2019, 3:00 P.M.
The Fanny Brice Theatre, SCA 110, George Lucas Building Lobby, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Award-winning writer Nir Baram grew up in a political household. Both his father and grandfather were members of the Knesset and ministers. As Baram begins to lose faith in the possibility of a two-state solution, he decides to travel throughout the West Bank to speak with the local Palestinians and the Israeli settlers. The surprising revelations force Baram to reevaluate his hopes for a peaceful resolution to this conflict.
THE WIND
April 2, 2019, 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
An unseen evil haunts the homestead in this chilling, folkloric tale of madness, paranoia, and otherworldly terror. Lizzy (Caitlin Gerard) is a tough, resourceful frontierswoman settling a remote stretch of land on the 19th-century American frontier. Isolated from civilization in a desolate wilderness where the wind never stops howling, she begins to sense a sinister presence that seems to be borne of the land itself, an overwhelming dread that her husband (Ashley Zukerman) dismisses as superstition. When a newlywed couple arrives on a nearby homestead, their presence amplifies Lizzy’s fears, setting into motion a shocking chain of events. Masterfully blending haunting visuals with pulse-pounding sound design, director Emma Tammi evokes a godforsaken world in which the forces of nature come alive with quivering menace.
DOGMAN
April 3, 2019, 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
In a seaside village on the outskirts of an Italian city, where the only law seems to be survival of the fittest, Marcello is a slight, mild-mannered man who divides his days between working at his modest dog grooming salon, caring for his daughter Alida, and being coerced into the petty criminal schemes of the local bully Simoncino, an ex-boxer who terrorizes the neighborhood. When Simoncino’s abuse finally brings Marcello to a breaking point, he decides to stand up for his own dignity through an act of vengeance, with unintended consequences.
PETERLOO
April 3, 2019, 7:00 P.M.
Laemmle's Royal Theater, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A., CA 90025
Internationally acclaimed and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Leigh portrays one of the bloodiest episodes in British history, the infamous Peterloo Massacre of 1819, where government-backed cavalry charged into a peaceful crowd of 80,000 that gathered in Manchester, England to demand democratic reform.
Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" Re-Animated
April 4, 2019, 7:30pm-9:30pm
Alumni Park in front of Doheny Library
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s immortal gothic horror novel and feminist text, Alumni Park in front of Doheny Library will come alive with a multimedia interactive and live performance extravaganza. Digital projection mapping will transform the Library’s exterior into a vibrant, electronic palette for re-telling the original story of Frankenstein. Dozens of USC students working in animation, interactive media, film, music, theater, dance, art and design, and architecture have re-animated Mary Shelley’s enduring classic in stunning fashion.
BEAUTIFUL THINGS
April 16, 2019, 7:30 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
Van is a floorhand, the maintenance man on an oil rig. He works in the desert, at a large oilfield in Texas. Danilo is the chief engineer of a freighter. He spends all his days in the heart of the vessel where a humongous engine resides. Andrea is a scientist. He has lived his whole life between mathematical formulae and the silence of the anechoic chamber. Vito has spent half of his life looking after slot machines. Today he is in charge of an immense reinforced-concrete pit for waste. These men, unwittingly, provide the basis for the whole sequence of creation, transport, marketing and destruction of the objects that feed our bulimic lifestyle. The objects that we think we need every day begin and end their journey inside isolated and eerie industrial and scientific locations. These men are monks in temples of steel and concrete and carry out the same mechanical rituals every day in silence and solitude, sharing the space with their own phantoms.
iMappening 2019
April 23, 2019 - April 26, 2019, 5:00 p.m.
SCI 108 and SCA Stage 4
USC’s PhD program in interdisciplinary Media Arts + Practice combines practice-based art and design research with critical, theoretical research and reflection. This year’s iMappening exhibition presents the ongoing conjectures, designs and creative expressions under exploration by the iMAP PhD students.
90th Anniversary Alumni Conversations Series: John August & Melissa Rosenberg
April 23, 2019, 7:30 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
John August’s screenwriting credits include Go, Big Fish, Frankenweenie, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and both Charlie’s Angels movies. His feature directing debut, The Nines, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. He also wrote the book for the Broadway musical version of Big Fish. His company, Quote-Unquote Apps, makes several apps of interest to screenwriters, including Highland 2 and Weekend Read. John co-hosts the weekly Scriptnotes podcast, and maintains two websites aimed at budding screenwriters, johnaugust.com and screenwriting.io.
Multiple Emmy nominee Melissa Rosenberg is Series Creator and Showrunner of “Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” which the much heralded second season launched on Netflix in March, 2018. Since the debut of its first season in November 2015, “Marvel’s Jessica Jones,”starring Krysten Ritter, has garnered tremendous response and critical acclaim including winning the prestigious Peabody Award for its genre-bending approach. Season 2 picked up with Jessica putting her life back together, when a new case forces her to dig deeper into her past to uncover the reasons why she is what she is. Rosenberg and her “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” collaborators and cast are currently working on the third season of the show.
Kaleidoscope: Refocusing the Digital Spectacle
May 1, 2019 - May 3, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
SCI 106, SCA Gallery and SCA Stage 4
An exhibition of thesis projects created by senior undergraduate students in the BA in Media Arts + Practice and the Honors in Multimedia Scholarship program. These projects integrate research across multiple fields and together represent a holistic view of the emerging media landscape.