USC Cinematic Arts | First Look 2019

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Drama Films:

ASIA A (20:00)

Inspired by a true story. A recent spinal cord injury patient struggles to reconcile his sense of self-worth with his new reality as a paraplegic.

Director
Andrew Reid

Writer
Andrew Reid
Roberto Saieh

Producer
Jake Katofsky
Eric Baird

Cinematographer
Ante Cheng

Production Designer
PC Peng

Editor
Jonathan Petermann

Sound
Sound Designer: Zoltan Juhasz
Production Sound Mixer: Yiying Li
Post- Production Sound: Charles Moody

Composer
Erick Del Aguila

Cast: London Brown as Marquise, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Noah, Paulina Bugembe as Camilla, Elizabeth Keener as Megan, James Shipp as Daniel

Buried (17:00)

At the edge of marriage falling apart, a young wife of a miner is forced to revisit her decision to leave, after her husband gets trapped underground in a mining accident.

Director
Christopher Satola

Writer
Christopher Satola

Producer
Amina Abdulrazaq Isa

Cinematographer
Lym Choong Kim

Production Designer
Agnieszka Satola

Editor
Brian Venditti

Sound
Sound Designer, Post-Production Sound: Martin Robertson
Sound Mixer: Peter Bawiec

Composer
David Ffoulkes-Williams

Cast: Madeline Moen as Janet, Alexander Rupert Green as Coroner, Chad Coe as Lower Mine Executives, Clint Foster as Lower Mine Executives, Matt Munroe as David, Kate Addison as Ann, Neil Ellice as Jacob, Jennifer Pollono as Mary Jane, Jeff Marlow as News Reporter, Larry Waldinger as News Anchor, Felix Pire as Mine Executive, Marcus Hanson as Peter

Diamond Street (12:39)

After losing his favorite stuffed animal to his best friend, an imaginative young boy envisions himself as the star of a classic 1940s mobster movie, battling to win back his most prized possession.

Director
Eddie Mattola

Writer
Eddie Mattola

Producer
Eddie Mattola
Rommel Villa
Cristian Pagan

Cinematographer
Michael Basha
Jason S. Boldt

Production Designer
Yuan Wang
Xinyi Zhu

Editor
Marcus Heleker

Sound
Eric Han

Composer
Nami Melumad

Cast: Major Tatum as Jayson, Liam Seib as Damon, Khalif Boyd as Aaron, Theo K. Jones as Gunman, Konstantine Podprugin as Drug Addict, Yoel Bautista as Damon's Friend 1, Gabriel Maddox Maier as Damon's Friend 2

Difficult People (19:32)

A stubborn father and son must learn to deal with each other after the mother's death.

Director
Sohil Vaidya

Writer
Sohil Vaidya

Producer
Sohil Vaidya

Cinematographer
Heyjin Jun

Editor
Sikander Sidhu

Sound
Sound Mixer: Peter Bawiec
Sound Editor: Anmol Bhave

Cast: Abhay Mahajan as Akash, Chitaranjan Giri as Father, Suhas Shirsath as Landlord

Father by Law (18:05)

A father attempts to reconnect with his daughter on her wedding day.

Director
Maria De Sanctis

Writer
Maria De Sanctis
Geoff McFarlane

Producer
Lauren Quirarte
Jack Walterman

Cinematographer
Anthony Mangini

Production Designer
Noël Dombroski

Editor
Seamus O'Malley Finnegan
Steven Markowitz

Sound
Supervising Sound Editor: Charles Moody
Production Sound Mixer: James Salini

Composer
Spencer Creaghan

Cast: William Russ as Dale, Annie Clark as Liz, Andrew Hamrick as Steve, Antonia Jones as Helen, Mike Bash as Eddie

Flat Echo (14:36)

Battling the inevitability of her husband's Alzheimer's, the wife of a former pianist struggles to reconnect with him before his illness takes him away forever.

