USC Cinematic Arts | First Look 2021

« Back to First Look 2022 Screening List

Comedy Films:

Aggie's Spirits (25:44)

Family, Women, Sitcom, European

When Kat and Becca learn that their late mother has bequeathed them her rundown and indebted dive bar, they must overcome their differences to save their mother's legacy from being repossessed.

Executive Producer
Brian DeAngelis, Josh Powell, Grant Samayoa

Showrunners
Maia Mulcahy, Brian DeAngelis, Amalia Mathewson, Vanessa Herron

Directors
Alyssa Katalyna Fritz, Christian Kamaal, Arnetta Ellis, Bea Yilin Jiang

Writer
Zoe Davidson, Patrick Duffy, Kyle Petersen, LeVonda Robinson, Samantha Xiao, Justin Zorn

Cinematographer
Amber Jones

Production Designer
Nandhana Nixon, Saul Singleton, Luke Steinfeld

Editor
Grace Bonafede, Abel Contreras, Nya Federoff, Sydney Friauf, Martin Lee, Tristan Alexandre Obedos, Oscar O'Reilly, Claire Gi Yu Poon

Bathtub Boy (16:39)

Drama, Family/Teen/Kid, Jewish

When a recently-graduated millennial refuses to leave their bathtub, his parents enlist the help of a celebrity psychologist to coax him out.

Director
Caleb Madison

Writer
Caleb Madison

Producer
Katherine Franklin, Max Walter Joelson, Marley Randazzo

Cinematographer
Chaochen Li

Production Designer
Cheyenne Peerson

Editor
Danny Roberts

Sound
Alex Bologna, David Arteta Cardona, Sayali Uphadye

Incoming Mail (13:47)

Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Women

When a magical mailbox zaps a Hollywood-wannabe senior and her eccentric rocker best friend 30 years into the future, they realize the key to their future might be right in front of them.

Director
Ellery Marshall

Writer
Emily Kim

Producer
Kendall Huff, Lindsay Wolf

Cinematographer
Liam Loughran

Production Designer
Emily Kim, Ethan Soo

Editor
Jordan Chervitz, Olivia Pearce

Sound
Jonathan Joei, Anna Waldron

Mantis Club (15:10)

Drama, Comedy, Fantasy, Women

In a world where females devour males during sex, a seventeen-year-old virgin Zack is asked on his first date.

Director
Yalian Li

Writer
Yalian Li

Producer
Daniel Sheahan

Cinematographer
Vicky Rattanavipapong

Production Designer
Anthony Robles, Nidhi Kulkarni

Editor
Kayla Sun, Blair Yiran Bai

Sound
Lai Jiang

The More We Get Together (12:22)

Family/Teen/Kid, Women

A young woman struggling to cope with her father's COVID hospitalization is alarmed to find that her childhood therapy puppet Gracie has come to life with the intent to somehow help her.

Director
Daniel Roberts

Writer
Brittany Bookbinder

Producer
Nancy Boyd, Arden Sarner

Cinematographer
Vicky Rattanavipapong

Production Designer
Meg Weck

Editor
Grace Park, Ya-Ting "Itchy" Yang

Sound
Arden Sarner, Gary Thompson

Wei Lai (13:39)

Family, Asian/ Asian American, Family/Teen/Kid

Tired of getting pushed and punished by his own parents, Wei-Lai, an 11-year-old Chinese American boy, decides to show up at his best friend's family and offers himself up for their adoption.

Director
Robin Wang

Writer
Tony G. X. Shi

Producer
Andy Yi Li, Naomi Shroff-Mehta

Cinematographer
Eris Zhao

Production Designer
Joy Tan, Yao Ge

Editor
Ted Beck, Zander Padget

Sound
Farrar Pace, David Willner

Wish Upon a Disco Ball (17:56)

Family, Black/African American, Family/Teen/Kid, Latino, Women, Other

A disco musical about two sisters who find out what it means to grow up - and how that doesn't mean growing apart.

Director
Anabel Iñigo

Writer
Anabel Iñigo

Producer
Rachel Allen, Danielle Mullins, Alissa Nguyên

Cinematographer
Matt Wilder

Production Designer
Oscar Lujan

Editor
Julian Stern

Sound
Lai Jiang

« Back to First Look 2022 Screening List