Three Santa Monica College student films have been accepted as official selections in the prestigious LA Shorts International Film Festival, qualifying the works for Oscar and BAFTA competition consideration.
The films "Ends and Means," "Fear and Tremble" and "No Return" will compete in the Live Action category during the festival, which runs July 16-28 at the Regal LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.
Now in its 29th year, the LA Shorts International Film Festival is Los Angeles' longest-running shorts film festival. The event is accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. The festival screens more than 350 films annually and attracts 10,000 attendees, including Hollywood industry professionals and independent filmmakers.
The selected films were produced through SMC's Film Production Program as part of Film 32 and Film 33 classes. Students work in a professional filmmaking environment under faculty mentorship, including professors Salvador Carrasco and Simone Bartesaghi.
"Ends and Means," directed by Karly Kato Bang, follows Milagros, a Mexican immigrant housekeeper whose working relationship with her employer, a liberal film director, becomes complicated when he invites a mysterious investor to dinner who has a shocking connection to her past.
"Fear and Tremble," written and directed by Alci Rengifo, dramatizes the true story of Salvadoran poet and revolutionary Roque Dalton during his capture and interrogation by a CIA agent.
"No Return," directed by Sebastian Carrasco, reimagines a scene from Spike Lee's "25th Hour" set during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, featuring a captured American mercenary facing a Cuban commander.
Over the years, 68 filmmakers who presented at the LA Shorts International Film Festival have received Academy Award nominations.
SMC student films have earned numerous honors, including production grants from the Golden Globe Foundation, awards at international festivals in Vienna, Mexico, Houston and India, and recognition at the Ojai Film Festival and San Diego International Film Festival.
The college offers an Associate of Science degree and Certificate of Achievement in Film Production. More information is available at www.smc.edu/filmproduction. Additional details about the festival can be found at www.lashortfest.com.
Edited by SMDP Staff