USC School of Cinematic Arts Events

WOLF MAN in IMAX

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 11:10:01 PST

March 3, 2025 -- What if someone you loved became something else? From Blumhouse and visionary writer-director Leigh Whannell, the creators of the chilling modern monster tale The Invisible Man, comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare: Wolf Man. Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott (Poor Things, It Comes at Night) stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Emmy winner Julia Garner; Ozark, Inventing Anna), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Matlida Firth; Hullraisers, Coma). But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without.

THE TOWN: COLLEGE TOUR

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 08:08:46 PST

March 3, 2025 - March 10, 2025 -- The Town is a podcast by Puck founding partner Matthew Belloni that takes you inside Hollywood, using exclusive reporting and insight to explain the backstories on everything from Marvel movies to streaming wars. Multiple times each week, Matt is joined by major executives, dealmakers, and journalists, to discuss what is getting made and why, who is winning and losing, and what people in show business are actually talking about.

MICKEY 17

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 11:11:01 PST

March 4, 2025 -- From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, Mickey 17. The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: MCBAIN (1991)

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 11:12:14 PST

March 4, 2025 -- At the end of the Vietnam War, a group of Rangers led by Santos (Chick Vennera) risk their lives to rescue POW Robert McBain (Christopher Walken). Santos hands McBain half of a $100 bill, telling him to pay him back when the other half shows up someday. Eighteen years later, Santos is killed while leading a campaign against drug lords and corrupt politicians in Colombia. When his sister, Cristina (Maria Conchita Alonso) seeks McBain out with the other half of that $100 bill, he must assemble a group of surviving Rangers to take down the cartels and avenge Santos’ death.

IN BETWEEN STARS AND SCARS: MASTERS OF CINEMA

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 11:31:31 PST

March 5, 2025 -- In Between Stars and Scars: Masters of Cinema is an evocative exploration of the transformative power of cinema and the lives of its most iconic filmmakers. Directed by Yi Zhou, the film features acclaimed director Cameron Crowe and legendary cinematographer Robert Richardson as they delve into the intricacies of storytelling, visual artistry, and how their personal journeys have shaped their creative legacies. Blending exclusive interviews, rare behind-the-scenes footage, and thought-provoking commentary, this piece bridges the creative and personal worlds of its subjects, highlighting their contributions to the art of cinema while offering a glimpse into the future of filmmaking.

An Evening of Fallen Angels

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 15:06:27 PST

March 6, 2025 -- Screenwriter and Writing Division Professor Howard A. Rodman will be presenting three half-hour film noirs he wrote for the Showtime series Fallen Angels in the 1990s.

THE ACTOR

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 17:06:42 PST

March 10, 2025 -- Based on the novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake, The Actor finds Paul Cole (Holland) stranded in a mysterious small town with no memory of who he is or how he got here. Without a sense of identity or purpose, he starts from scratch and begins courting a local costume designer Edna (Chan). As bits and pieces of his past slowly emerge, he attempts to find his way home, but time is slippery, appearances can’t be trusted, and it’s unclear which of his identities is real.

DROP

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 11:07:53 PST

March 11, 2025 -- First dates are nerve-wracking enough. Going on a first date while an unnamed, unseen troll pings you personal memes that escalate from annoying to homicidal? Blood-chilling.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER (1982)

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:36:39 PST

March 11, 2025 -- A daring mercenary with a lethal three-bladed sword is thrust into the wildest fight of his life when he learns that he is the prince of a kingdom controlled by an evil sorcerer. Can he rescue the beautiful princess and slay the warlock, or will he fall prey to his powerful black magic and horde of savage monsters? The debut feature from genre film hero Albert Pyun, THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER is an action-packed adventure saga filled with brutal battles, plucky maidens, and insane special effects.

AUDREY'S CHILDREN

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 16:11:53 PDT

March 12, 2025 -- Audrey's Children tells the untold true story of visionary British physician Dr. Audrey Evans, who burst onto the scene in 1969 as the first female Chief of Oncology at the world-renowned Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Battling sexism, medical conventions, and the subterfuge of her peers, Evans developed the first Neuroblastoma Staging System, co-founded the first Ronald McDonald House for families of patients, and, ultimately, impacted the lives of millions of children and families around the world.

BLACK BAG

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 11:49:28 PST

March 13, 2025 -- From Director Steven Soderbergh, BLACK BAG is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.

SCA Pizza Party

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 12:08:15 PDT

March 13, 2025 -- Pizza Party for the SCA community on March 13th @ 5pm

SCA Staff Lunch

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 13:41:10 PST

March 19, 2025 -- Dear SCA Staff,

Please join us from 11:30am - 1:00pm on March 19th in SCA 255 for lunch and refreshments. We will have sandwiches and salads. Please RSVP through SCA Community by March 17th.

HELL OF A SUMMER

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 10:45:09 PDT

March 20, 2025 -- Hell of a Summer follows 24-year-old camp counselor Jason Hochberg (Hechinger), who arrives at Camp Pineway thinking his biggest problem is that he feels out of touch with his teenage co-workers. What he doesn’t know is that a masked killer is lurking on the campgrounds, brutally picking counselors off one by one.

FIDELIO

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:37:58 PST

March 23, 2025 -- 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

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 15:51:36 PDT

March 24, 2025 -- 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.

HOLLAND

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 11:19:09 PDT

March 25, 2025 -- 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.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL (1964)

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 09:48:51 PDT

March 25, 2025 -- 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.

SOLDIERS OF SONG

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 15:12:27 PDT

March 26, 2025 -- 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)

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 09:37:55 PDT

March 27, 2025 -- 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

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:33:14 PDT

March 28, 2025 - March 30, 2025 -- 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

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 07:32:51 PDT

March 28, 2025 - March 30, 2025 -- 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 Presents: FRIENDSHIP

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:15:32 PDT

March 28, 2025 -- 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 Presents: Can Comedy be Automated?

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 09:24:58 PDT

March 28, 2025 -- A spirited panel discussion that debates the provocative question, “Can Comedy be Automated?”, exploring the complicated issues AI presents in comedy development, industry trends, labor disputes, writers’ rooms, copyright issues, and more. Moderated by Vulture's Jesse David Fox.

USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: WILL & HARPER

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 12:49:24 PDT

March 29, 2025 -- 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: THANK YOU VERY MUCH

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 09:06:12 PDT

March 29, 2025 -- 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: DELI BOYS

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:15:19 PDT

March 29, 2025 -- 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: Writing Comedy for Late Night

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:18:57 PDT

March 29, 2025 -- 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: Punchlines & Power Moves: Women Showrunners in Comedy

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 14:53:29 PDT

March 29, 2025 -- 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.

The Jack Oakie & Victoria Horne Oakie Masters of Comedy Lecture Series honoring Jason Reitman, USC Comedy's 2025 Oakie Award Recipient

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 08:28:50 PDT

March 30, 2025 -- 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.

USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: A NICE INDIAN BOY

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:13:53 PDT

March 30, 2025 -- 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.

USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 7 Presents: Podcasting and Beyond: The New Comedy Hustle

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:59:33 PDT

March 30, 2025 -- 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.

GUNS (1990)

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 15:19:29 PDT

March 31, 2025 -- 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!

NO OTHER LAND

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 07:42:44 PDT

April 1, 2025 -- 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.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: VEGAS IN SPACE (1991)

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 09:06:52 PDT

April 1, 2025 -- 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!

A Special Evening Screening of Four New Sloan Foundation-Awarded Short Films by SCA Students

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 08:44:33 PDT

April 2, 2025 -- 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.

SCA Community Impact Council, Monthly Meeting

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:59:53 PDT

April 2, 2025 -- Please join the SCA Community Impact Council meeting on Wednesday, April 2 at 2:00 p.m. in SCB 104 Our meetings are open to the SCA community and we welcome SCA students, staff, and faculty to attend. We will provide updates of council initiatives and provide space for a general community discussion.

Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:38:56 PDT

April 3, 2025 -- In this New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller, comedic actor, producer, and writer Rainn Wilson explores the problem-solving benefits that spirituality gives us to create solutions for an increasingly challenging world.

DIE LIKE A MAN

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 08:35:04 PDT

April 7, 2025 -- 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?

MISC: Immigration From a New Lens

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:27:22 PDT

April 10, 2025 -- What does it feel like to be in-between countries, in-between identities, in-between dreams and survival? Come be part of the conversation. The event will feature screenings of alumni films on immigration, plus an industry panel including filmmakers, activists, and legal experts.

CAMS Fest 2025

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 11:39:19 PDT

April 11, 2025 -- This year, CAMS Fest will take place Friday, April 11th in Norris. For those new to the major, this event is an annual celebration of the creative work done by CAMS students. The films screened at this event are made by our majors, but all are welcome to attend. In fact, we encourage you to invite friends and family to view your projects on the big screen or bring a crowd to support your peers hard work.

BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN in IMAX

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 13:12:22 PDT

April 14, 2025 -- 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

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:02:18 PDT

April 15, 2025 -- 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 WEDDING BANQUET

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 10:49:46 PDT

April 16, 2025 -- From Director Andrew Ahn comes a joyful comedy of errors about a chosen family navigating the disasters and delights of family expectations, queerness, and cultural identity. Angela and her partner Lee have been unlucky with their IVF treatments, but can’t afford to pay for another round. Meanwhile their friend Min, the closeted scion of a multinational corporate empire, has plenty of family money but a soon-to-expire student visa. When his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris rejects his proposal, Min makes the offer to Angela instead: a green card marriage in exchange for funding Lee’s IVF. But their plans to quietly elope are upended when Min’s skeptical grandmother flies in from Korea unannounced, insisting on an all-out wedding extravaganza.

The Iron Mountain Media & Archival Services Spotlight Screening Series Presents: RESYNATOR

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 13:57:50 PDT

April 17, 2025 -- 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.

ROSARIO

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 09:19:04 PDT

April 21, 2025 -- Wall Street stockbroker, Rosario Fuentes, returns to her grandmother's apartment after her sudden death. While sorting through her Grandmother's belongings, Rosario uncovers a horrifying secret—a hidden chamber filled with occult artifacts tied to dark generational rituals. As supernatural occurrences plague her, Rosario must confront her family’s buried secrets and face the truth about the sacrifices and choices they made.

OCTOBER 8

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 19:56:26 PDT

April 22, 2025 -- OCTOBER 8 offers a look at the explosion of antisemitism on college campuses, social media and in the streets of America beginning the day after the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas. Through meticulous investigation, the film also uncovers how over decades, Hamas created sophisticated networks in America to permeate U.S. institutions and examines the tsunami of online antisemitism, propaganda, and disinformation unleashed by Iran, China and Russia – with the sole purpose of dividing American society.

TRUE FALSE HOT COLD

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 15:40:39 PDT

April 23, 2025 -- This award-winning documentary is centered around climate change, belief, and civil discourse. It was filmed in Utah over the course of one summer in a county where many residents don’t believe in climate change. Instead of focusing on divisions, the documentary offers ideas about building bridges with people who have very different identities and beliefs.

What Immigration Policies Mean For You: Information About Non-Citizen Rights

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 09:35:28 PDT

April 24, 2025 -- What do Trump's immigration policies mean for you?: information about non-citizen rights. Join an informational webinar on Thursday, April 24 (7-8:30 PM). Please bring your questions. Sponsored by the SCA Community Impact Council and the USC Gould Immigration Law Clinic. Webianr link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/97737659592.

An Evening with 3 USC Alumni Short Films

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:20:55 PDT

April 24, 2025 -- HYBRID: In 2050, Bella, a social media celebrity from a prominent LA family, and Evelyn, an MIT honors graduate working at Neuronexus, uncover dark truths about the company's new AI projects, navigating the perilous future of advanced technology.

THIS IS NOT LIFE: This Is Not Life tells the story of Pedro Moreno, a first-time nonviolent offender serving a life sentence for Marijuana distribution charges. For nearly 30 years, Pedro and his family have experienced the consequences of outdated drug policies that tore them apart. The film follows the journey of Pedro and his daughter Alejandra, through decades of hardship, resilience, and hope — leading to the present day as Pedro’s case reaches a pivotal moment. With the current political landscape, Pedro has a rare chance to receive clemency, and his family’s fight for his freedom reaches its most critical chapter.

THE OTHER FOOT: After bragging about his first sexual experience, 17-year-old JoJo is confronted by an older neighborhood OG, Tyrell, who after a series of failed attempts to educate him, teaches JoJo lesson about the meaning of consent that he'll never forget.

Ganek Immersive Showcase 2025

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 11:09:09 PDT

April 24, 2025 -- The Ganek Immersive Studio presents second annual Ganek Immersive Showcase on April 24th, 2025.

iMappening 2025

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 16:16:42 PDT

April 24, 2025 - May 1, 2025 -- USC Media Arts + Practice invites you to join us April 24 - May 1 for iMAPPENING 2025, a yearly exhibition of experimental works-in-progress from the interdisciplinary Media Arts + Practice PhD program, including film, video, installation, animation, performance, generative AI, sound, and other media.

A DESERT

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 10:54:20 PDT

April 28, 2025 -- A past his prime photographer heads out on a road trip across the American Southwest to recapture the magic and success of his previous work. Instead, he finds himself thrust into the dark and chaotic underbelly of America and unwittingly drags his wife and a shady private detective down into this nightmare world with him.

SCA VOTES

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 10:49:46 PDT

April 29, 2025 -- Do you have something to say about the current state of political and current events in the country? Make a short that's 3 minutes or less! All genres and styles are welcome! Films will be screened Tuesday, April 29th at 7pm in the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre.

