Department Spotlights

2022 Highlights

  • Brandon Vaughn, current Post Production student served on the team for “Atomic Shores” that won 2nd place in a global animation contest. 

  • Leia Everett ’22 screened her film 21 in the 2022 Oregon Short Film Festival, 21  also won ”Best Comedy” in the festival. 

  • Blaine Turner ’22 screened his short horror film, Pit of the Pitmaster in the Hocus Focus film festival 

  • Paula Kiley ’21 Creative Nonfiction alum now works for KCET producing social media content and more. 

  • So Yun Um ’11 premiered her feature documentary Liquor Store Dreams at the Tribeca Film Festival. Her film continues to screen at various prestigious film festivals including BFI London and the 27th BUSAN International Film Festival.  

  • Helen Hood Scheer, Associate Professor of Creative Nonfiction produced the film Body Parts which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and went on to screen at AFI Film Fest and various other prestigious festival. Read more about the making of Body Parts 

2021 Highlights

Summer 2021:

  • HAW Hamburg university of applied sciences joined forces with FEA to present workshops for students on both campuses with industry professionals and faculty/staff Postcards From Home took place in Summer 2021.
  • Paula Kiley & Luca Pena CNF alum were both accepted into the Television Academy Foundation Internship program for summer 2021. 
  • Incoming film student, AnnaBella Vaca’s short film Women are Warriors was a finalist in the Paris International Short Film Festival 

  • Avid Certification 2021: On May 3rd, 26 students in FEA 490 Editing III, became Avid Media Composer Certified Users after passing their second qualifying exam.  A two-semester journey, students learn the principles, craft and art of editing while also diving into complex software training. Avid Media Composer Certification is a highly valued film and television industry professional credential and is one of the first qualifications, along with a college degree, employers are looking for when they quickly sift through stacks of resumes. These wonderful, hardworking, dedicated students, most of whom are graduating this month, have the experience and skills to enter the workplace as editors, assistant and apprentice editors, and post production PAs, and the credentials to prove it!  
  • Chalisa Phiboolsook (FEA Alum 2021) film 13 Miles for Toilet Paper was a featured short in this year’s CAAM Fest 2021. The Center for Asian American Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. Chalisa’s short was filmed during remote instruction in the spring 2020 semester. When the half marathon she was scheduled to participate in was canceled as a result of COVID-19, Chalisa became determined to complete her training from her very own garage. “13 Miles for Toilet Paper,” was also an official selection of LA Student Film Festival finalist at Humboldt Film Festival, semi-finalist at the Student LA Film Awards, and a winner at the CSU Media Arts Festival.
  • Samantha Hernandez, FEA Doc Alum worked as a PA on The First Step which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021. 
  • Audrey Sutton, CNF alum started a full time editing position with the multi-media platform StyleLikeU! Style Like U makes short docu style videos about self-acceptance centering diverse bodies and stories. 
  • Fea alum, Julian Doan’s film Raspberry was a featured short in the Sundance Festival. The film has continued to be featured in various other festivals since. 
  • Tara Diiorio, FEA CNF alum documentary (in which she filmed and edited), Velvet Sky was shown at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival March 2-12 2021.  
  • Two documentary films and one narrative film by recent FEA alums were selected as finalists in the KCET’s 22nd Annual Fine Cut Festival of Films. Besides airing on KCET, the Fine Cut festival will also air nationwide on Link TV starting Thursday, Sept. 30 at 11 p.m., and more films will stream at kcet.org/finecut.  
  • Narrative : I Didn't Mean It - Adriana Morales  
  • Documentary: The Home I Never Had - Jourdan Amen, Yuliana Franco and Target Panic - Madeleine Braun  
  • CNF alum Yuliana Franco landed a job as a PA on a Netflix series produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Brian Knappenberger. 
  • CNF alum Sean Tong is currently working on the sequel to FOOD, INC  directed by Michael Pollen, this position began as an internship and developed into a staff position. 
  • CSU Media Arts Festival 2020 & 2021 Combined: For the Fall 2021 CSU Media Arts Festival which included submissions from 2020 & 2021, CSULB films represented 12 of the 31 finalists, from 22 of the 23 CSU campuses. CSULB also won three of the awards including   
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY/ CREATIVE NON-FICTION: Target Panic directed by Madeleine    Braun    
  • BEST PROMOTIONAL: Falling (in Love) directed by Cathy Bui    
  • BEST EXPERIMENTAL: Gireogi Appa by So Youn Jeon  *CSU Long Beach, School of Art, Animation 
  • 11 Narrative films and 5 documentary films were selected as finalists for the Newport Beach 2021 Film Festival. In its 22nd season, the Newport Film Festival is widely recognized by Variety and across the film industry.  