Director
Bruce Chiu

Writer
Christina YR Jun

Producer
Letia Solomon
Yeon Jin Lee

Cinematographer
Anton Kudryashov
Tianyi Lu

Production Designer
Allison Waite
Rohil Khatke

Editor
Yining Bei
Xiaoli Liu

Sound
Anthony Golden Jr
Pin-Jung Chen

Composer
Bill H. Piyatut

Cast: Grace Shen as Ruby, Marc Oka as Richard, Hana Wu as Young Ruby, Eddie Yu as Young Richard, Dr. Timmerman as Dale Waddington

Girl Gang (15:46)

On the eve of a major election, a Girl Gang of vigilante superheroes try to stop their sworn enemy from becoming the next Mayor of Los Angeles by recruiting his ex-girlfriend to join their cause.

Director
Hayley Trafzer

Writer
Hayley Trafzer

Producer
Celia Rettenmaier
Nate Trinrud

Cinematographer
Hannah Getz

Production Designer
Denver Kotian

Costume Designer
Hayley Trafzer

Editor
Steven Markowitz

Sound
Alex Rivers,Eric Han

Composer
Travis Kirby

Cast: Reiss Parsons as Violet Cox, Easton Schirra as Jax Cunningham, Toni Belafonte as Maya Jones, Perveen Singh as Lilith Patel, Alexa Wisener as Roxie Holloway, Tiffany Commons as Hammer Time, Lorelai Green as Young Violet

Li Shan (26:54)

During the outbreak of SARS in 2003 China, doctor Li Shan finds out that the government is trying to hide the serious situation by announcing SARS as a regular pneumonia. After getting suspended, Li Shan manages to steal a blood sample from a patient and finally reveals the truth to the public.

Director
Wenqi You

Writer
Wenqi You

Producer
Joan Fang
Ryan Connolly

Cinematographer
Martin Baird

Production Designer
Shange Zhang
Cheng Peng

Costume Designer
Leila Lee

Editor
Shiyu Hu

Sound
Sound Designer, Post-production Sound: Veronica Li
Production Sound Mixer: Hao Chen Xiao Hou

Composer
Ling Lu

Cast: Zhan Wang as Li Shan, Leo Wang as Su Chun, Alice Ko as Wu Zhen, Anthony Tai as Yi Ming, Kairui Jia as Li Rong, Andy Sun as Gong Peng, Alex Chen as Wen Kang

Lucky (16:25)

A teenage girl navigates being black and gay in Inglewood.

Director
Lydia Lane

Writer
Lydia Lane

Producer
Executive Producer: Dr. Brianna Nix
Producer: Valentino Misino
Vanessa Branch
Juliette Beneich

Cinematographer
Mikaela Addison

Production Designer
Chris Armienti
Madi Maghdessian

Editor
Shay McCleavy

Sound
Sound Designers: Lars Struck
Lydia Lane

Composer
Kasiemba Okeyo

Cast: Charmee Taylor as Lucky, Sumar Henderson as Rose, PJ Ortega as TK, Claire Pruett as Morgan

Memories (16:25)

After nearly dying in a tragic accident, a lonely man remembers a love from another lifetime and ventures to follow his memories on an unimaginable search that could change his life.

Director
Nicolas Raganato

Writer
Nicolas Raganato

Producer
Nicolas Raganato
H. Max Gonzalez
Michael Orion Downing

Cinematographer
Martin Baird

Production Designer
Lydia Lane

Costume Designer
Enrique Solana

Editor
Shiyu "Cheryl" Hu

Sound
Eric Han

Composer
Facundo Raganato

Cast: Michael John Fuller as Brian, Lara Clear as Elise, Zachary Steinback as Sam, Steve Voldseth as Therapist, Carol-Ann Potorski as The Old Woman

Party of Two (14:05)

Over the course of one night, Maxine encounters a carefree woman who helps her discover a reason to live.