SATISFACTION

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:08:05 PDT

April 30, 2025 -- Set against the stunning Greek isles, Satisfaction is a nuanced psychological drama that unravels the fragile bond between British composers Lola and Philip. Their relationship lingers in silence as Lola struggles to reclaim her voice. Weaving between their present-day trip to a remote Greek island and the start of their romance at a London music school, the film slowly reveals an unspoken rift. When Lola meets the magnetic Elena on a nudist beach and invites her into their world, tensions escalate, forcing Lola to confront the darkest part of her past.

CTPR 497: Music Video and Commercial Screening

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 10:54:53 PDT

May 2, 2025 -- CTPR 497 invites you to their end of semester screening! Come watch Music Videos and Commercials from 5:30-7:30pm on May 2nd.

LUNA LENS FILM FESTIVAL

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 17:23:47 PDT

May 3, 2025 - May 4, 2025 -- Luna Lens Film Festival (@lunalensfilmfest) invites you to join us for screenings of award-winning independent and experimental feature and short films by Asian female and non-binary filmmakers, accompanied by director Q&As and student submission screenings!

TATAMI

Sun, 04 May 2025 11:14:57 PDT

May 5, 2025 -- The first feature film co-directed by Iranian and Israeli filmmakers Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi, TATAMI follows Leila, an Iranian judo athlete who is put in political danger when her government tells her to fake an injury and withdraw from the world championships rather than face an Israeli rival in the final. Leila finds herself facing a life-or-death decision that could put the lives of her, her coach, an ex-competitor herself, and her family in danger. In a fight for freedom and dignity, what is she willing to give up.

KEMBA: A Special Screening

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 15:57:18 PDT

May 6, 2025 -- Join the SCA Community Impact Council and AACS for a special screening of Kemba: a true story of unjust incarceration and mandatory sentencing laws.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 16:55:09 PDT

May 6, 2025 -- From three-time Oscar®-nominee and Golden Globe-winner Dean DeBlois, the creative visionary behind DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, comes a stunning live-action re-imagining of the film that launched the beloved franchise. On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone, For All Mankind) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.

From The Outside In: MA+P Undergraduate Thesis Exhibition

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 16:20:36 PDT

May 6, 2025 - May 9, 2025 -- An exhibition of thesis projects created by senior undergraduate students in the Media Arts + Practice BA program.

CHINATOWN CHA-CHA

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 08:22:11 PDT

May 7, 2025 -- The 92-year-old previous nightclub dancer Coby Yee decides to get back on stage again after joining the senior dance troupe Grant Avenue Follies. Together they go on a tour for the last time, bridging once isolated Chinese communities in the US, Cuba and China.

CTPR 544 Virtual Production Screening

Tue, 06 May 2025 11:23:59 PDT

May 8, 2025 -- All are welcome to join the screening of the 6 virtual production films made in Spring '25 class of CTPR 544, Virtual Production in LED Volumes, in the IMAX Theater at the Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts (RZC). No reservation is required, but seating is limited.

SALLY

Wed, 07 May 2025 14:32:06 PDT

May 8, 2025 -- Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but beneath her unflappable composure, she carried a secret. Revealing the romance and sacrifices of their 27 years together, Sally’s life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, tells the full story of this complicated and iconic astronaut for the first time. From National Geographic Documentary Films, SALLY is directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Cristina Costantini.

Retirement Party Save the Date

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 17:14:00 PDT

May 9, 2025 -- Save the date for our esteemed colleague's retirement party: Midge Costin, Tom Miller, and Helaine Head

CTPR 508 End of Semester Screenings

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:16:03 PDT

May 10, 2025 - May 11, 2025 -- The public is invited to the premieres of sixty 6-minute films produced in
the Graduate Production Division’s Production II course (CTPR508) during Spring 2025. Norris Cinema Theater.

CTPR 310: Intermediate Production - END OF SEMESTER SCREENINGS!

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 16:01:49 PDT

May 11, 2025 -- Join us for the P3 screenings of CTPR 310. Sunday, May 11th in Norris Theater.

THE LIFE OF CHUCK

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 08:29:23 PDT

May 12, 2025 -- From the hearts and minds of Stephen King and Mike Flanagan comes THE LIFE OF CHUCK, the extraordinary story of an ordinary man. This unforgettable, genre-bending tale celebrates the life of Charles 'Chuck' Krantz as he experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.

USC Games Expo

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 10:45:42 PDT

May 13, 2025 -- USC Games Expo! Come celebrate another year of USC Games!

CTPR 480 - End of Semester Screening!

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:41:59 PDT

May 14, 2025 -- CTPR 480 Presents: Advanced Production Workshop end of semester screening! Please join us in Norris Theater on May 14th at 7pm.

CTPR 581/582/587 Graduate Thesis, Graduate Virtual Thesis

Wed, 07 May 2025 11:52:19 PDT

May 14, 2025 - May 18, 2025 --
Individual production thesis short films. A collection of interactive, virtual, and narrative films.

2025 AVHA 48-hour Virtual Production and Filmmaking Contest (VPFC)

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 14:27:06 PDT

May 16, 2025 - May 18, 2025 -- Interested in Virtual Production? Sign up for this 2025 University 48H Virtual Production Filming Contest!

Beyond the Frame: XA Showcase 2025

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 15:19:21 PDT

May 18, 2025 --

Join us for Beyond the Frame: XA Showcase 2025, a screening and celebration of remarkable projects created by students in the USC Expanded Animation Research + Practice (XA) MFA Thesis class! In addition to these visionary thesis projects, the showcase also includes a curated selection of animation produced by current XA students.

Works created in the XA program span a broad spectrum of genres and techniques, including character and experimental animation, traditional and non-linear narrative, documentary, stop motion, motion capture, VR, 2D, 3D, and handmade animation.

The 60-minute screening begins at 1:00PM in the elegant, state-of-the-art Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre on the USC campus. Following the screening, please join us for a catered reception directly outside the theater in Queen’s Courtyard.

Division of Film and Television Production Divisional Breakout

Tue, 27 May 2025 15:59:20 PDT

May 27, 2025 - June 12, 2025 -- Congratulations again on your admission to the Film and Television Production program! We’re excited to welcome you to our community and celebrate this exciting next step in your academic journey. We invite you to join us for the Division of Film and Television Production Breakout Session. During the session, you’ll hear from faculty, gain deeper insights into the program's curriculum and creative opportunities, and have the chance to ask questions.

Requesting Faculty Marshals for New Student Convocation

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 10:46:13 PDT

June 19, 2025 - June 30, 2025 -- Requesting Faculty Marshals for New Student Convocation for the Class of 2029 on Aug 21.

SAY LESS

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:04:33 PDT

June 23, 2025 -- With their parents out of town, the already-fraught relationship between a brother and sister is strained to its breaking point as they vie for control of the house, each inviting over a romantic interest and making cataclysmic discoveries about their parents, and each other, along the way.

THE HAUNTING OF HOLLYWOOD

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 14:28:26 PDT

June 24, 2025 -- In a harrowing exploration of Hollywood's seductive underbelly, this film delves deep into the generational legacy of mental illness, weaving a tragic narrative of broken dreams, psychological torment, and the haunting belief that fame alone can mend their fractured souls. As James embarks on his Hollywood odyssey with his best friend and girlfriend, he confronts the ghosts of his past in a desperate journey mirroring his mother's tragic demise beneath the iconic Hollywood sign.

DO OR DIE

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:36:27 PDT

June 25, 2025 -- No filmmakers capture the playful chaos of action cinema’s Golden Age like Andy and Arlene Sidaris (HARD TICKET TO HAWAII). Criminal mastermind Masakana 'Kane' Kaneshiro (Pat Morita aka Mr. Miyagi from THE KARATE KID) captures Donna and Nicole, two undercover federal agents. But instead of killing them, Kane gives the duo a head start in a deadly cat-and-mouse game involving six other assassins — including Erik Estrada (CHiPs)! The sixth installment (!) of a series that includes MALIBU EXPRESS, PICASSO TRIGGER, SAVAGE BEACH, and GUNS, DO OR DIE is another over-the-top winner from exploitation cinema’s most eminent power couple.

THE SOCCERMEN

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 09:55:05 PDT

June 26, 2025 -- When some random on Wikipedia called Pohnpei ‘the worst team in the world,’ two English students — with zero coaching experience — said, ‘Right then. Let’s fix that.’ What followed was a footballing odyssey in the Pacific, as two clueless coaches and a ragtag team of islanders chased an impossible dream: their first win. What began as a lark turned into a shared journey of discovery. Two island cultures—British and Micronesian—had raised their men the same way: don’t cry, don’t talk, don’t feel. Football became the way through. A reminder that before it became a global media circus, the beautiful game was always meant to be a place to belong.

NOBU

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:19:57 PDT

June 30, 2025 -- From the acclaimed director of Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid, Where’s My Roy Cohn? and Valentino: The Last Emperor, Nobu examines culinary legend Nobuyuki Matsuhisa's empire, offering an intimate portrait of a man who has redefined global gastronomy. Tracing his roots from a delinquent childhood to his emergence as a promising young chef, the film celebrates his triumph over adversity. As only Tyrnauer can tell it, the film illuminates the true, the tragic, and ultimately the uplifting story of one of the most successful chefs of all time. Based on the book Nobu: A Memoir by Nobu Matsuhisa, it had its world premiere at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival.

IRONHEART

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 20:04:21 PDT

July 1, 2025 -- Set after the events of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Marvel Television’s “Ironheart” pits technology against magic when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne)—a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka “The Hood” (Anthony Ramos). The series also stars Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White. Chinaka Hodge is head writer; episodes are directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes. Executive producers include Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Zoie Nagelhout, Chinaka Hodge, Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler. Produced in association with Proximity Media, “Ironheart” launches on Disney+ June 24, 2025.

AMERICANA

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 12:09:25 PDT

July 2, 2025 -- A gallery of dynamic characters clash over the possession of a rare Native American artifact in this wildly entertaining modern-day western. After the artifact falls onto the black market, a shy waitress with big dreams (Sydney Sweeney) teams up with a lovelorn military veteran (Paul Walter Hauser) to gain possession of it, putting them in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal (Eric Dane) working on behalf of a Western antiquities dealer (Simon Rex). Bloodshed ensues when others join the battle, including the leader of an indigenous group (Zahn McClarnon) and a desperate woman fleeing her mysterious past (Halsey).

TEST

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 16:24:33 PDT

July 2, 2025 -- TEST

THE BLUE ANGELS in IMAX®

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 19:50:17 PDT

July 3, 2025 -- The Blue Angels have been enthralling crowds—across the country and around the globe—for more than 75 years. Now, from Amazon MGM Studios and IMAX Entertainment, the brand new documentary The Blue Angels will take audiences soaring with the Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron as never before. Filmed for IMAX®, the immersive footage puts you in the cockpit for a firsthand view of the Blue Angels’ precision flying, while the aerial shots deliver a spectacular showcase of the breathtaking maneuvers that have made them the world’s premier jet team.

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:29:06 PDT

July 9, 2025 -- Reda and Chatila are two Palestinian cousins hustling their way through the underbelly of Athens pursuing their dream of making it to Germany. But as their hardship grows, so too does their desperation. When Chatila hatches a reckless all-or-nothing plan, it strains their bond and pushes the limits of what they will do for freedom.

NUKED

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:08:21 PDT

July 10, 2025 -- Jack and Gill’s 40th birthday goes off the rails when a weed-laced dinner kicks in—just as they learn a nuclear missile is en route to California. High and panicked, they must decide how to spend what could be their final night alive.

IT'S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 11:07:52 PDT

July 15, 2025 -- Jeff Buckley, a rising star with an otherworldly voice, left the 90s music world reeling when he died suddenly after the release of his debut album. Told through never-before-seen footage and intimate accounts from the three women who knew him best, the film illuminates one of modern music’s most influential and enigmatic figures.

HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 09:53:18 PDT

July 16, 2025 -- Heightened Scrutiny follows Chase Strangio, ACLU attorney and the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, as he fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth (United States v. Skrmetti). The film exposes the dangerous role of mainstream media in fueling anti-trans legislation, uncovering how biased coverage drives hate, endangers lives, and threatens democracy itself. With insights from journalists like Jelani Cobb, Lydia Polgreen, and Gina Chua, and activists like Laverne Cox, the story dismantles anti-trans disinformation and highlights its devastating real-world impact. With the dangerous SCOTUS decision upholding the ban on life-saving healthcare, Heightened Scrutiny is an urgent call to action against bigotry and injustice.

SUNSET BOULEVARD: 75th Anniversary Restoration and Screening

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:27:38 PDT

July 19, 2025 -- Gloria Swanson, as Norma Desmond, an aging silent-film queen, and William Holden, as the struggling young screenwriter who is held in thrall by her madness, created two of the screen's most memorable characters in Sunset Boulevard. Winner of three Academy Awards®, director Billy Wilder's powerful orchestration of the bizarre tale is a true cinematic classic. From the unforgettable opening sequence -- a body found floating in a decayed mansion's swimming pool -- through the inevitable unfolding of tragic destiny, Sunset Boulevard is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Erich von Stroheim as Desmond's discoverer, ex-husband and butler, and Nancy Olson as the bright spot amidst unrelenting ominousness, are equally celebrated for their masterful performances.

DICIANNOVE

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:27:04 PDT

July 21, 2025 -- The highs and lows of a restless youth collide headlong into the concrete realities of adulthood when Leonardo, a teenager from Palermo leaves home for the first time. His studies land him in Siena, by way of London, where he clashes with his instructor, the curriculum, and most chaotically, with himself. Produced by Luca Guadagnino, Diciannove (nineteen), marks the feature filmmaking debut of writer-director Giovanni Tortorici, a bold, brash and bemusing filmmaking talent.