 

Documentary Films: 

 

 

Directed by Emily Graham and Jose M. Terrazas 

 

81-year-old Rudy Burrola reflects on the adventures he’s shared with Angela, his wife of 53 years, revealing how much aging has impacted their lives. 

 

 

 

Directed by Madeleine Braun 

 

Former Olympic archer Madeleine Braun delves into the mysterious phenomenon of "target panic", how it wreaked havoc on her own career, and why it is rarely talked about. 

 

 

 

Directed by Jackson Sjogren & Luke Duncan 

 

A 58-mile river stretches through the greater Los Angeles county, bringing with it diverse signs of urban life. 

 

 

  

Directed by Luca Pena 

 

A found footage short documentary that interrupts the idea that gender roles are assigned at birth by remixing archival footage to envision a future in which being trans is not only accepted, but celebrated. 

 

 

 

Directed by Paula Kiley 

 

A whimsical introspection into one of the most inevitable, and taboo, parts of the human condition — death. This animated short explores life’s big questions through conversations about mortality with death doula Adrian Allotey, a woman who guides people at the exit point of their lives.  

 

 

Narrative Films: 

 

 

Directed by Jessenia Blackstone El Massioui 

 

A young woman mourns the memory of her relationship with her brother. The past, present, and future are explored through archival home video, animation, and present-day footage. 

 

 

Directed by Elisabeth Jane Porras 

 

Jane recounts the times she has felt the presence of God. When she’s felt it, and when she’s felt the absence of it. As she questions, the realization of what that feeling actually is becomes clear. It’s been music all along. Jane is now forced to confront her new reality. 

 

 

Serene Place  

 

Directed by Madeline Haggerty 

 

Art student Kalani craves a quiet place to finish her canvas, she decides on the park outside her home. Her anxiety gets the best of her as she tries to hide her unfished work from stranger’s eyes. After being supported by a friend Kalani realizes she is comfortable with her work in progress, despite the people around she is driven to paint. 

 

 

Directed by Ronan Jensen   

 

A collection of different voices ruminate on pre-COVID memories, speaking as one over a mosaic of household images. Part of the CSULB Collegiate Film Block. 

 

 

Directed by Aura Rico 

 

Before visiting her mourning sister, the ghost of Gloria roams a college campus while contemplating mortality. 

 

 

Vermillion 

 

Directed by Shruthi Anand 

 

An artist suffers from a psychological break while painting a self-portrait. 

 

 

Directed by Cathy Bui 

 

A glimpse into a room that was once filled with memories, heart, and love. 

 

 

Directed by Nathalie Johnson 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic altered millions of American lives. When Kerry, an office employee, finds her career upended, change in her life comes with unforeseen redirection. 

 

 

Dirt

 

Directed by Micah Goldfarb 

 

Short collection of images meant to showcase a location of personal importance. Created during Covid-19 quarantine for my Junior thesis at CSULB. 

 

 

Opservans  

 

Directed by Suri Rosete 

 

A short creating an atmosphere and capturing the dream-like quality of a park. The short juxtaposes music, image, and movement to Gove the viewer a better sense of the location. 

 

 

Directed by Hunter Wolfle 

 

As a child, she killed her mother’s bird out of revenge. Years later, Lucy returns to her sister, who is now a hoarder, after their mother dies. Long dormant mental health issues begin to surface until they culminate in a slow-burning breakdown. In a house that feels like a labyrinth, Lucy with her psychosis and her sister with her hoarding only have each other. 

 

Alumni Acceptance to Schools & Programs Post Graduation

  •   Martin Luna ‘19, CSULB alumnus who majored in communications minored in film has been accepted to the USC MFA in Production program beginning Fall 2021.
  •   Cristian Gomez, CSULB alumnus who participated in various film classes and Hamburg exchanges has been accepted into the MA in Film- Critical Studies program at San Francisco State.
  • Nicole Jowett ‘14, CSULB FEA Alumnus and former 3rd place winner in the CSU Media Arts Festival for Miss Virginia has been accepted into the MFA in Television Writing and Producing at Chapman beginning Fall 2021.

  • CSULB Film & Electronic Arts Department became one of the founders of the Green Film School Alliance along with other prominent film schools including American Film Institute (AFI), California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Chapman University, California State University – Northridge (CSUN), Emerson College, Hussian College at LA Center Studios, New York Film Academy (NYFA), New York University (NYU), University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California (USC). The Green Film School Alliance officially launched on August 16th, 2021. Kent Hayward serves as the liaison for FEA. 

  • Helen Hood Scheer received a $1,000 grant along with UFVF faculty member