Director
María Alvarez

Writer
Zoe Cheng

Producer
Liam Campbell
Fiona Kida

Cinematographer
Logan Fields

Production Designer
Bayley Ellenburg

Editor
Emily Hadley

Sound
Hassan Rashid

Composer
Katya Richardson

Cast: Nicole Williams as Maxine, Sahil Kaur as Stella, Jasmine St. Clair as Julia, Mika Shepherd as Emily, Joneé B. Shady as The Waitress, Charmaine Bingwa as Maxine's Mother, Aleah Cunningham as Young Maxine

REDBIRD (22:50)

A young emerging African American rodeo rider living in a small town in Oklahoma, must choose between his personal life or chasing after his dream of becoming a full time rider after going through an outdated hazing ritual.

Director
Dagmawi Abebe

Writer
Dagmawi Abebe
Patrick Henry Phelan

Producer
Mehmet Gungoren
Yves Beneche

Cinematographer
Anthony Mangini

Production Designer
Mozhu Yan

Editor
Dagmawi Abebe
June Yuting Jin

Sound
Sound Designer, Post-Production Sound: Ryan Vaughan
Production Sound Mixer: Scott Lau

Composer
Qingnan Ma

Cast: Curtiss Cook Jr. as Leon Dart, Kim Estes as Ellis Dart, Kristen Henry King as Maya Jenkins, Kelcey Watson as Boyd Haybridge, Millena Gay as Tonya Jenkins

Something to Live For (18:11)

A new mother wavers in her commitment to the Hamas cause.

Director
Adva Reichman

Writer
Adva Reichman

Producer
Nir Dvortchin
Co- Producer: Nicholas Benjamin

Cinematographer
Gal Deren

Production Designer
Shir Wertheim

Costume Designer
Roni Gabai

Editor
Steve Markowitz

Sound
Sound Designer: Amy Reynolds Reed
Production Sound Mixer: Tzvi Forer
Post- Production Sounds Mixer: Charles Moody

Composer
Nami Melumad

Cast: Anuar Jour as Nabila, Mozart Kteilat as Rafik, Melina Najar as Fatma, Dalia Okal as Jameela, Tamir Mula as Mansour, Adam Haloon as Abed, Alma Mozalbit as Baby

Spoiled Milk (20:00)

When an emotionally abusive father reneges on a lifelong promise, a determined millennial is forced to choose between fighting for her relationship with her father or her freedom.

Director
Florence Heller

Writer
Florence Heller
Hayley Trafzer

Producer
Amina Isa
Kathleen Gardner
Courtney Grace

Cinematographer
Madeline Leach

Production Designer
Joyanna Hatcher
Aliki Lala

Editor
Lynna Lam

Sound
Izumi Rosas,
Sound Mixer: Amy Reynolds Reed

Composer
Sarah Trevino

Cast: Bridget Peterson as Izzy, Rick Gifford as Jim, Brinda Dixit as Sadie, Caitlyn Friedlander as Young Izzy, Austin Kress as Clerk, Nikki King as Waitress

The Auction (13:36)

A devoted sister is given a chance at saving her brother's life when she discovers the first ever auction of a human heart.

Director
Alia Tompkins

Writer
Angela Menarin

Producer
Maria Luisa Ballon
Alex Grossman

Cinematographer
Alex Ioanoviciu

Production Designer
Genevieve Gorman Deane

Editor
Benjamin Butler

Sound
Cindy Marquina
Justin Moon

Composer
Daniel Stadnicki

Cast: Monica Molina as Nora, Patrick McCarthy as Cosmo, Mirlande Amazan as Reem, Syre Collins as Malik, Alicia Blasingame as Eva, Kashif Uqdah as Alec

The Bare Knuckle Gentlemen (19:11)

Former slave and retired boxer, Bill "The Black Terror" Richmond lobbies for a rematch fight between his protege, Tom "The Moor" Molineaux and the undisputed British champion, Tom Cribb.

