NewFilmmakers Los Angeles' Monthly Film Festival December 17th

    LOS ANGELES, CA, December 09, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Concluding 2016, NFMLA invites families to enjoy three fun-filled screening programs dedicated to well crafted family friendly content that will appeal to both children and adults. The fourth short program is a collection of powerful stories from the creative cinematic community of the Middle East. Filmmakers and talent will be in attendance and participating in the audience Q&A led by Danny DeLillo.

Short Program #1

Dust Buddies - directed by Sam Wade and Beth Tomashek
Beth Tomashek is a Character Designer and Visual Development Artist based in Sarasota, FL where she is currently studying Computer Animation at the Ringling College of Art and Design. Sam Wade is a Ringling graduate and has "expert knowledge of the entire animation production pipeline with a special interest in production management, animation, and modeling."

Illegal Move - directed by Sana Srinivasan and Kyle Lopez
The three-minute CG short Illegal Move was written and directed by Sana Srinivasan and Kyle Lopez. Sana is a senior Computer Animation student at Ringling College with a minor in Business of Art and Design. Kyle Lopez a Ringling College Computer Animation graduate with experiences in animation, modeling, lighting, and compositing.

Last Shot - directed by Aemilia Widodo
Up-and coming filmmaker Aemilia Widodo is a senior in Computer Animation at Ringling College. Her thesis film Last Shot was a Finalist for the university's Student Academy Awards. The short tells the story of a girl who, just discovering the joys of photography, ends up breaking her camera by accident.

Rupee Run - directed by Tarun Lak
Filmmaker Tarun Lak is a Computer animation senior at Ringling College based in Sarasota. Originally, he is from Chennai, India. Rupee Run is his senior thesis film and has won the President's award that was honored by the President of Ringling College in 2016.

The Bookworm - directed by Richard Wiley
Richard Wiley is a 2016 Ringling graduate, where he studied Computer Animation. His short The Bookworm was an official selection at the Gold Coast International Film Festival 2016, and the Camelot Films International Film Festival.

The Wish Granter - directed by Echo Wu, Kal Athannassov, and John McDonald
Echo Wu, Kal Athannassov, and John McDonald are Ringling College graduates with a Bachelor degree in Computer Animation. Following her graduation, Echo interned at Blue Sky Studios as a production manager and hopes to one day be a Producer. Kal always knew he wanted to be in animation and is currently a Character Artist at PullString, Inc. John remembers ever since he could hold a pencil that he wanted to be an artist. In the summer of 2015 he interned as a dimensional designer at Walt Disney Imagineering.

The Controller - directed by Bob Yong, Ian Ie, and Kang Yung Ho
Bob Yong, Ian Ie, and Kang Yung Ho worked for 16 months on their short film The Controller. Bob is a Ringling College graduate and "a passionate animator seeking for opportunities to grow and learn in productions ranging from feature films to television ads and video game apps". Ian is currently completing his Bachelor's degree in Computer animation.

Trashunauts - directed by Jack Corpening
Jack Corpening is a Visual Development Artist & Animation Major at the Ringling College of Art + Design and works as 2D/3D Artist at Psyop in Los Angeles: "Strong design occurs in both 2D and 3D. My goal is to make that spark ignite in any dimension through any means." His Specialties include character and environment visual development / concept art.

I Can't Sleep - directed by Cole Montminy
Young filmmaker Cole Montminy's short animation film I Can't Sleep tells the story of an insomnia ridden boy, who is sensorially overwhelmed due to the urban environment that surrounds him.

The Trees of Eden - directed by Dwight Hwang
Dwight Hwang worked fifteen years in the animation industry as a storyboard artist. He is a past winner of a Student Emmy in 1999 with his CalArts Thesis, and his next short was selected to the Official Selection at Cannes (Court Metrage) in 2000. He is currently a recent USC film graduate.

Stars - directed by Han Zhang
Han Zhang graduated from the China Academy of Art with a BFA in 2D Animation and did his MFA at the Academy of Art university. As an animator, Han likes to "explore different visual styles to make his film look pretty".

Short Program #2

Hamburger High - directed by Joe Swanson
Lisa Pizza, a slice of pepperoni pizza, navigates her way through high school. Student Emmy Award-winner Joe Swanson is writer and first-time director. Swanson is NFMLA alumni having shown the short film he wrote in 2011, 'The Maiden and the Princess' at the festival.

Nelson Bixby Takes on the Whole Wide World - directed by Francisco Lorite
Spaniard Francisco Lorite wrote and directed his first film at 14. He appeared in Off-Broadway plays, indie films, and commercials. He also became a member of the Shakespeare Lab at the celebrated Joseph Papp Public Theatre. His shorts won several awards including the prestigious Imagen Award for Best Theatrical Short Film.

Virtual High - directed by Camille Stochitch
Camille Stochitch and Alexander Berman serve as writers and directors. Stochitch won a Student Academy Award for her short Interstate, which was also nominated for a Student BAFTA Award. Berman's short App premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.