DORA AND THE SEARCH FOR SOL DORADO

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 15:25:23 PDT

July 23, 2025 -- In this brand-new family movie, the world’s greatest explorer and her friends will trek through the perilous dangers of the Amazonian jungle in search of the ancient treasure of Sol Dorado to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

SCA Summer Program

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 16:06:56 PDT

July 25, 2025 -- We look forward to seeing you there!

PSYCHOPOMP

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 07:42:12 PDT

July 28, 2025 -- Amidst a super virus that ravages most of the world’s population, a tenacious microbiology student leads a small team through a rogue planned exposure. But the human trials end tragically, taking his friends’ lives one by one and leaving potential treatments untested. As he becomes more and more isolated, the line between what’s real and what’s not begins to blur.

ARCHITECTON

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 11:53:19 PDT

July 28, 2025 -- An extraordinary journey through the material that makes up our habitat: concrete, and its ancestor, stone. Victor Kossakovsky raises a fundamental question: how do we inhabit the world of tomorrow?

THE NAKED GUN

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 10:41:01 PDT

July 29, 2025 -- Only one man has the particular set of skills... to lead Police Squad and save the world! Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) follows in his father's footsteps in THE NAKED GUN, directed by Akiva Schaffer (Saturday Night Live, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) and from producer Seth MacFarlane (Ted, Family Guy). Joining the case are cast Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, with Danny Huston.

TOO MUCH SLEEP

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:26:51 PDT

July 31, 2025 -- Jack is stuck in neutral. He lives with his mom in suburban New Jersey, works as a security guard, and can barely get out of bed in the morning. All that changes when he sees a cute girl on the bus – and then realizes seconds later that his gun is missing. Desperate to find it, he enlists the help of a fast-talking middle-aged maybe-gangster named Eddie, who sends Jack on an epic quest to explore the darkest, strangest corners of American suburbia. Will Jack ever find his gun? Or better yet, maybe that cute girl from the bus?

NE ZHA II in IMAX®

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:54:37 PDT

August 11, 2025 -- A rebellious young boy, Ne Zha, is feared by the gods and born to mortal parents with wild, uncontrolled powers. Now he's faced with an ancient force intent on destroying humanity, he must grow up to become the hero the world needs.

HIGHEST 2 LOWEST

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:08:12 PDT

August 12, 2025 -- When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the “best ears in the business”, is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. Brothers Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for the 5th in their long working relationship for a reinterpretation of the great filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller High and Low, now played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City.

SPLITSVILLE

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 08:33:23 PDT

August 20, 2025 -- After Ashley (Adria Arjona) asks for a divorce, good-natured Carey (Kyle Marvin) runs to his friends, Julie (Dakota Johnson) and Paul (Michael Angelo Covino), for support. He’s shocked to discover that the secret to their happiness is an open marriage, that is until Carey crosses the line and throws all of their relationships into chaos.

SCA Family Welcome Reception and Division Introductions

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 10:31:26 PDT

August 20, 2025 -- Dean Elizabeth M. Daley invites you to the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Family Welcome Reception and Division Introductions.

THE ROSES

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 16:12:26 PDT

August 21, 2025 -- Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch): successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing – as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites. The Roses is a reimagining of the 1989 classic film The War of the Roses, based on the novel by Warren Adler.

CTCS-482: Transmedia Entertainment - "The Wonderful World of WICKED"

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 10:07:09 PDT

August 25, 2025 - September 13, 2025 -- Wicked from page to stage to global box office triumph. We'll go behind the scenes with interviews with key personnel covering aesthetic transformations and business challenges covering the 25 years of Wicked. From the allegorical origins of The Wizard of Oz at the dawn of the 20th century to Comcast's marketing "symphony" in the 21st!

PRISONER OF WAR

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 09:36:04 PDT

August 26, 2025 -- Starring martial arts icon Scott Adkins as British SAS officer James Wright, Prisoner of War tells the story of a soldier captured by the Japanese and held in a Philippine POW camp. Before the entire colony embarks upon the Bataan Death March, Wright and his fellow prisoners are forced to compete in brutal death matches for the entertainment of their captors. Adkins puts in a career best performance as the man who may be able to save them all.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: #701 (1972)

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 10:08:52 PDT

August 26, 2025 -- The four-film Female Prisoner Scorpion cycle charts the vengeance of Nami Matsushima (Meiko Kaji, Lady Snowblood), who becomes an avatar of survival and an unlikely symbol of female resistance in a male-dominated world. Spiritually akin to Ms. 45, Coffy, and The Bride Wore Black, Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701 (the first film in the cycle) introduces Nami—a gullible, unjustly imprisoned woman who must find a way to escape and exact revenge upon the man who betrayed her. Featuring stunning pop-art compositions and ultra-violent outbursts, it’s easy to see why this movie was a direct inspiration for Uma Thurman’s character of “The Bride” in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 11:04:06 PDT

August 27, 2025 -- Based on Richard Osman’s international bestselling novel of the same name, The Thursday Murder Club follows four irrepressible retirees - Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley) and Joyce (Celia Imrie) - who spend their time solving cold case murders for fun. When an unexplained death occurs on their own doorstep, their casual sleuthing takes a thrilling turn as they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands.

THE TOXIC AVENGER

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 07:40:58 PDT

August 28, 2025 -- When a downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze, is exposed to a catastrophic toxic accident, he’s transformed into a new kind of hero: The Toxic Avenger. Now, Toxie must rise from outcast to savior, taking on ruthless corporate overlords and corrupt forces who threaten his son, his friends, and his community. In a world where greed runs rampant… justice is best served radioactive.

MY HONG KONG DIARIES IN 2022

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 08:16:04 PDT

September 2, 2025 -- In 2022, while living and working in Hong Kong, I started writing daily about my experiences. The previous year, inspired by the weekly online film discussions at "Caochangdi Workstation," I finally took my neglected camera out of the closet and began capturing everything around me. Together, my writing and visual documentation created a tangible memoir of my life in 2022.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: A TALE OF SORROW AND SADNESS (1977)

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 11:58:48 PDT

September 2, 2025 -- Based on material from popular sports manga author Ikki Kajiwara, A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness follows the life of a young model who skyrockets to fame as a pro golfer after a sports magazine editor obtains the rights to her likeness. However, her newfound fame takes a dark turn when an obsessive fan starts to blackmail her. From the deranged mind of Seijun Suzuki (Tokyo Drifter, Gate of Flesh), this was his triumphant comeback to the Japanese film industry a decade after being exiled for the unorthodoxy of Branded to Kill. Like many of Suzuki’s films, A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness is as bizarre as it is eye-catching.

PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT LIFE

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 13:47:48 PDT

September 3, 2025 -- Aishe, a Uyghur woman trained by her military father, migrates to New York City where she finds herself laboring in Chinatown’s underground kitchens. She fatefully encounters Skinner, a young American soldier who has just returned from three tours in the Middle East. While falling in love, they discover the possibility of a better life together than the ones they believed they were destined to live alone.

RABBIT TRAP

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:22:34 PDT

September 4, 2025 -- Seeking new inspiration and a fresh start, married musicians Daphne (Rosy McEwan) and Darcy (Dev Patel) move to the Welsh countryside to finish their new record. While collecting audio samples, Darcy inadvertently creates a field recording of mysterious sound never before heard by human ears. The discovery renews Daphne’s creative energy, but as the echoes of her music bleed into the surrounding landscape, ancient and malevolent woodland forces are disturbed. One day, a stranger arrives on their doorstep. The couple initially embraces the stranger, who helps them navigate and understand their new environment, but Darcy grows suspicious of his obsession. As jealousy and paranoia infect the makeshift family, the line between reality and myth begins to blur.

HKOSFF Finalist Collection B + CHA GUO

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 08:14:24 PDT

September 9, 2025 -- Hong Kong on Screen Film Festival's Short Film Showcase, featuring: Short Story Long, White White, Blessed Are Those Who Grieve, A Foreigner, I Came, A Foreigner, I Leave, and Cha Guo.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: THE RAPACIOUS JAILBREAKER (1974)

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 08:48:48 PDT

September 9, 2025 -- Few actioners describe the futility of modern incarceration as well as THE RAPACIOUS JAILBREAKER, which ranks as one of the rawest entries in Japan’s Seventies cycle of true-crime films. In the free-for-all chaos after World War II, black marketeer Ueda (Hiroki Matsukata, COPS VS. THUGS) is robbed of a pound of morphine. He takes brutal revenge, but is sentenced to 20 years behind bars. He escapes and is caught, but no matter where they send him, Ueda won’t let prison walls stop him. Directed by a master of the genre and based on the real exploits of a seven-time prison escapee, Ueda refuses to be contained!

THE UNREDACTED (JIHAD REHAB)

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 16:32:40 PDT

September 10, 2025 -- A group of men trained by al-Qaeda are transferred from Guantanamo to the world’s first rehabilitation center for “terrorists” located in Saudi Arabia. Filmed over three years, with unprecedented access, this film is a complex and nuanced exploration of the men we have heard so much about but never heard from.

Houston Off-Campus Undergraduate Information Session

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 16:13:22 PDT

September 11, 2025 -- This information session is available for students interested in pursuing undergraduate studies in one of our B.A. or B.F.A. programs at the School of Cinematic Arts. The session will begin with a presentation discussing the SCA programs, application process and available facilities at the school -- opportunity for Q & A will also be given.

THE SENIOR

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:35:24 PDT

September 11, 2025 -- At 59, Mike Flynt might be too old to play college football—but not too old to settle unfinished business. Nearly forty years after leaving his team, he returns to his alma mater to face the moment that changed everything. Bruised, doubted, and nearly broken, he fights for one last game—not for glory, but for the teammates he lost, the family he fractured, and the ending he still believes is possible.

Houston Off-Campus Graduate Information Session

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 16:05:25 PDT

September 11, 2025 -- This information session is available for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in one of our M.A., M.S., M.F.A., or Ph.D. programs at the School of Cinematic Arts. The session will begin with a presentation discussing the SCA programs, application process and available facilities at the school -- opportunity for Q & A will also be given.

Halo Starling: Fairy Prince Exhibition Closing

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 10:24:54 PDT

September 12, 2025 -- Media Arts and Practice PhD student Halo Starling's exhibition at USC's ONE Archives will close, Friday, September 12, 2025, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. with an artist's talk in which Starling will discuss his year-long archival research process, collage methodologies, and trans aesthetic tactics.

MEGADOC

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:09:59 PDT

September 12, 2025 -- A raw, fly-on-the-wall documentary about Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-long journey in creating his self-financed passion project, Megalopolis. The bold and unrelenting epic returns in Mike Figgis’ portrait of Coppola’s creative process – weaving together archival material, unfiltered cast interviews, and a close-up view of how the legendary filmmaker drew from Roman history, political allegory, and his own singular vision to shape the world of Megalopolis. This isn’t a record of a production on the brink, it’s a personal memoir unfolding in real time.

Atlanta Off-Campus Undergraduate Information Session

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 16:31:03 PDT

September 16, 2025 -- This information session is available for students interested in pursuing undergraduate studies in one of our B.A. or B.F.A. programs at the School of Cinematic Arts. The session will begin with a presentation discussing the SCA programs, application process and available facilities at the school -- opportunity for Q & A will also be given.

Atlanta Off-Campus Graduate Information Session

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 16:25:42 PDT

September 16, 2025 -- This information session is available for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in one of our M.A., M.S., M.F.A., or Ph.D programs at the School of Cinematic Arts. The session will begin with a presentation discussing the SCA programs, application process and available facilities at the school -- opportunity for Q & A will also be given.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: THE EEL (1997)

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 15:43:15 PDT

September 16, 2025 -- Shohei Imamura’s spectacularly compassionate The Eel won him his second Palme d’Or (after 1983’s The Ballad of Narayama) and was the breakthrough leading role for Koji Yakusho (Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure, Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days). This director is a personal favorite of Bong Joon-ho, who lists Imamura’s previous Vengeance is Mine amongst his most favorite films. The Eel is Imamura’s tale of businessman Takuro who, after being jailed for killing his adulterous wife, opens a barbershop while on parole. He speaks to almost no one except the pet eel he befriended while in prison. However, when Takuro saves Keiko (Shall We Dance?’s Misa Shimizu) from attempting suicide, he’s forced to confront demons from his past.

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:39:00 PDT

September 17, 2025 -- Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon returns to the movie musical in this dazzling Technicolor-hued fantasy. Valentín (Diego Luna), a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical hit.

HARD HUNTED

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:38:44 PDT

September 18, 2025 -- Suave Hawaii kingpin Martin Kane (R.J. Moore, son of Roger) simply couldn’t get through the day without owning a nuclear trigger device -- so he steals one. But with the help of Kane’s lover Silk, the beloved Sidaris squad of amply-endowed operatives also steals it -- kicking off a headlong chase from the dusty deserts of Arizona to the steamy shores of Hawaii. Features a “sextrologist” whose astral romance radio show sends coded spy messages!

Making Images From Scratch: Camera Obscura and Handmade Films Workshops

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 12:37:10 PDT

September 19, 2025 -- Renowned cinema artists Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder will lead three hands-on workshops for USC students exploring projection, light, and camera-less image creation.

International SCA Embedded Therapist Shares Her Experience and Expertise

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:14:41 PDT

September 22, 2025 -- SCA Embedded Therapist and Former International Student Olivia Wills is running a workshop on her experiences as an international student.

