USC Cinematic Arts | First Look 2018

« Back to First Film 2018 Screening List

Documentary Films:

7/8ths of the Way There (26:40)

In the wake of a terminal diagnosis, a couple reflects on the lives they've lived, the people they've loved, and the penile implant one of them is about to receive.

Producers
Gracie Corapi
Anthony Mangini

Director
Mary Gerretsen

Cinematographer
Adriana Serrato

Sound
Jonathan Bower
Brian Cawley

Editors
Mikaela Addison
Mengxue Hou

Cast: George Martin, Kathy Laub Martin, Midge Martin, Patrick Martin

ADULTING (22:25)

An exploration of modern adulthood through the lives of three millennials, navigating the journey to self discovery in a society that questions the generation's ability to grow up.

Director
Dominique Sheth

Producers
Eleanor T Blake
Nich R L Perez

Sound Designer/Mixer
Ernesto Sandoval
Shaun Dikilato

Cinematographer
Alyssa Renzi

Editors
Hortense Lingjaerde
Ilana Rozin

Composer
Raashi Kulkarni

Cast: Daniel Seo, Eleanor Goodrich, Taylor King

Capoeira In Our Lives (19:54)

Capoeira, a martial art born out of the desire for freedom, is a beautiful non-choreographed movement accompanied by rhythmic drumming.

Director
Patricia C. Ovando

Cinematographer
Santiago H. Rodriguez

Producers
Jordan Martinez
Michael Gallo

Editors
Luying Zhang
Cornelia Yuan

Sound
Mark Vinzant

DP
Patricia C. Ovando

Cast: Jessica Carla De Lima-Moran, Antonio Contreras, Nailah Hayward, Cathrin Taylor, Lucas Aurore, Clarel Pope, Lorena Melgarejo, Itchel Quezada Mestre, Mindihno, Joshua Rutkoff

Finding Home (19:20)

'Finding Home' is a documentary series, each episode, a portrait of an LGBT immigrant or asylum seeker from a different part of the world, now seeking to create a new home in Los Angeles.

Director/Cinematographer
Abraham Troen

Producers
Xin Li
Marc Mounier

Post Sound
Peter Bawiec
Kari Barber

Editors
Alvaro Parra
Yongle Wang
Elisa Oh

Production Sound
Mercedes San Roman

Composer
Erick Del Aguila

Rise & Shine (23:00)

Who cooks breakfast in your family? In this short documentary, four diverse families discover a simmering conflict behind 'the most important meal of the day.'

Director
Justine Suh

Producers
Zicheng Li
Gabriel Bradley

Cinematographer
Emily Kalish

Sound Editor
Ruifeng Lan

Editors
Christopher Watkins, III
Klara Ajeng Canyarasmi

Composer
Peter Lam

Cast: Yuri Kim, Gwangim Sim, Yohan Lee, Joshua Lee, Jia Lee, Barbara Watkins, Christopher Watkins, II, Hakwan Lau, Kayuet Liu, April Macaraeg, Sheena Bonilla

Tailored to Fit (21:26)

A young immigrant filmmaker discovers a generation gap as she explores her love-hate relationship with China's iconic Qipao dress.

Director
Xin Li

Producers
Yuan Wang
Elaine Wong

DP
Sarah Winters

Editors
Marcela Heilbron
Yung-chih Hsu

Sound
Jordan Litt
Nikki Li

Composer
Huazhang Dai

Who We Are (26:40)

In the midst of America's Opioid Epidemic, a Southern California family searches for meaning in the wake of their son's death.

Director
Nicholas Manting Brewer

Producers
Monica Johnson Harris
Julia Davis

Cinematographer
Feixue Tang

Sound Designer, Mixer, Post-Production Sound
Andy Gladbach
Muhasani Joshua Kasomo

Editors
Michael Gil
Qianni Tang

Composer
Brett Holman

Colorist
Joseph Yao

Cast: Joyce Isaac, Rick Isaac, Lauren Isaac, Pat Montoya, Heather Cornes, Murtaza 'Mo' Aliyar

« Back to First Look 2018 Screening List