Director
Nishad Chaughule

Writer
Rebecca Usoro

Producer
Jake Katofsky

Cinematographer
Ante Cheng

Production Designer
Jon Bush

Costume Designer
Casey Nguyen

Editor
Seamus O' Malley Finnegan

Sound
Production Sound Mixer: Longwei Deng
Post Production Sound: Jingjue Zhou

Composer
Michael Bahnmiller

Cast: Doctor Hayes as Bill Richmond, Bradford Barnes as Tom Molineaux, Christopher Neiman as Percy Ratcliff, David Aaron Evans as Tom 'Paddington' Jones, Robert Jekabson as Tom Cribb, Chris Bensinger as Nobleman Albert Edward Linley, Todd Rulapaugh as Nobleman William Henry Cooper

The Lane (21:00)

An 11 year old boy from a Toronto housing project strives to help his older brother get through his isolation and ultimately bring his fractured family together.

Director
Johnny Vong

Writer
Johnny Vong

Producer
Steven Pukin

Cinematographer
Ryan Glover

Editor
Johnny Vong

Sound
Steven Ejbick
Ryan MacNeill

Composer
Lasse Elkjaer

Cast: Owen Lee as Scott, Adam Chan as Matt, Brenda Le as Lan (Mom)

Throuple (19:14)

Hungover from a bad breakup, a not-so-great stripper makes a house call to a progressive married couple, whom eventually challenge the way she sees love, life and her own sexuality.

Director
Chrissie De Guzman

Writer
Chrissie De Guzman

Producer
Xin Li
Ryan Connolly

Cinematographer
Arlene Muller

Production Designer
Alexah Acuna

Editor
Nate Trinrud
Mozhu Yan

Sound
Lisa Mermelstein

Original Music
Woo & the Clouds and Matt Haeck

Cast: Aisha Jade as Joni, Montana Pine as Becca, Tim Karasawa as Ben, Roxanne Dover as Roxxy, Otesha Mosely Bremond as Princess

Under Darkness (20:18)

In World War II Poland, a young Jewish woman struggles to survive after her family is murdered. Refusing to give up, she joins the Soviet resistance, and realizes that through photography she can remember the past while documenting for the future. Inspired by a true story.

Director
Caroline Friend

Writer
Caroline Friend

Producer
Caroline Friend
Merissa Jane Lee
Michael Orion Downing
Co- Producer: Nick Benjamin

Cinematographer
Brian Tang

Production Designer
Tyler Moore

Costume Designer
Mattie Bollich

Editor
Michael Ritter

Sound
Peter Diaz

Composer
Duy Tran

Cast: Kally Khourshid as Faye, Edgar Erenhart as Moishe, Gabriel Palma as Eduard, Daniel Dasent as Erich, Eugene Alper as Dr. Mikhail, Dimitry Rozental as Commander Kirilli, Marlene Hamerling as Rayzel, David Nieker as Yakov, Christina Giagos as Esther, Sam Keller as Anton

Why Georgia? (14:31)

Shy and sheltered Hayley needs to grow up fast before a high school party. Luckily, she's taken under the wing of Gia, her free-spirited new nanny. Hayley will learn that everyone needs to grow up sooner or later, even Gia.

Director
Julian Gilbert

Writer
Julian Gilbert
Jeremy Palmer

Producer
Julian Gilbert
Shannon Hardy

Cinematographer
Sarah Winters

Production Designer
Matthew Burnside

Costume Designer
Jaymee Ngernwichit

Editor
Nic Curcio
Evald Ridore

Sound
Sound Designer / Post Production Sound: Santiago Rodriguez Herran
Production Sound Mixer: Sandra Joen Perez

Composer
Giuseppe Alfano

Cast: Juliette Allison Bailey as Hayley Salter, Sierra Swartz as Gia Langley, Laura Pursell as Deborah Salter, Brad Gilbert as Art, Ethan Estrada as Kevin, Athena Park as Daphne, Starr Hague as Starr, Dashiell Enos as Sebastian

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