THE TRAINER

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:43:00 PDT

September 22, 2025 -- In THE TRAINER, visionary filmmaker Tony Kaye (American History X) crafts a biting, surreal portrait of ambition, loneliness, and the absurdity of the self-improvement craze. Jack (Vito Schnabel, in his acting debut) is a down-and-out hustler in Los Angeles who believes his salvation lies in a strange, home-built exercise machine. Pouring every ounce of energy into selling it, he drifts through the fractured landscape of Hollywood—encountering an odd parade of buyers, dreamers, and opportunists. What begins as a simple sales pitch becomes a tragicomic odyssey through the city’s contradictions: wealth and poverty, wellness and decay, hope and futility. Equal parts satire and elegy, THE TRAINER skewers the fitness and self-help industries while exploring the human need for validation and purpose. With Kaye’s signature mix of raw realism, surreal flourishes, and sharp social critique, the film unfolds as both a dark comedy and a meditation on the cost of chasing the American dream.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: TAMALA 2010: A PUNK CAT IN SPACE (2002)

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 20:28:00 PDT

September 23, 2025 -- Inspired by Hello Kitty, Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy and the Superflat art movement, TAMALA is an upside-down arthouse sci-fi manga with a bumping 2000s-era electronica score. Tamala is the adorable wide-eyed kitty at home in a multidimensional mega-city controlled by the Catty & Co. corporation. She meets both the God of Death and a new boyfriend, and just might be the reincarnation of an ancient cat cult.

ONE ROAD TO QUARTZSITE

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:39:57 PDT

September 23, 2025 -- Exit to Quartzsite for cheap gas, there’s not a whole lot else. But every winter its population swells from 600 to over a million – as an unlikely cross section of snowbirds, crustpunks and libertarians make their annual pilgrimage to live in this "giant parking lot." Some bought into the American Dream and lost everything; others dropped out long ago. Now they’re all neighbors on the same piece of dirt – all trying to live free and not die. ONE ROAD TO QUARTZSITE is an observational portrait of people trying to live outside of the constraints of American society, or to simply escape the winter.

YOU, ME & HER

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 11:24:03 PDT

September 24, 2025 -- For Mags and Ash, marriage has become a series of arguments and compromises, leaving them both yearning for more. On their first vacation alone since becoming parents, their arguments threaten to ruin the trip—until they meet Angela, a free-spirited digital nomad who stirs unexpected feelings in Mags and gives her permission to be a version of herself she has not been in years, fun! Intrigued by Angela, the couple flirts with the idea of a threesome, but it’s never as simple as it seems.

PREDATORS

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 12:03:43 PDT

September 25, 2025 -- To Catch a Predator was a popular television show designed to hunt down child predators and lure them to a film set, where they would be interviewed and eventually arrested. Predators is a chilling, thought-provoking exploration of the scintillating rise and staggering fall of the show, and the underground world it helped spawn.

Camera On My Lap: Seven Short Films by Experimental South African Filmmaker Shelley Barry

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:38:05 PDT

September 25, 2025 -- 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.

EUROPA - A Special Screening

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 16:00:08 PDT

September 26, 2025 --

Experience a groundbreaking cinematic journey that blends powerful storytelling with cutting-edge technology. Produced under the ETC R&D Grant, Europa showcases the most advanced techniques in On-Set Virtual Production (OSVP), transporting audiences into an unforgettable world where innovation meets imagination.

Chicago Off-Campus Graduate Information Session

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 15:14:36 PDT

September 29, 2025 -- This information session is available for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in one of our M.A., M.S., M.F.A., or Ph.D programs at the School of Cinematic Arts. The session will begin with a presentation discussing the SCA programs, application process and available facilities at the school -- opportunity for Q & A will also be given.

Navigating Film Rights and Distribution: A seminar, Monday, September 29th. From 5:30-7pm

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 14:57:22 PDT

September 29, 2025 -- Learn about rights clearance as it relates to the development, production, and distribution of films.

BONE LAKE

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 08:37:17 PDT

September 29, 2025 -- A couple's romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate is upended when they are forced to share the mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple. In this darkly hilarious and seductive horror story, a dream getaway spirals into a nightmarish maze of sex, lies, and manipulation, bringing terrifying secrets to light and triggering a bloody battle for survival.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: EGG (2005)

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:30:09 PDT

September 30, 2025 -- Tsukiko lives a mundane existence that revolves around her office job. On her way to work one day, she closes her eyes and a mysterious giant egg appears in what would otherwise be the darkness of her eyelids. Soon, the egg hatches, unleashing with it real world effects that grow more horrifying every time she closes here eyes. A surreal slice of birth-horror, Yukihiko Tsutsumi's (2LDK & FORBIDDEN SIREN) EGG blends elements of psychological thrillers and creature features in an effort to deconstruct sensitive themes such as women's traditional roles in society–all while creating an uncomfortable atmosphere of mounting dread that will be sure to stick with viewers long after their first-time viewing.

WONDERLAND

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:43:13 PDT

September 30, 2025 -- When artificial intelligence enables the grieving to talk to the lost, a flight attendant and a mother grapple with the meaning of reality and humanity.

DJ AHMET

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:10:02 PDT

October 2, 2025 -- Ahmet, a 15-year-old boy from a remote Yuruk village in North Macedonia, finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and his first experience with love — a girl already promised to someone else.

Stark Recent Alumni Showcase

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:43:09 PDT

October 4, 2025 -- Please join the Peter Stark Producing Program in celebrating the short films made by recent alumni from the Classes of 2020 - 2024.
The day kicks off at 12:30pm with a 5-year Anniversary screening of the Stark Special Projects made by the Class of 2020, never before shown on campus. The following blocks are dedicated to short films submitted by the Stark Classes of 2020 - 2024. There will be short breaks in between programming blocks.

New York Off-Campus Graduate Information Session

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 13:27:57 PDT

October 5, 2025 -- This information session is available for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in one of our M.A., M.S., M.F.A., or Ph.D programs at the School of Cinematic Arts. The session will begin with a presentation discussing the SCA programs, application process and available facilities at the school -- opportunity for Q & A will also be given.

Washington D.C. Off-Campus Undergraduate Information Session

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 15:41:32 PDT

October 6, 2025 -- This information session is available for students interested in pursuing undergraduate studies in one of our B.A. or B.F.A. programs at the School of Cinematic Arts. The session will begin with a presentation discussing the SCA programs, application process and available facilities at the school -- opportunity for Q & A will also be given.

Washington D.C. Off-Campus Graduate Information Session

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 15:38:40 PDT

October 6, 2025 -- This information session is available for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in one of our M.A., M.S., M.F.A., or Ph.D programs at the School of Cinematic Arts. The session will begin with a presentation discussing the SCA programs, application process and available facilities at the school -- opportunity for Q & A will also be given.

AFTER THE HUNT

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:51:20 PDT

October 6, 2025 -- From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, After the Hunt is a gripping psychological drama about a college professor (Julia Roberts) who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield), and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come into the light.

LIFEHACK

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:59:28 PDT

October 6, 2025 -- Four teenage hackers attempt to pull off a multi-million dollar bitcoin heist from the comfort of their own bedrooms.

100 YEARS OF DEBBIE ALLEN

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 15:31:33 PDT

October 7, 2025 -- 100 Years of Debbie Allen is a powerful, intimate, and celebratory portrait of an icon whose artistry, activism, and impact have spanned generations. As Debbie Allen turns 75 and the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) celebrates its 25th anniversary, this feature documentary weaves together the personal and professional milestones that make up a century of cultural legacy.

Wylde Pak Screening + Panel

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:19:54 PDT

October 7, 2025 -- The event features a behind-the-scenes conversation with the show’s creative team and cast. Moderated by Professor Esther K. Chae, the discussion will explore creative collaboration, cultural authenticity, and representation in children’s animation.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: CRUEL JAWS (1995)

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 08:44:02 PDT

October 7, 2025 -- He defied all laws of good taste and international copyright with TERMINATOR 2: SHOCKING DARK and ROBOWAR. He reset the bar for batshit Italo horror with RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR. And in 1995, Bruno Mattei stunned the world with CRUEL JAWS: the ultimate sharksploitation saga. Filmed in Florida with a cast of unknowns (including a Hulk Hogan lookalike), this film liberally borrows characters, plot, and footage from a number of other Italian sharksploitationers...and more famous sources. Experience the epitome of outrageous Italian rip-offs, now remastered and uncut for the very first time!

LURKER

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 12:14:40 PDT

October 8, 2025 -- When a twenty-something retail clerk encounters a rising pop star, he takes the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd. But as the line between friend and fan blurs beyond recognition, access and proximity become a matter of life and death. The directorial debut from The Bear and Beef writer-producer Alex Russell, Lurker is an exhilarating cat-and-mouse thriller made for the moment. Online fixation meets reality in this parasocial, paranoid film driven by a brilliant score and star-making performances.

War, Justice, and Democracy in ANDOR: A STAR WARS STORY - Part 1

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:17:23 PDT

October 12, 2025 -- A four part series of screenings and conversations with writers and producers who have collaborated with SCA alumnus George Lucas to create one of the most important expressions of global popular culture of all time. Founding Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, and Ted Braun, Joseph Campbell Endowed Chair in Cinematic Ethics, examine how the Star Wars films and series created by George Lucas have explored, articulated and shaped global ideas of war, justice, and democracy in the 21st century. Accompanying screenings of four major pillars of the Star Wars canon, the program will offer analysis by Ocampo and Braun in conversation with writers, directors, and producers from the Star Wars universe. The program explores how these films and series connect emotion with thought - connect the human lives of characters with institutional ideas of justice and democracy that transcend borders.

War, Justice, and Democracy in ANDOR: A STAR WARS STORY - Part 2

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 09:37:22 PDT

October 13, 2025 -- A four part series of screenings and conversations, beginning with Andor, that brings together writers and producers who have collaborated with SCA alumnus George Lucas to create one of the most important expressions of global popular culture of all time.

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:01:21 PDT

October 13, 2025 -- Vahid, an unassuming mechanic, has a chance encounter with Eghbal, a man he strongly suspects to be his former sadistic jailhouse captor. Panicked, Vahid gathers several former prisoners, all abused by that same captor, to try and confirm Eghbal's identity. As the bickering group drives around Tehran with the captive, they must confront how far to take matters into their own hands with their presumed tormentor. From master filmmaker Jafar Panahi comes a searing moral thriller that engages with complex ideas about the uncertainty of the truth and the choice between revenge and mercy, as Panahi turns his personal dissonance into a profound and galvanizing work of art.

BLUE MOON

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:12:29 PDT

October 14, 2025 -- On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical “Oklahoma!”.

SEIZE THE SUMMIT

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:15:21 PDT

October 15, 2025 -- Seize the Summit is the story of four young people’s thrilling journey to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. But Shaqayeq, Adnan, Safa, and Tania are not ordinary adventurers, they are all survivors of war from different countries. Safa bears the physical and emotional scars of Syria’s war; Adnan has been bound to a wheelchair ever since he was shot in the back at the age of 14; Shaqayeq was born into war in Afghanistan, never knowing what peace looked like until she and her family walked to Germany when she was a young girl; Tania barely managed to escape Ukraine but had to leave family and friends behind. What brought them to take on Kilimanjaro was a profound desire to take a stand together and have the world hear their messages. But as they are forced to push their limits on this week long expedition to the summit, the mountain reveals a unique lesson to each of them.

SCA Full Faculty Meeting: In-Person & Virtual

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 17:56:36 PDT

October 15, 2025 -- All faculty are invited to the SCA Full Faculty Meeting in the boardroom, with a zoom option as well.

STAY

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 13:21:10 PDT

October 16, 2025 -- Stay follows Kiara, a PhD author of African spirituality, and Miles, a former MMA fighter, facing the end of their once beautiful marriage. As it appears matters can’t get any worse in their lives, they begin to encounter soul-shaking supernatural forces and go from fighting one another to fighting for their lives. The key to survival lies within their ability to conquer their darkest moments with courage and love.

XA Pitch Night

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:55:53 PDT

October 17, 2025 -- You’re invited to XA Pitch Night on Friday, October 17th, at 3:00 PM in SCA 112!

BUGONIA

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:58:00 PDT

October 17, 2025 -- Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

581/582/587 Advanced Projects Screening

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 17:58:37 PDT

October 18, 2025 --
SCA Production Division invites you to join us for the screening of our 581, 582, and 587 Advanced Projects!

CALL OF THE DOLPHINS in IMAX 3D

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:33:36 PDT

October 21, 2025 -- Call of the Dolphins explores the profound connection between humans and dolphins and invites us deep inside their fascinating world, offering an up-close look at their remarkable intelligence, complex social lives, and playful antics.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: MURDEROCK (1984)

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 10:30:29 PDT

October 21, 2025 -- A total hoot for Italian horror novices and superfans alike. One of the final horror gems in the vast sleazy filmography of Lucio Fulci (ZOMBIE, THE BEYOND), MURDEROCK blends FLASHDANCE tropes, upbeat Eurodisco nonsense (courtesy of prog rocker Keith Emerson) and black-gloved slasher thrills into a lavish satisfying stew. Nothing is as it seems in this foggy ‘80s world of whiny dance students, backbiting school staff, puzzled cops, handsome strangers, surreal dream sequences, gruesome kills, naughty eroticism and spiraling labyrinthine mystery. Who will live to dance another day?!?!

Hear from a VFX Artist at Industrial Light & Magic - Free Student Event

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 10:19:23 PDT

October 22, 2025 -- Free, virtual career calls with industry professionals - brought to us by ArtBound Institute.

