UCLA Film Festival
In 2010 and 2011, I organized the UCLA Festival of New Creative Work which showcases and screens work by emerging artists at the the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and honors the entertainment industry's brightest talent.
The festival showcases student work in film, video, animation, producing, screenwriting and theater, including work from the Cinema & Media Studies and Moving Image Archive Studies programs; more than 100 student films; and presentations of screenplays and producer-developed projects. Events include the opening night of the festival, two separate days of student screenings, Design Showcase West, the Screenwriters Showcase, Producers Marketplace, Animation Prom and the closing night Directors Spotlight. Honorees are chosen by students voting within their particular discipline as well as by industry professionals.
The festival takes place over seven days and nights, at various locations across Los Angeles, including the Writers Guild Theater, the Directors Guild of America Theater, the James Bridges Theater at UCLA, and at the Billy Wilder Theater at the UCLA Hammer Museum.
MEDIA RELATIONS EXPERIENCE \\ THE UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM & TELEVISION
Before moving to Walla Walla, I worked at UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television, where I coordinated the annual Festival of New Creative Work. A large component of my job as Festival Coordinator was to draw audiences to festival events and generate positive and engaging impressions of the School through event publicity. I drew upon my previous experiences working at a media agency, to plan and implement a strategic, coordinated, integrated program which would enhance the festival's visibility, solidify its presence as an up-and-coming film festival, and contribute to the college’s overall, renewed communications and branding effort, under the leadership of its new Dean, film producer Teri Schwartz.
THE UCLA FESTIVAL OF NEW CREATIVE WORK \\
Consistently ranked as one of the top elite entertainment and performing arts institutions in the world, the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television offers an innovative interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates the study and creation of live performance, film, television, animation and the digital arts. Its distinguished graduate and undergraduate programs include acting, directing, writing, producing, animation, cinematography, lighting design, set design, costume design and sound design, and offers PhDs in Theater and Performance Studies and Cinema & Media Studies.
The UCLA Festival of New Creative Work is a seven-day-seven-night fete of events, highlighting the work of undergraduate and graduate students from the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, and honoring film industry directors, writers and producers.
The planning and implementation of the UCLA Festival of New Creative Work is a considerable undertaking that lasts from October to June. I held the position of Festival Coordinator from 2009-2011, overseeing the planning and logistics of each event.
Coordinator, The Barbie Film Festival
In 2011 I organized The Barbie Film Festival, seeking submissions from UCLA undergraduate and graduate students who were invited to write, shoot and edit two-minute short films, using only the inexpensive Barbie Video Girl toy doll camera.
We received over three dozen imaginative and technologically innovative submissions, and I worked closely with executives from Mattel to organize every detail of the festival, bring the concept to fruition, and to promote and screen the films at a very popular and exceptionally unique industry event.
The Schedule
The annual festival is held during the first week of June. Events include showcases of student work from each program (Screenwriting, Directing, Producing, Cinematography, Animation, Costume Design, Archive Studies), and additional screenings of student films that don't make it into either the Opening Night or Directors Spotlight selection of screenings. At each event, an individual from the entertainment industry is presented with an award for innovative and groundbreaking work in their field, or for a lifetime of achievement. Students winners also receive awards. The events take place at various locations across Los Angeles, with fully catered receptions and after-parties.
The Events
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DAY 1: Opening Night
The UCLA Film Festival kicks off with Opening Night, a highly anticipated event featuring selected student films, both graduate and undergraduate, animation and live-action. Each film has been screened and voted on by a panel of student peers. The resulting lineup represents some of the most original and thought provoking work the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television has to offer. The Alumnus of the Year Award is presented.
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DAY 2: Screenwriters Showcase
The UCLA Screenwriters Showcase is a feature and teleplay competition for the MFA Screenwriting candidates, celebrating the work of entertainment's newest crop of screenwriting talent. Student work is read by over 200 top industry judges (including agents, managers, producers and development executives), and the competition culminates in a gala event during which the winning eight students are celebrated with a staged reading of their work.
2011 Honoree Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball, The Social Network, The Newsroom, The West Wing)
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DAY 3: Design Showcase West
At Design Showcase West students from the top graduate design programs across the nation, exhibit portfolios of their recent work in the fields of costume design, scenic design, or lighting design. The day-long event consists of an industry review session and luncheon (by invitation only), followed by a review session that is open to the public.
Design Showcase West is the only national entertainment design showcase on the West Coast, and is co-hosted by the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, the Art Directors Guild, the Set Decorators Society of America, the Costume Designers Guild, and United Scenic Artists.
2011 Honoree Director Guillermo Del Toro (Pacific Rim, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth).
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Day 4: Director's Spotlight
The Logistics \\ Directors Spotlight, hosted at the Directors Guild of America, is a premier event showcasing ten films chosen to receive a coveted Spotlight Award. These films, which have emerged through several rounds of judging by TFT students, as well as a Blue Ribbon Jury of industry professionals, are among the most engaging and innovative works that the UCLA Film Festival has to offer. The Directors Spotlight has provided a platform for outstanding talent since its inception more than two decades ago. Over the years, this event has exhibited early works of filmmakers such as Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) and Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean).
The Interviews \\ Each year the directors chosen to screen their films at Directors Spotlight are interviewed prior to the event. Watch interviews with directors Marie Lee and Richard Parkin, here.
The Honorees \\ 2010: Director Lee Daniels (Precious) and iconic film Producer Roger Corman. 2011: Director Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are Alright) and Chairman & CEO of Universal Pictures, Stacey Snider.
The Awards \\ Ten student Spotlight Award winners, and The Panavision Award In Cinematography.
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Day 4: Producers Marketplace
The Logistics \\ Three graduate student finalists from UCLA's Producers Program present their feature film projects to a panel of top-tier industry judges, taking to the stage to present their five-minute concept pitches. They then field a battery of questions from the judges about how they plan to get their projects made. The judges select the most promising proposal and present the winning producer the UCLA Producers Marketplace Award, as well as a cash award.
The Honorees \\ Presentation of The Vision Award, to an entertainment industry professional. In 2010: Producer Mark Gordon (Saving Private Ryan, The Day After Tomorrow, Source Code, Grey's Anatomy); in 2011: Producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, Inglorious Bastards).
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Day 5: Animation Prom
The Logistics \\ The Festival of Animation, affectionately known as “Prom,” has been a tradition since 1959. The works screened at Prom represent a diverse swath of animation mediums, styles, techniques, and ultimately the lives and backgrounds of students in the program.
The Honorees \\ The Crystal Anvil Award is presented to an industry honoree, and the peer-chosen student awards are presented to the Animation student winners for The Dan McLaughlin Award (Best in Show), Best Story, Best Animation and Best Art Direction.
Auxiliary Programming
OUT OF THE ARCHIVE: RECENT WORK FROM THE MOVING IMAGE ARCHIVE STUDIES
The long-term survival and accessibility of our moving image heritage is dependent upon the work of archival professionals who preserve, restore, document, curate, and exhibit these materials. Out of the Archive features creative and preservation work by current students and recent graduates of the UCLA M.A. program in Moving Image Archive Studies (MIAS). Current students present independent creative work and excerpts from their portfolios, representing their professional interests and achievements in the MIAS program. Recent MIAS alumni now working as professional archivists show elements of their preservation work.