UCLAxFilmFest Announces Official Film Selections for 2021

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate talented new filmmakers from around the world, UCLA Extension's Entertainment Studies program will hold its sixth annual UCLAxFilmFest on August 27-29, 2021. Sponsored by FOX Entertainment, Final Draft, and Chemical Wedding, the virtual Film Festival celebrates a selection of exceptional short films, features insightful industry panels, provides networking opportunities, and culminates in an awards ceremony.

This year's "Imagination" themed UCLAxFilmFest is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

"The annual UCLAxFilmFest is an opportunity for our local and international film community to gather and celebrate the achievements of our talented students and alumni," said Pascale Cohen-Olivar, Director of the Arts at UCLA Extension. "The Entertainment Studies program is a true incubator for talent worldwide, we nurture emerging artists and diverse voices. With many of our students going on to achieve successful professional careers in the entertainment industry, the Film Festival provides a venue to showcase and share the finest work from students and alumni."

UCLAxFilmFest awards will be presented in the categories of: Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Unique and Artistic Film, Best Film Made Under COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions, Entertainment Studies Award and Audience Choice Award. Judges for the 2021 festival include UCLA Extension instructors who are award-winning filmmakers, screenwriters, directors, and Hollywood motion picture business experts.

"In a year where filmmaking faced challenges due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, it's a joy to see the powerful work produced by an incredible talent pool of students in the Entertainment Studies program, and to share their work with a global audience," Cohen-Olivar said. "The short films also celebrate filmmaking disciplines offered at UCLA Extension – which connect artists and working professionals with instructors who are active, recognized leaders in the industry."

This year's panel discussion will focus on leveraging your short film and the film festival experience to help start a career in the film business. Entitled "Leverage Your Film Festival Experience to Launch Your Career," the session is led by renowned filmmaker, marketer, and distinguished UCLA Extension instructor Kim Adelman. The discussion is available to all attendees.

Official Film Selections for the UCLAxFilmFest 2021:

• A Poem from YiQing: Written, Directed and Produced by Rong Yan
• Airway: Written, Directed & Co-Produced by Jessica Redish
• All We Know About IAN: Produced by Lance Yijin Lao; Written, Directed and Produced by Danming Niu
• Ayesha: Written & Directed by Shriya Rana
• Bathroom Window: Directed by Julia Gil de Freitas, Written by B. Paolucci
• Beauty and the East: Written & Directed by Dhruv Uday Singh
• Champ 5: Co-Directed by Paul Gatto, David Jester, Kathleen Strouse; Produced by Kathleen Strouse
• Don't Leave Me: Written, Directed and Produced by Juan P. Soto
• Dreamer: Written, Directed and Produced by Vergi Rodriguez; Co-Directed and Co-Produced Diana Zollicoffer
• Hello, My Sweet Boy: Written, Directed and Produced by Raphaël Dirani
• Love in Times of Quarantine: Written, Directed and Produced by Maju Cancella
• Meeting Mavis: Written by Jared Pascoe, Directed by Jared Pascoe and Jennifer M. Taylor
• Mixology: Written & Produced by Matt Crosson, Directed & Produced by Brian A. Pollack, Produced by Sam Wickham
• No Human Being is Illegal: Directed by Samuel Villagra-Stanton
• Red Watch: Produced by Cindy Wathen-Kennedy, Directed by David Kennedy, Written by and Starring Kyla Kennedy
• Run Free: Co-Written, Directed and Produced by Brandon Ravet
• Stranger in the Closet: Written, Directed and Produced by Robert Dill
• The Only Beautiful Thing: Written and Directed by Elizabeth Irwin; Produced by Elizabeth Irwin, Rabia Sultana, and Mara Kassin
• The Outcoming: Written and Directed by Maxim Varen, Produced by Maxim Varen and Michael Sasaki
• Untwined: Written and Directed by Alexandra Fehrman

FilmFest registration is free. To get a glimpse of the selected works, to reserve tickets and for other details please visit: https://watch.eventive.org/uclaxfilmfest/play/60c28d3d9b5cd3003ea21e1f, or https://entertainment.uclaextension.edu/uclaxfilmfest/

About UCLA Extension
Founded in 1917 as the continuing education division of the University of California at Los Angeles, UCLA Extension has delivered the most advanced courses and certificates that annually enhance the careers of thousands of individuals across the United States and around the world. UCLA Extension offers online and in-person courses for professionals in the arts, business, management, engineering and digital technology, entertainment studies, public policy, health care, humanities and sciences, and many other fields. Find out more at uclaextension.edu.

SOURCE UCLA Extension

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