Virtual SCA Graduate Open House

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:48:07 PDT

October 22, 2025 -- This is a comprehensive virtual event for prospective graduate applicants to the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The Virtual SCA Graduate Open House will include an admissions presentation and divisional breakout sessions with SCA staff and faculty. You will be able to ask questions you may have about SCA graduate degrees and the application process.

SCA Community Impact Council

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:32:47 PDT

October 22, 2025 -- Please help in making SCA as welcoming and supportive a community as possible! All you need to do is join the SCA Community Impact Council, a group of students, faculty, and staff working together on programming, initiatives, and community support. Our next meeting is on Wednesday, October 22, 2:00–3:00 PM (SCI 106). The SCA Community Impact Council is open to all members of the SCA community.

PURPLE

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 10:33:25 PDT

October 22, 2025 -- Noah finds himself on a layover in a city he's never been, Los Angeles. Stranded for a day, he has a chance meeting with Purple, a girl who is his total opposite in every way. As they spend the day together, on one long trip, they connect more than most people do in a lifetime.

TILER PECK: SUSPENDING TIME

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:30:42 PDT

October 23, 2025 -- Prima ballerina Tiler Peck faces a career-defining crossroads, battling crippling injuries and personal heartbreak as she fights to return to the stage and emerge as a visionary choreographer rewriting her legacy.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:23:25 PDT

October 24, 2025 -- The SCA Office of Student Services, the USC LGBTQ+ Center, and the SCA Embedded Therapists are hosting a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and a facilitated conversation on building queer community.

Animator Pablo Leon – SCA Impact Lab

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 22:27:33 PDT

October 24, 2025 -- Artist and author Pablo Leon will screen his award-winning animated short Remember Us and lead a discussion on the role of art in preserving historical memory.

THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:28:49 PDT

October 24, 2025 -- Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon presiding over a spotless household with his ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) and their two exemplary children, 12-year-old Bob (Sunny Suljic) and 14-year-old Kim (Raffey Cassidy). Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin (Barry Keoghan), a fatherless teen who Steven has covertly taken under his wing. As Martin begins insinuating himself into the family’s life in ever-more unsettling displays, the full scope of his intent becomes menacingly clear when he confronts Steven with a long-forgotten transgression that will shatter the Murphy family's domestic bliss.

PLAINCLOTHES

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 10:31:30 PDT

October 27, 2025 -- Syracuse, 1997. Promising undercover police officer Lucas (Tom Blyth) is dealing with a breakup and the recent loss of his father. When he receives an assignment to lure and arrest gay men in a mall bathroom, he is surprised to discover a scintillating connection with Andrew (Russell Tovey), one of his targets. As their secret connection deepens and internal pressure to deliver arrests intensifies, Lucas finds himself torn between duty and desire. At his mother’s New Year’s Eve party, Lucas loses a letter no one was ever meant to read. With time running out and his secret life closing in around him, the evening builds towards an explosive reckoning where everything he’s buried threatens to erupt.

2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 17:45:17 PDT

October 27, 2025 -- From the Oscar®-winning team behind 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL, 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA documents the toll of the Russia-Ukraine war from a personal and devastating vantage point. Following his historic account of the civilian toll in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov turns his lens towards Ukrainian soldiers — who they are, where they came from, and the impossible decisions they face in the trenches as they fight for every inch of their land.

Game Changers: Athletes as Creators and Storytellers

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:08:31 PDT

October 28, 2025 --

Presented by the USC School of Cinematic Arts Office of External Relations and the SCA Network, this virtual panel brings together Trojan creatives from the USC School of Cinematic Arts for a dynamic conversation on the evolving role of athletes in media. Explore how they’re using their platforms to shape narratives, share authentic stories, and inspire the next generation, blending competitive drive with creative vision to redefine cultural influence.

SCA Virtual Graduate Financial Aid Session

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 13:54:32 PDT

October 28, 2025 -- The Virtual Financial Aid Session will provide information about financing your USC education, the financial aid process at USC and scholarship opportunities provided to School of Cinematic Arts graduate students.

AGFA Movie Hooky Club IMAX Matinee Screening: PHENOMENA (1985)

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 05:24:23 PDT

October 28, 2025 -- Dario Argento changed the course of horror history with movies like DEEP RED and SUSPIRIA. But his greatest achievement was deciding to pit Jennifer Connelly (LABYRINTH), Donald Pleasence (HALLOWEEN), and a cute monkey against a horde of killer insects. With a little bit of CARRIE, a touch of Nancy Drew, and a whole lot of black-gloved giallo mayhem, PHENOMENA is Argento’s finest entry in the coked-out, anything-goes sweepstakes of 1980s horror. From the shocking violence to the songs by Iron Maiden, this movie was made to be watched by a theater full of appreciative maniacs.

MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:02:54 PDT

October 28, 2025 -- In 1987, at the age of just 21, Marlee Matlin shattered expectations as the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award® for her groundbreaking performance in Children of a Lesser God. Catapulted into the spotlight, she seized the moment to challenge an industry unprepared for her immense talent, emerging as a trailblazer not only as a performer but also as an author and activist. Matlin's incredible journey continued with standout roles in acclaimed projects such as The West Wing and the Oscar®-winning CODA, all while relentlessly advocating for greater inclusion and accessibility both within Hollywood and beyond its borders.

SPEAK.

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 07:44:05 PDT

October 29, 2025 -- Speak. follows five bold young voices on a high-stakes quest to win the Super Bowl of public speaking. Against a backdrop of social and political turmoil, these teens rise with fire, wit, and unshakable humanity—delivering a masterclass in courage, conviction, and the kind of hope that refuses to be silenced.

LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 08:09:57 PDT

October 29, 2025 -- Daughter to the flamboyant lesbian Queens of Planet Clitopolis, introverted Princess Saira is devastated when her bounty-hunter girlfriend, Kiki, suddenly breaks up with her for being too needy. After Kiki is kidnapped by forgotten incels of the future, the Straight White Maliens, Saira must leave the comforts of gay space to deliver their ransom: her royal labrys (the most powerful weapon known to lesbian kind). Only problem is… she doesn’t have it! With just a 24-hour window to get her labrys and save Kiki, Princess Saira finds herself on an inter-gay-lactic journey of self-discovery that includes encounters with a problematic spaceship and a new-found friendship with gay-pop runaway Willow.

BILLY KNIGHT

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:56:26 PDT

October 30, 2025 -- After losing his father, Alex sets out on a Hollywood adventure to uncover the identity of the mysterious and reclusive “Billy Knight,” guided only by a box of unfinished scripts and a handkerchief embroidered with his name.

LOVE ME TENDER

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 10:24:25 PDT

October 30, 2025 -- Divorced and literally glowing in her new-found sexual freedom, Clémence is ebullient as she leaves a Paris swimming pool to meet her happy-go-lucky ex, Laurent, to make an announcement: she’s now into women. But Laurent is not as laid-back as he seems and quickly turns the tables on her and their hitherto amicable joint custody agreement. Vicky Krieps turns in another luminous, powerhouse performance in Anna Cazenave Cambet‘s adaptation of Constance Debré’s autobiographical novel, plunging us into the complex moral dilemmas implicit in society’s searing either/or notions of motherhood vs. self-fulfillment.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: 100th Anniversary Screening

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 12:31:15 PDT

November 2, 2025 -- A forerunner of the American horror film, and one of the most lavish productions of the silent cinema, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has inspired countless remakes and imitations. But none of its successors can rival the mesmerizing blend of romance and mystery that haunts every frame of the Lon Chaney original.

Aspiring young opera singer Christine Daaé (Mary Philbin) discovers that she has a mysterious admirer intent on helping her become a lead performer. This enigmatic masked presence is Erik (screen legend Lon Chaney), also known as the Phantom, a horribly disfigured recluse who lives underneath the Paris Opera House. When the Phantom takes Christine prisoner and demands her devotion and affection, her suitor, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny (Norman Kerry), sets out to rescue her.

SENTIMENTAL VALUE

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 11:44:10 PDT

November 3, 2025 -- Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father — and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.

THE EYES OF GHANA

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 17:47:16 PDT

November 3, 2025 -- From Oscar®-winning director Ben Proudfoot, The Eyes of Ghana is a stunning feature documentary following 93-year-old documentarian Chris Hesse--personal cinematographer to forgotten African icon Kwame Nkrumah--as he races against blindness and time to rescue and repatriate a secret trove of over 1,300 films that captured the birth of African independence in the fifties and sixties. Yet unseen by the public, these films may not only rewrite Ghanaian and African histor --but world history itself.

PINCH

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:21:07 PST

November 4, 2025 -- Maitri, an aspiring travel blogger who shares a home with her mother in their Indian apartment block, is stuck. She is struggling to find an audience for her travel-centric YouTube channel, her mother disapproves of her career path, and she’s still working through unresolved grief after the loss of her father. Thinking it will make good content, Maitri tags along with her mother and their neighbors, trusted landlord Rajesh and his wife, to a temple during the Navratri festival. When Maitri is groped by Rajesh on the way to the festival, she feels shocked, furious and lonely and impulsively decides to take retributive steps, setting off a chain of events that rocks her tight-knight community.

OUT/FORM: Creativity & AI Summit

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 08:07:48 PDT

November 5, 2025 -- Join us for OUT/FORM: Creativity & AI Summit — a one-day experience of panels, workshops, and networking with creative leaders and innovators shaping the future of film, architecture, design, and storytelling. Co-created by the Onor Foundation, the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and the USC School of Architecture, OUT/FORM brings together artists and industry partners from New Balance, Adobe, Spotify, Freepik, Luma AI, Naya.Studio, Asteria Films, Motif, and more to explore how AI is transforming the creative industries.

Virtual SCA Undergraduate Open House

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 08:45:47 PDT

November 5, 2025 -- This is a comprehensive virtual event for prospective undergraduate applicants to the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The Virtual SCA Undergraduate Open House will include an admissions presentation and divisional breakout sessions with SCA staff and faculty. You will be able to ask questions you may have about SCA majors and the application process.

IMGD Information Session + Q & A

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 11:08:51 PST

November 7, 2025 -- Join our Interactive Media and Games faculty and staff virtually, for the opportunity to get strategies on how best to present your portfolio. This event is for prospective undergraduate and graduate students to our Interactive Media & Games programs only.

NVIDIA: AI & CREATIVITY

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 15:56:16 PST

November 10, 2025 -- A Special Panel Discussion featuring: Richard Kerris - VP of Global Media & Entertainment, NVIDIA; Rick Grandy - Principal Solutions Architect & SA Manager, NVIDIA; Alessandro La Tona - Workflow Specialist @ NVIDIA; moderated by SCA Professor Habib Zargarpour, Co-Head of the Virtual Production Program & The Georges Méliès Endowed Chair in Visual Effects.

SERIOUS PEOPLE

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:36:13 PST

November 11, 2025 -- A successful music video director and expectant father pushes his work/life balance to the extreme when he can't pass up the job of a lifetime and hires a doppelgänger to work in his stead. Serious People is a fresh and authentic comedy that explores what it means to be a "director" and a parent — and the replaceability of people in clout-heavy Los Angeles.

USC Awards-Qualified Short Film Showcase

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 19:42:41 PST

November 12, 2025 -- Six short films in consideration for Awards!

QUEENS OF THE DEAD

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:05:33 PST

November 13, 2025 -- When a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a giant warehouse party, an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, & frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.

2026 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science Seminar: OUR OCEANS - How We Can Save Them

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 11:33:56 PDT

November 14, 2025 -- The goal of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film School program is to influence and encourage the next generation of filmmakers to create more realistic and dramatic stories about science and technology, and to challenge existing stereotypes about scientists and engineers through visual media storytelling.

THE THINGS YOU KILL

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 12:00:40 PST

November 17, 2025 -- Questioning the suspicious death of his mother, a university professor and his enigmatic gardener descend into a hypnotic maze of mirrors and memories. As family secrets surface and painful truths emerge, they spiral toward a devastating reckoning with the darkness lurking within us all.

Awards-Qualified International Short Film Showcase

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:38:19 PST

November 17, 2025 -- Four short international films in consideration for Awards, featuring: PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS (Canada, Chile), PANTYHOSE (Finland), DON'T LEAVE HOME! (Georgia), and MAJONEZË (Italy)

Artistically Enhanced AI for Humanizing Robots

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 09:36:19 PST

November 18, 2025 - November 24, 2025 --

Trial demonstrations, posters and exhibits in preparation for our final exhibit in December

PLAYDATE

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:37:09 PST

November 18, 2025 -- When recently unemployed accountant Brian (Kevin James) agrees to a playdate with charismatic stay-at-home dad Jeff (Alan Ritchson) and their sons, he expects an easy afternoon of small talk and football tossing. Instead, he's thrust into a chaotic scramble to stay alive as they are pursued by a ruthless team of mercenaries. Brian stumbles through one ridiculous obstacle after another, his zero tactical skills a stark contrast to Jeff's oddly prepared demeanor. Director Luke Greenfield (Let's Be Cops, The Girl Next Door) hilariously collides suburban dad life with high-stakes thrills, transforming an ordinary afternoon into an absurd action-packed adventure where minivan mayhem meets professional hitmen.

Attend the Los Angeles Premiere of HAMNET

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 06:57:42 PST

November 18, 2025 -- From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

PALESTINE 36

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 15:20:41 PST

November 18, 2025 -- In 1936, as the British Empire tightens its grip on Palestine, Yusuf is caught between his village home and his work in Jerusalem. Amidst an anti-colonial revolt, and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution from Europe, all sides converge in a decisive moment for the entire region. Palestine's Official Selection for the 98th Academy Awards.

Meditation Session with Sophia the Robot

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:04:05 PST

November 18, 2025 - November 24, 2025 -- Daily Meditation Session with Sophia the Robot

Where We Goin’? Power of Place: A Multimedia Experience

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 16:22:20 PST

November 19, 2025 -- Two short films celebrating excellence, belonging, and Black brilliance.

SCA Community Check-In

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:43:02 PST

November 19, 2025 --

The SCA Community Impact Council invites you to our Community Check-In on Wednesday, November 19, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM. This is an open space to share your thoughts about life at SCA. We want to hear from you about how we make SCA a more welcoming and supportive community and what helps you feel a sense of belonging here. You can share during the meeting or email us at impact@cinema.usc.edu if you would like to send feedback privately.
We look forward to seeing you there!

MANAS

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:04:53 PST

November 19, 2025 -- In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, 13-year-old Tielle grows up with dreams inspired by her older sister's escape. As she matures, the illusions she clings to begin to crumble, revealing a world of deep-rooted exploitation and abuse. Determined to protect her younger sister and reshape their future, she dares to challenge the forces that bind the women in her community, in a poignant exploration of resilience and resistance.

FREQUENCY OF HOPE

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:20:59 PST

November 20, 2025 -- In Alaska’s rugged Mat-Su Valley, Erin Moore is a recovering addict and mother who lost her children, her voice, and nearly her life to addiction. Now she runs a beat-up rock-and-roll radio station, using the airwaves to speak honestly about recovery and second chances. As the station becomes a lifeline for others, Erin prepares for a different kind of stage — the Mrs. Alaska pageant — in a deeply personal attempt to reconnect with the family she lost. Frequency of Hope is a raw and redemptive portrait of a woman turning guilt into grace, shame into signal, and finding her way back home.

U.S. Job Market for Visa Holders

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:57:31 PST

November 21, 2025 -- Join the SCA Community Impact Council for a discussion of the U.S. job market for visa holders. Featuring:
Sophia Goring-Piard (Partner) and Eduardo Garcia (Associate) of the global legal services firm Fragomen, a leading global immigration law firm. They will present on trends among their corporate clients who are hiring international talent for the American media marketplace.

LA BOHÈME

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:26:09 PST

November 23, 2025 -- With its enchanting setting and spellbinding score, the world’s most popular opera is as timeless as it is heartbreaking. Franco Zeffirelli’s picture-perfect production brings 19th-century Paris to the Met stage as Puccini’s young friends and lovers navigate the joy and struggle of bohemian life. Sopranos Juliana Grigoryan, Angel Blue, and Aleksandra Kurzak trade off as the feeble seamstress Mimì, opposite tenors Freddie De Tommaso, Stephen Costello, Adam Smith, and Long Long as the ardent poet Rodolfo.

THE SECRET AGENT

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 10:57:55 PST

November 24, 2025 -- Brazil, 1977. Marcelo (Wagner Moura), a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting.

LA GRAZIA

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:36:18 PST

December 1, 2025 -- Mariano De Santis is the President of the Italian Republic. No connection to any real-life presidents; he is entirely a product of the author's imagination. A widower and a Catholic, he has a daughter, Dorotea, a legal scholar like himself. As his term draws to a close, amid uneventful days, two final duties arise: deciding on two delicate petitions for a presidential pardon. True moral dilemmas, which become tangled in ways that seem impossible to unravel, with his private life. Driven by doubt, he will have to decide. And, with a deep sense of responsibility, that is exactly what this remarkable Italian President will do.

DUST BUNNY

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:39:34 PST

December 1, 2025 -- Ten-year-old Aurora has a mysterious neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) who kills real-life monsters. He’s a hit man for hire. So, when Aurora needs help killing the monster she believes ate her entire family, she procures his services. Suspecting that her parents may have fallen victim to assassins gunning for him, Aurora’s neighbor guiltily takes the job. Now, to protect her, he’ll need to battle an onslaught of assassins - and accept that some monsters are real.

CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 07:40:26 PST

December 2, 2025 -- After narrowly missing his chance to become Afghanistan's first Olympic skier, Alishah Farhang returns to the remote mountains of his homeland to inspire a vibrant new ski culture. Bringing together young athletes from rival villages with makeshift wooden skis and secondhand gear, he organizes a ski race like no other, uniting his community in a moment of joy, hope and triumph. When their world is suddenly upended, he and the athletes must call upon those lessons learned on the slopes to find their way forward.

STRANGER EYES

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:14:38 PST

December 2, 2025 -- After the mysterious disappearance of their baby daughter, a young couple receives strange videos and realizes someone has been filming their daily life — even their most intimate moments. The police sets up surveillance around their home to catch the voyeur, but the family starts to crumble as secrets unravel under the scrutiny of eyes watching them from all sides.

THE TALE OF SILYAN

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 07:22:51 PST

December 3, 2025 -- From the Oscar-nominated director of HONEYLAND comes a poignant and visually arresting story set in the heart of rural Macedonia. Nikola, a farmer grappling with the harsh realities of new government policies, finds himself unable to sell his land or crops. When his family leaves in search of a better life abroad, Nikola takes a job as a landfill attendant, where he encounters the injured white stork Silyan. As he nurses the bird back to health, an unlikely bond forms between man and animal. The result is a deeply moving film that touches on climate change, economic migration, resilience and the quiet power of connection.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 10:52:23 PST

December 3, 2025 -- Spanning three decades, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. Originally produced on Broadway in 1981, then becoming an inventive cult-classic ahead of its time, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and personal songs.

ENGLISH TEACHER

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:08:16 PST

December 4, 2025 -- Season 2 of FX’s critically acclaimed English Teacher follows “Evan Marquez,” played by creator Brian Jordan Alvarez, as he continues to navigate his way through the political minefield known as the American high school. Back with Evan — though not always on his side — are his best friend “Gwen” (Stephanie Koenig), gym teacher “Markie” (Sean Patton), wild card guidance counselor “Rick” (Carmen Christopher) and constantly terrified “Principal Grant Moretti” (Enrico Colantoni).

MAGELLAN

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 08:16:09 PST

December 4, 2025 -- At the dawn of the modern era, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan navigated a fleet of ships to Southeast Asia, attempting the first voyage across the vast Pacific Ocean. On reaching the Malay Archipelago, the crew pushed to the brink of madness in the harshness of the high seas and overwhelming natural beauty of the islands, Magellan's obsession leads to a rebellion and reckoning with the consequences of power. A vast, globe-spanning epic from Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz (Norte, the End of History), MAGELLAN presents the colonization of the Philippines as a primal, shocking encounter with the unknown and a radical retelling of European narratives of discovery and exploration.

The Actor's Director Workshop

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 08:32:11 PST

December 6, 2025 -- 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 opportunity in collaborative storytelling is finding ways to bring out the best in each other. Discover the most important aspect of filmmaking and performance -- the communication between directors and actors.

ROOFMAN

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:39:06 PST

December 8, 2025 -- Based on an unbelievable true story, Roofman follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a former Army Ranger and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname: Roofman. After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.

MISTRESS DISPELLER

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:07:11 PST

December 8, 2025 -- In China, a new industry has emerged devoted to helping couples stay married in the face of infidelity. Wang Zhenxi is part of this growing profession, a “mistress dispeller” who is hired to maintain the bonds of marriage — and break up affairs — by any means necessary. Offering strikingly intimate access to private dramas usually hidden behind closed doors, Mistress Dispeller follows a real, unfolding case of infidelity as Teacher Wang attempts to bring a couple back from the edge of crisis. Their story shifts our sympathies between husband, wife and mistress to explore the ways emotion, pragmatism and cultural norms collide to shape romantic relationships in contemporary China.

Emberence: What Fire Remembers (An Immersive Experience)

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:54:45 PST

December 9, 2025 - December 10, 2025 -- An immersive exhibit about wildfire created by the students in IML 477: Embodied Storytelling and Immersive Docu-Narratives o.

NO OTHER CHOICE

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:07:08 PST

December 9, 2025 -- From director Park Chan-wook and based on Donald E. Westlake's novel THE AX, the story follows Man-su on his desperate hunt for a new job after his abrupt layoff from the paper company he served for 25 years.

Working with Archives: Protection, Preservation, and Storytelling

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:46:39 PST

December 10, 2025 -- In an archive, every recording, frame, song, and reel is a story worth retelling. But as formats change and technology evolves, how can you ensure that your archive’s stories are able to be shared long into the future? Join Andrea Kalas, VP of Media and Archival Services at Iron Mountain Media & Archival Services, and award-winning SCA alumni filmmakers Ross Dinerstein, Leslie Iwerks, and Ben Proudfoot, in conversation with SCA Professor Ted Braun, as they discuss the function and value of media archives both to safeguard the legacy of the past and to inspire stories in the future.

CTPR 457 Creating Poetic Cinema Screening

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 10:30:19 PST

December 10, 2025 -- 30 new short films by 547 students!

USC Short Film Showcase

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:19:41 PST

December 11, 2025 -- A stranger takes a family hostage and threatens to kill them unless the father can answer the stranger’s only demand: “Tell me who I am.” But the father doesn’t know. So to save his family, he starts guessing. But his guesses reveal more about his own past.

THE HOUSEMAID

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 11:57:49 PST

December 11, 2025 -- The Housemaid is a wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the best-selling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous — a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.

547 Documentary Screening

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:49:12 PST

December 12, 2025 -- You are cordially invited to the 547 Documentary Screening (Three short films made in SCA’s advanced documentary class).

CTPR 546 Screening

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:46:08 PST

December 13, 2025 -- (three short films made in SCA’s advanced scripted production class).

CTPR 484 Comedy Television Screening

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:10:10 PST

December 13, 2025 -- You are invited to the Premiere of the New Pilot Episode from CTPR 484: Comedy Television Production! "DEFCON 4"

CTPR 508 screening

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:07:46 PST

December 13, 2025 - December 14, 2025 -- Please join us for the premieres of 56 new films created in CTPR508 Production II during the Fall 2025 semester:

CTPR 310 End of Semester Screenings

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 15:20:41 PST

December 14, 2025 -- CTPR 310 P3 Screenings at Norris Theater!

Save the Date: 581/582/587 Advanced Projects Screening – Dec 15 @ 7PM

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:06:53 PST

December 15, 2025 -- Doors open: 6:30pm, sho @ 7pm. Come celebrate our students as they showcase their projects!

CTPR 544 Screening

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 10:52:17 PST

December 16, 2025 -- Join us for the screening of five virtual production short films, created by the Fall '25 class of CTPR 544

CTPR 480 Screening

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:51:21 PST

December 16, 2025 -- Doors at 6:30pm. Come celebrate with our students as they showcase four short films they made in SCA's advanced production class!

In-Person SCA Graduate Information Session

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 09:00:48 PST

January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026 -- Join the SCA Admissions staff for an in-person or an online information session to learn more about applying to the SCA graduate programs for the Fall 2025 semester. Topics will include an overview of the school, programs and facilities, financial aid, Q&A with staff and more!

SOUND OF FALLING

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 17:37:56 PST

January 9, 2026 -- A remote German farm harbors generations of secrets. Four women, separated by decades but united by trauma, uncover the truth behind its weathered walls.

CTCS-467: Television Symposium

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:49:25 PST

January 12, 2026 - January 30, 2026 -- 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.

THE SINGERS

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:05:06 PST

January 12, 2026 -- From Academy Award® Nominated filmmaker Sam Davis, The Singers is a genre-bending film adaptation of a 19th-century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, in which a lowly pub full of downtrodden men connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off. With a cast comprised of first-time actors from the unlikeliest corners of TikTok and YouTube, the film is a celebration of diamonds in the rough and a testament to the power of vulnerability through art. The film won 35 awards in 49 festival appearances this year.

IT: WELCOME TO DERRY

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:41:39 PST

January 12, 2026 -- Set in the world of Stephen King’s “IT” universe, IT: WELCOME TO DERRY is based on King’s “IT” novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films “IT” and “IT Chapter Two.”

THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 17:38:31 PST

January 12, 2026 -- From award-winning writer-director Mona Fastvold (The World to Come, The Brutalist) comes the extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers. Academy Award-nominee Amanda Seyfried stars as the Shaker's irrepressible leader, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers. The Testament of Ann Lee captures the ecstasy and agony of her quest to build a utopia, featuring more than a dozen traditional Shaker hymns reimagined as rapturous movements with choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall (Vox Lux) and original songs & score by Academy Award-winner Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist).

A USEFUL GHOST

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 10:59:45 PST

January 12, 2026 -- March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum cleaner. Disturbed by a ghost that appeared after a worker’s death shut down their factory, his family reject their unconventional human-ghost relationship. Trying to convince them of their love, Nat offers to cleanse the factory. To become a useful ghost, she must first get rid of the useless ones.

A WINTER'S SONG

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:33:56 PST

January 13, 2026 -- A struggling musician takes a leap of faith, traveling to her father's homeland of Armenia. Immersed in its rich culture, music, and traditions, a journey of self-discovery challenges her heart and dreams, changing her life forever.

CTPR-485: How They Made It - KPOP DEMON HUNTERS

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:50:41 PST

January 13, 2026 - January 29, 2026 -- This course covers how this record breaking animated film was made from pitch to creation to the ongoing developments. An exploration of the creative and business decisions, Korean cultural influences, and more. Featuring the talent and executives who made it all happen!

CTCS-469: BILLY WILDER'S HOLLYWOOD

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:50:55 PST

January 13, 2026 - January 29, 2026 -- This class will focus on the work of writer-director Billy Wilder, from the noir of Double Indemnity and Sunset Blvd. to the comedy of Some Like It Hot and One, Two, Three, the biting satire of Ace in the Hole to the melancholy romance of The Apartment. As with any auteurist class, we'll explore Wilder's biography, influences, and stylistic and thematic preoccupations, including his status as a Jewish refugee of European fascism and his formative experiences in Weimar Germany. His background informed his supposed 'cynicism' but also his empathy for those on the margins of respectability and victimized by the powerful. We will also use his career as a means to explore larger phenomenon of the Hollywood Studio System including the absorption of European refugees, Classical Hollywood style, the studio system and its decline, film noir, the rise of independent production, gender and stardom, and the breakdown of the Production Code and censorship.

DEAD MAN'S WIRE

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 11:12:47 PST

January 14, 2026 -- Dead Man’s Wire is the fascinating true story of the 1977 kidnapping that turned aspiring Indianapolis entrepreneur Tony Kiritsis into an eccentric outlaw folk hero, directed by Academy Award®–nominated filmmaker Gus Van Sant.

CTCS-464: CONS AND COMEDY

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:50:30 PST

January 14, 2026 - January 29, 2026 -- Why do con stories fascinate us, and what makes them different from more pedestrian crime fictions? Why do cons work? What makes us susceptible to them, and how do they reflect the structure of our desires? How does the world of cons react to technological change, and how are certain cons made possible or impossible by specific material, technological, and media affordances? How are cons presented in films, and how has our image of the con changed in the past century? What do we find funny about them, and how have con stories been used to elicit comedy in film? Can we place the current golden age of technologically-aided cons in a longer trajectory? All these questions and more will guide our inquiry into the cinematic genre of the con and its somewhat contentious relationship with comedy.

IML-499: Wanna Make Your Own DIY Music Video?

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:51:50 PST

January 14, 2026 - January 29, 2026 -- Taught by Professors Evan Hughes and Michael Bodie. No D-Clearance Needed!

JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:21:07 PST

January 14, 2026 -- England, 1813. Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period in the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal. The dashing Mr. Dickley mistakes the blood for an injury, and it becomes clear that his very expensive education has most certainly missed a spot.

APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS and ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 01:11:13 PST

January 14, 2026 -- When does a democracy end, and a theocracy begin? In Apocalypse in the Tropics, director Petra Costa takes us on a decade-long journey through the spiritual and political upheaval of Brazil. What begins as a search for signs of life in a fragile democracy transforms into a deeper inquiry into the seductions of power, prophecy and belief. Costa gains extraordinary access to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former President Jair Bolsonaro and the nation’s magnetic televangelist Silas Malafaia.

PAPER FLOWERS

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 11:25:29 PST

January 15, 2026 -- Shalin Shah, an ambitious USC graduate, leaves behind his loving Indian American family and devoted girlfriend, Fiona, to pursue his dream of making a difference as a Peace Corps volunteer. However, his life takes a devastating turn when a check-up for a lingering cough reveals a shocking diagnosis: a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Forced to return home and undergo treatment, Shalin confronts the fundamental question: what is the true meaning of life when faced with limited time?

CTCS-466: Theatrical Film Symposium

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:51:24 PST

January 15, 2026 - January 29, 2026 -- This Spring 2026 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.

CTCS-402: PRACTICUM IN FILM/TELEVISION CRITICISM

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:49:39 PST

January 15, 2026 - January 29, 2026 -- In this course, you will expand your skills in writing about film and media, while learning about the evolving industry of media and culture journalism, with a focus on film reviews, long form analysis, and audio and visual criticism. CTCS 402 is an opportunity to hone your analytical eye, develop writing technique, and find your own personal voice within a collaborative environment. The goal of this class is not just to learn to write media criticism, but to deepen your understanding of the industrial landscape, and to engage in the current world of film criticism, and above all to learn how to think critically.

IML-460: AI and Creativity

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:51:39 PST

January 15, 2026 - January 29, 2026 -- This hands-on exploration of AI introduces new tools and creative techniques while also examining the myriad controversies related to this paradigm-changing technology in a theory/practice format.

CTCS-409: CENSORSHIP

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:51:07 PST

January 16, 2026 - January 29, 2026 -- This course examines the history and cultural consequences of censorship in cinema from the early twentieth century to the present. Rather than treating censorship as a purely static force, the course approaches it as a dynamic process shaped by institutions, audiences, and artists. Through the study of specific films and the controversies surrounding them, we will explore how struggles over what can be shown on screen reveal broader social anxieties. By the end of the course, students will develop a critical vocabulary for understanding censorship not only as restriction but also as a revealing site where cultural values are contested and cinema’s social power becomes visible.

YEAR ONE

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:11:44 PST

January 20, 2026 -- A series of events during Ruby’s freshman year of college send her on a downward spiral, culminated by the arrival of a glamorous alter ego who begins to live a life of her own. Starring Elizabeth Yu, known for May December and Netflix's hit Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Emma Raimi. Year One is a recipient of the ReFrame Stamp, an initiative from the Sundance Institute and Women in Film that highlights films that have achieved gender parity both in front of and behind the camera. Festivals: Bentonville 2024, Dances With Films: NY 2024, The Great Film Festival 2024 (Best Feature Film), Culver City Film Festival 2024, American Cinematheque 2024, Future of Film is Female 2025, Somerville International Film Festival 2025 (Best Narrative Feature)

WHITE RIVER

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:51:00 PST

January 21, 2026 -- A woman living in quiet Yanjiao, separated from Beijing by the White River and observing strict quarantine rules, has a simple daily routine consisting of household chores. The mundanity, however, gives was to an erotic entanglement when she begins to sleep with a waiter under the watchful eye of her husband. From first-time female director Ma Xue, White River tests the viewers perceptions around voyeurism and female sensuality to surrealistic effect in this playful erotic drama.

581 & 587 Advanced Projects Screening

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:04:54 PST

January 24, 2026 -- Save the Date: 581 & 587 Advanced Projects Screening – Jan 24 @ 3PM

A POET

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:29:36 PST

January 26, 2026 -- Middle-aged and erratic, Oscar is a failed writer who has given up on life. Unemployed and living with family, he wanders the streets of Medellín in a drunken stupor, lamenting the state of literature in his home country, where he has succumbed to the cliché of the tortured artist. However, the opportunity to mentor a young student offers a chance at redemption, if he doesn’t screw it up first. In a performance marked by darkly comic pathos, first-time actor Ubeimar Rios stars in Simón Mesa Soto’s Un Certain Regard Jury Prize-winner A Poet, a raw and riotous farce about how good deeds are often met with the universe’s idea of cruel and unusually poetic punishment.

BAU: ARTIST AT WAR

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:12:50 PST

January 27, 2026 -- Bau, Artist at War is the extraordinary true story of Joseph Bau, a man who defied the darkness of the Holocaust with art, humor, and an unbreakable spirit. A gifted artist and master forger, Joseph risked his life to save others, using his talent to create false documents that helped fellow prisoners escape certain death. But in the depths of despair, he discovered something even more powerful…love. In the Plaszow concentration camp, amid relentless brutality, Joseph met Rebecca - a woman whose courage matched his own. Their secret wedding, held in the very heart of hell itself, was a defiant act of love in the face of unimaginable horror—an event later immortalized in Schindler’s List. Years later, when Joseph is called to testify against the sadistic Nazi officer who tormented him, he is forced to relive the horrors of his past. But through it all, he draws strength from the love that saved him, the art that sustained him, and the unyielding will that kept him alive. A gripping war drama, a daring espionage thriller, and one of the greatest love stories of our time, Bau, Artist at War is a testament to the power of resilience, the triumph of the human spirit, and the unbreakable bonds that even war could not destroy.

EPIC BILL

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:57:06 PST

January 28, 2026 -- Self-made millionaire Bill Bradley built a video store empire from the ground up. Yet when the industry collapsed, so too did his fortune. With nothing to his name, he finds success again in extreme endurance athletics. But in a race that's defeated him for years, he's forced to confront agonizing failure yet again and discover the true meaning of self-transformation.

A Conversation about Filmmaking with Palme d'Or Winner Julia Ducournau

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:02:23 PST

January 28, 2026 -- Julia Ducournau is a French director and screenwriter. She first gained recognition with her short film Junior, which won the Audience Award in La Semaine de la Critique at the Festival de Cannes in 2011. Her debut feature-length film, Raw, had its premiere in La Semaine de la Critique in 2016, and won the FIPRESCI Prize. The film screened at major international festivals including the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, and received multiple awards. In 2021, Titane, Ducournau’s second feature premiered in the Official Competition at Cannes and was awarded the Palme d’Or. It received critical acclaim, was featured at key festivals, and earned several nominations, including BAFTA and César Awards. Both films were distributed worldwide. Her third feature, Alpha, premiered in the Competition at Cannes in 2025.

THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (1993)

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:29:08 PST

January 30, 2026 -- Oscar®-winners Anthony Hopkins (1993, The Silence of the Lambs) and Emma Thompson (1992, Howards End) reunite with the acclaimed Merchant Ivory filmmaking team for this extraordinary and moving story of blind devotion and repressed love. Hopkins stars as Stevens, the perfect English butler - an ideal carried by him to fanatical lengths - as he serves his master, Lord Darlington, beautifully played by James Fox (The Servant). Darlington, like many other members of the British establishment in the 1930s, is duped by the Nazis into trying to establish a rapport between themselves and the British government. Thompson stars as the estate's housekeeper, a high-spirited, strong-minded young woman who watches the goings-on upstairs with horror. Despite her apprehensions, she and Stevens gradually fall in love, though neither will admit it, and only give vent to their charged feelings via fierce arguments. Marvelously acted by a supporting cast that includes Christopher Reeve and Hugh Grant.

THE CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION (2009)

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:20:45 PST

January 31, 2026 -- 28-year-old Kansas University doctoral student Omar Razaghi has won a grant to write a biography of Latin American writer Jules Gund. Omar must get through to three people who were close to Gund - his brother, widow, and younger mistress - so he can get authorization to write the biography.

SLAVES OF NEW YORK (1989)

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:42:36 PST

January 31, 2026 -- A bold follow-up to two successful E.M. Forster adaptations, Merchant Ivory's 1989 Slaves of New York stars Bernadette Peters as Eleanor, a young fashion designer living on Manhattan's Lower East Side amidst the art gallery and club subculture of Reagan-era New York.

SHAKESPEARE WALLAH (1965)

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:06:36 PST

January 31, 2026 -- Tony Buckingham (Geoffrey Kendal) and his wife Carla (Laura Lidell) are the actor-managers of a troupe of traveling Shakespearean actors in post-colonial India; they must grapple with a diminishing demand for their craft as the English theatre on the subcontinent is supplanted by the emerging genre of Indian film. Lizzie Buckingham (Felicity Kendal), the couple's daughter, falls in love with Sanju (Shashi Kapoor), a wealthy young Indian playboy who is also involved in a romance with the glamorous Bombay film star Manjula (Madhur Jaffrey). The Buckinghams, for whom acting is a profession, a lifestyle, and virtually a religion, must weigh their devotion to their craft against their concern over their daughter's future in a country which, it seems, no longer has a place for her. Like its title, Shakespeare Wallah is a film of unexpected juxtapositions and cultural conflict; it is a look at changing values in art, and an examination of the question of what it means to be indigenous to a place. The nomadic lifestyle of the poor players -- artfully shown through many scenes of their fretful peregrinations around India -- provides the visual enactment of the problem of the Buckinghams' rootlessness, as here we find the first Merchant-Ivory-Jhabvala exploration of that subject, the great dilemma for Merchant Ivory characters from Lizzie Buckingham to Ruth Wilcox inHowards End. "Everything is different when you belong to a place. When it's yours," Carla Buckingham quietly and regretfully tells her daughter, the young Englishwoman who was born in India and has never stepped foot on the soil of her "home" country.

An Evening with Academy Award-winner and SCA Alumnus James Ivory and 35mm Screening of MR. & MRS. BRIDGE (1990)

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:20:23 PST

February 1, 2026 -- Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward give "the performances of their careers" (Judith Crist) in Merchant Ivory's adaptation of Evan S. Connell's two novels Mrs. Bridge and Mr. Bridge, artfully combined into one screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Walter and India Bridge (Newman and Woodward) are a Midwestern American couple struggling to keep up with the changing world around them in 1930s America. Mr. Bridge, a stout-hearted, staunch paterfamilias, quietly lords over his children -- Ruth (Kyra Sedgwick), Carolyn (Margaret Welsh), and Douglas (Robert Sean Leonard) -- and his wife, who is warm and kind but lacks the independence to forge an identity apart from her husband. As the music, the mores, and the politics of Kansas City are transformed in front of them, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge attempt to keep up with the drama of a changing society within their own family: Ruth wants to go to New York and become an actress; Carolyn is determined to marry a man whom her father deems unsuitable; Douglas is embarrassed by his mother's attentions and rebukes her attempts at intimacy.

35 Years of the African American Cinema Society (AACS) at the USC School of Cinematic Arts

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:59:16 PST

February 1, 2026 -- AACS invites you to an evening of honoring its history and long-lasting impact on USC’s filmmaking legacy. The evening will include the official premiere of POISED, the first short film created as an AACS member project, executive produced by Geoffrey Ogunlesi.

A ROOM WITH A VIEW (1986)

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 10:16:26 PST

February 1, 2026 -- A Room With a View captured the attention of the world upon its release, bringing the novel by E.M. Forster to dazzling life in the Florentine countryside and in the well-appointed homes of the English Edwardian upper classes. A comedy of manners with a quick wit and impeccable comic timing, A Room With A View is also a portrait of the quiet solitude that lies beneath Forster's characters, and of the need for human connection in a world of rigid convention. The young Englishwoman Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter), arrives in Florence on a Baedecker-style grand tour with her aunt Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith). Through a series of events involving English expatriates Miss Eleanor Lavish, an unflappable novelist (Judi Dench), and the Emersons, a free-thinking father and son (Denholm Elliot and Julian Sands), Lucy's life is changed forever under a loggia in Florence and in the Tuscan countryside.

NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 11:25:12 PST

February 2, 2026 -- When their plan to book a show at the Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay accidentally travel back to the year 2008. Blah blah blah blah blah.

MY FATHER'S SHADOW

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 09:25:44 PST

February 3, 2026 -- A semi-autobiographical tale set over the course of a single day in the Nigerian metropolis Lagos during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis. The story follows a father, estranged from his two young sons, as they travel through the massive city while political unrest threatens their journey home.

THEY FIGHT WITH CAMERAS

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:42:20 PST

February 4, 2026 -- They Fight with Cameras is a 55-minute documentary narrated by Liev Schreiber, produced and directed by Academy Award nominee Nina Rosenblum and her partner Daniel Allentuck, which recounts the wartime experiences of decorated U.S. Army Signal Corps combat cameraman Walter Rosenblum by combining his photographs and never before seen motion picture footage with his recently discovered letters to his first wife. From the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach to the liberation of Dachau, Rosenblum and his fellow Signal Corps cameramen recorded the war in Europe with skill, empathy and unflinching courage. The film features an on-camera interview with Rosenblum conducted by the USC Shoah Foundation - The Institute for Visual History and Education in 1997, and an original score composed by Marcus Loeber to present a unique and compelling account of the war in Europe as seen through the lens of a frontline eyewitness.

THE FALLOW FEW

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:41:14 PST

February 5, 2026 -- December, 1916. The Western Front. A disillusioned soldier, tasked with guarding British deserters on death row, disobeys his superiors to save his latest charge's life at the eleventh hour. Based on a true story.

RIGHT IN THE EYE: A multimedia show and live movie-concert composed of 12 films by Georges Méliès

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 10:27:19 PST

February 9, 2026 -- Right in the Eye (En plein dans l’œil) is a multimedia show and live movie-concert composed of 12 films by Georges Méliès, a pioneer of the Cinema and a wizard of special effects. On stage, three virtuoso musicians play some fifty different instruments, including rare and unique ones, breathing fresh impetus into these cinematographic gems. In a subtly-staged setting, in perfect symbiosis with the imagery, the musicians transport us in an inventive production, performed both onstage and onscreen, that reflects the creative genius of Méliès.

THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR + THE SINGERS

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 20:57:06 PST

February 9, 2026 -- Using bodycam footage from dozens of police visits, The Perfect Neighbor bears witness to a tight-knit community navigating one neighbor’s relentless harassment. But her hostility takes a sinister turn when it escalates into a fatal crime.

WEEKEND AT THE END OF THE WORLD

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:36:42 PST

February 10, 2026 -- Best friends Karl and Miles, who find themselves in a secluded cabin in the woods with what they think is an opportunity to get rich, with the only thing standing in their way being the end of the world.

I LIVE HERE NOW

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:32:08 PST

February 11, 2026 -- In the surreal landscape of I LIVE HERE NOW, struggling actress Rose (Lucy Fry) finds her life upended by unexpected news. She’s suddenly forced to confront a future she never thought possible, just as a major career opportunity with top agent Cindy Abrams (Cara Seymour) comes into view. Things spiral further when her casual boyfriend, Travis (Matt Rife) brings his overbearing mother (Sheryl Lee) into the fold, pushing Rose to the brink. She flees to The Crown Inn, a crumbling motel at the edge of nowhere, where time fractures and reality bends. Haunted by sleep paralysis, splintered memories, and eerie motel dwellers, especially the enigmatic Lillian (Madeline Brewer), Rose begins to unravel.

THE ALABAMA SOLUTION

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 10:45:12 PST

February 11, 2026 -- Against all odds, incarcerated men expose a secretive and deadly US prison system. Using contraband cell phones, they reveal corruption and systemic abuse of power. As an investigation into a brutal killing and cover-up unfolds in real time, the men organize and insist on their humanity.

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 12:11:32 PST

February 12, 2026 -- Director Joachim Trier returns with another modern twist on a classically constructed character portrait of contemporary life in Oslo. Chronicling four years in the life of Julie, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD examines one woman’s quest for love and meaning in the modern world. Fluidly told in twelve chapters, the film features a breakout performance by Cannes Best Actress winner Renate Reinsve as she explores new professional avenues and embarks on relationships with two very different men (Anders Danielsen Lie and Herbert Nordrum) in her search for happiness and identity.

Social Change Film Festival - (Media Institute For Social Change)

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 09:54:10 PST

February 12, 2026 -- Social Change Film Festival - February 12th

LAIKA Studios Internship Presentation

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 10:06:17 PST

February 12, 2026 -- Learn about LAIKA Studios at an in-person presentation by one of their recruiters.

CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:35:52 PST

February 12, 2026 -- As the first elected councilwoman of her remote Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi fearlessly breaks patriarchal traditions by training teenage girls to ride motorcycles and stopping child marriages. When accusations arise questioning Sara’s intentions to empower the girls, her identity is put in turmoil.

WWW.RACHELORMONT.COM

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 21:58:41 PST

February 17, 2026 -- Rachel doesn't realize she has grown up in captivity working for an advertising agency where her job is to assess Mommy 6.0, her favorite pop star in the whole entire world.

THE BLUFF

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:12:07 PST

February 18, 2026 -- When her tranquil life on a remote island is shattered by the return of her vengeful former captain, a skilled ex-pirate must confront her bloody past and unleash her deadly talents to save her family from a ruthless siege.

CHILDREN NO MORE: "WERE AND ARE GONE"

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 11:10:30 PST

February 18, 2026 -- Children No More: "Were and are Gone" is an observational documentary short about a vigil that began in March 2025, when a handful of women stood silently in a public square in Tel Aviv, each holding a photograph of a child killed in Gaza. On every image: the child’s name, age, date of death, and the words “WAS AND IS NO MORE.” Their stillness is heavy, pressing against the rhythm of ordinary life. Some passersby look away; others respond with denial, sorrow, or rage. Yet week after week, new names are added, new photographs are printed and lifted high. And each week, more people step forward to join this quiet act of protest.

Freedom Is a Verb: Creating in a Political Climate

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:05:42 PST

February 19, 2026 -- The USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Community Impact Council invites you to a conversation about creating art in our current cultural climate.

ASNI: The Life of Asnaketch Worku - Courage, Passion & Glamor in Ethiopia

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:33:02 PST

February 19, 2026 -- Asni is a vibrant and deeply personal documentary that celebrates the life and legacy of Asnaketch Worku, one of Ethiopia’s most extraordinary artists, a performer as iconic to her homeland as Billie Holiday is to America and Édith Piaf is to France.

ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:11:38 PST

February 19, 2026 -- On March 13, 2022, filmmaker Brent Renaud was killed by Russian soldiers – the first American journalist to die while reporting on the war in Ukraine. His younger brother and collaborator, Craig Renaud, recovered Brent’s body and his final recordings from Ukraine and brought them back to their childhood home in Arkansas. As Brent’s journey to his final resting place unfolds, the film chronicles the years he and his brother spent covering some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts.

CTPR 310 P1 Screenings

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:13:47 PST

February 22, 2026 -- 310 P1 Screenings this Sunday in Norris!

COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 13:48:53 PST

February 23, 2026 -- Come See Me in the Good Light is a poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley facing an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit and an unshakable partnership. Through laughter and unwavering love, they transform pain into purpose, and mortality into a moving celebration of resilience.

THE DEVIL IS BUSY

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:00:18 PST

February 23, 2026 -- The Devil is Busy takes viewers on a daylong journey with Tracii, the determined head of security at a women’s healthcare clinic in Atlanta, Georgia as she works to ensure the safety of women seeking abortions in the face of new restrictions and persistent protests. The film follows the routines of the staff who continue to provide a range of medical services, including preventive screenings, checkups, and reproductive healthcare, in an environment where clinics often face daily threats of danger.

THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 21:26:09 PST

February 24, 2026 -- January 29, 2024. Palestinian Red Crescent Society volunteers are alerted to make an emergency call to 5-year-old Hind Rajab who is trapped in a car under Israeli tank fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, the volunteers do everything they can to get an ambulance to her, navigating the labyrinthine bureaucracy of COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry unit which manages civilian operations in the Occupied Territories.

QueerCut Mixer

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:30:12 PST

February 25, 2026 -- Join us for the first QueerCut Mixer on Feb. 25th from 5-7pm!

SCA Community Impact Council Meeting

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 09:12:18 PST

February 25, 2026 -- We welcome you to join the SCA Community Impact Council, a group of students, faculty, and staff working together on programming, initiatives, and community support. Our first meeting of the semester is on Wednesday, February 25, 10:30–11:30 AM (SCA 255). The SCA Community Impact Council is open to all members of the SCA community. We hope to see you there!

IDIOTKA

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:51:23 PST

February 25, 2026 -- In this sharp, irreverent comedy, a disgraced fashion designer with a dangerously low credit score, Margarita (Anna Baryshnikov) enters a reality show with a six-figure cash prize to save her babushka’s West Hollywood apartment. But as the competition intensifies, slick producer Nicol (Camila Mendes) pushes her to spin her family’s struggle into spectacle, forcing Margarita to decide whether to play along or take control of her own narrative, one unhinged look at a time.

Academy Award-Nominated Short Film Showcase

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:58:42 PST

February 26, 2026 -- A Special For Your Consideration Screening of 4 Academy Award-Nominated Short Films: A Friend of Dorothy (Live Action, 21 min.,) Perfectly a Strangeness (Doc, 15 min.,) Retirement Plan (Animated, 7 min.,) and Butcher's Stain (Live Action, 26 min.)

MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:11:32 PST

February 27, 2026 -- As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools across Russia are transformed into recruitment stages for the war. Facing the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a brave teacher films what's really happening in his own school.

Eco Media Festival

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:16:52 PST

February 28, 2026 -- Eco Media Festival on Saturday, Feb 28th

Academy Award-Nominated Short Film Showcase Part 2

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:44:45 PST

March 2, 2026 -- In a society where kissing is forbidden and people pay for things with slaps to the face, Angine, an unhappy woman, becomes fascinated by a playful salesgirl, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague.

HEEL

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 07:28:43 PST

March 4, 2026 -- From Academy Award® nominated director Jan Komasa, HEEL is a twisted thriller that unfolds like a dark fairy tale. 19-year-old hooligan Tommy (Anson Boon) revels in a life of drugs, parties, and violence. One night, on a bender with his reckless friends, he becomes separated from the group and is abducted by an unknown figure (Stephen Graham). Though he is no stranger to inflicting violence, he is enraged and horrified when he wakes to find himself chained in the basement of the isolated suburban family home of Chris (Graham), his near-spectral wife Kathryn (Andrea Riseborough), and their young son Jonathan (Kit Rakusen). The family sets out to reform Tommy's unruly behavior, forcing him to comply with their relentless mind games or seek escape at any cost.

SLANTED

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:03:46 PST

March 5, 2026 -- Joan Huang idolizes the popular girls and dreams of being prom queen, but fears the only way to win is to look like all the past queens whose portraits line her high school halls. Enter Ethnos: a mysterious cosmetic surgery clinic that makes people of color appear white. Joan undergoes the procedure and wakes up a beautiful blonde destined for the crown, but at what cost? Blending sharp satire, sci-fi, and body horror, and starring Shirley Chen (Dìdi), Mckenna Grace (Regretting You), and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever), Slanted proves that identity is never only skin-deep.

NOLLYWOOD IN HOLLYWOOD 2026: TO ADAEGO WITH LOVE

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:04:59 PST

March 7, 2026 -- Set in post-war 1975 Nigeria, To Adaego With Love tells the powerful story of Adaego, a young mathematics teacher, and Major Balarabe Alkali, an army officer on a mission of reconciliation. When love finds them across ethnic, political, and emotional fault lines left by the Nigerian Civil War, they must confront history, family, and a nation still learning how to heal.

NOLLYWOOD IN HOLLYWOOD 2026: WHEN NIGERIA HAPPENS

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 09:15:22 PST

March 7, 2026 -- When Nigeria Happens follows a group of misfit dancers, Fagbo, Pokko, Lighter, Movement, Colos, and Poppy, who live for their art and defy society's expectations. Their world is shaken when Fagbo’s mother falls critically ill, leaving him desperate for funds, and societal pressures threaten their bond and dreams. As sacrifices mount and their resilience is test ed, they must confront what it truly means to fight for love, identity, and a future in Nigeria.

CTCS-467 Television Symposium Presents: THE PITT

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 08:25:00 PST

March 9, 2026 -- The Pitt is a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh.

ROW OF LIFE

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:06:02 PST

March 10, 2026 -- Row of Life follows renowned ocean rower, Marine Corps veteran, 3x Paralympian, and 14x Guinness World Record holder Angela Madsen. In 2020, Angela attempted to row solo and unassisted across the Pacific Ocean, from Los Angeles to Hawaii. What unfolds is a harrowing story of her determination, resilience, and immense courage to pursue the unknown, and the unyielding support of Angela’s wife, Deb, who, separated by a vast ocean, champions Angela’s dream despite the cost.

DHADAK 2

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:11:12 PST

March 11, 2026 -- Targeted for his caste, Neelesh, a first-year student at an elite law college fights off vicious bullies and lethal threats to protect his dignity and forbidden love. The themes portray how caste identity dominates every aspect of life, particularly love and relationships in contemporary urban Indian society.