Arcanum - directed by Mitchell Gould
In the Arcanum short, a young rock and roller seeks a mystical artifact to save the world from an ancient evil, but the mysterious librarian who owns it has other plans. Up-and-coming filmmaker Mitchell Gould serves as writer and director. Actors Leo Howard, Louis Mandylor, Leah Lewis, and Jason Earles star in this short.

Nu Skool Records - directed by Matthew Pizzano
Inspired by true events, the short was written and executive produced by John Swetnam, who also wrote Step Up All In and Into the Storm. Director Matthew Pizzano's short film Becoming: Bradley Theodore played at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.

How to Catch a Ghost - directed by Chris Scott
Christopher Scott attended Hollywood High School, where he was accepted into the performing arts magnet program. During his four years in the program, he had leading roles in several stage productions and studied various styles of dance, particularly excelling in tap. How to Catch a Ghost is his first short film.

Penelope and the Treehouse - directed by Jonathan Langager
Jonathan Langager is a Student Academy Award winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles. After spending his adolescence painting and playing the piano and majoring in music at Carleton College, he finally moved to Los Angeles to attend USC graduate film school. His films have played at numerous festivals, winning awards at Slamdance, Cleveland International Film Festival, and more. Jonathan has created commercials and animations for brands such as Fresh Step, vitaminwater, and Benjamin Moore.

Short Program #3
Lucy & Bear - directed by Angela Chen
Director/producer Angela Chen's works have screened internationally at the Tribeca Film Festival, SXSW, Austin Film Festival, U.Frame Portugal, and many others.When asked about her objectives in filmmaking, Angela, rooted in both Taiwan and China, stated that she "likes to enlighten the human condition, the paradoxes of cause and effect, and the dynamics of the universe."

Marty: A Wild West Neverland - directed by Vu Hoang
Vũ Thị Hoang My is a Vietnamese beauty queen, athlete, humanitarian activist and a filmmaker. She was a multimedia design student at RMIT University (2011), Saigon South Campus and a BFA in filmmaking student at New York Film Academy. As a filmmaker, she produces both action and documentary features.

Helix - directed by Matthew Merenda
Filmmaker Matthew Merenda attended Ithaca College in New York to be a Cinema Photographer and received the full film school training. "It all started when I was middle school and my parents had an old VHS camcorder and my friends and I started making movies with it." He worked as a storyboard artist on the ad campaigns for The Social Network, Rio, and Disney's Tangled.

The Royal Cake - directed by Sam Marin
Sam Marin is animator and voice actor on Cartoon Network's Regular Show, voicing Benson, Pops and Muscle Man. He graduated from CalArts, and worked at Walt Disney Animation Studios as an animator, working there for three years before Regular Show was greenlit, leaving Disney to work for Cartoon Network.

Short Program #4 - InFocus: Middle Eastern - A transcontinental journey of relevant stories through ancient lands of the middle east

Avo - directed by Golnaz Jamsheed
Director Golnaz Jamsheed was born in San Francisco. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Film from UCLA and was given a scholarship from the London Film School in order to receive her Masters degree in Filmmaking. Through filmmaking, she wants to "create new meaning and beauty by comparing our past and present, making a journey through the history of our country and exploring how things are evolving around us with technology, while we're using the spiritual essence of our culture."

Old Friend - directed by Haider Hazim
Iraqi Haider Hazim is credited as the film's director, writer, producer, editor, and visual effects editor. His first short Old Friend tells the story of Aran, an Iraqi private who narrowly escaped a recent battle. As he is hiding near a house, surrounded by militants, an old friend pops up, bringing new thoughts and emotions. Will that be enough to save him?

Zaar - directed by Ibrahim Nada
Ibrahim Nada is a young Egyptian director with a dystopian view of the world and society. His passion for filmmaking goes beyond transforming worth telling stories into movies. He believes that movies can "shed the light on the shadows of the dark world we live in." His main focus is to challenge the audience with these emotions by creating an experience that keeps them at their toes.

And So Do I - directed by Jana Younes
Jana Younes is a Lebanese filmmaker, choreographer, and dancer. Her work is focused on filming dance and body movement, "I want to do film, I have to dance" Her main work is focused on contemporary jazz, a fusion between the classical jazz and new contemporary techniques. Jana graduated as a filmmaker from the St Joseph University in Beirut. Her work is focused on filming dance. Her short And So Do I is "An exploration of family, love, absence, and hope. This freshly orchestrated film is a journey to the world of movement storytelling."

Expire - directed by Henri Bassil
Dubai-based Filmmaker Henri Bassil has directed commercials for companies including STC, Nissan, BMW, and Porsche. According to his own words, "Expire is my first short film since film school. It tells the story of a young man who goes on a journey of a lifetime."

Security - directed by Neel Kumar
Neel Kumar was born in Calcutta, India. A former copywriter, his works won a fair few international awards. He wrote, shot, and directed a short film about the company that was sent to Saatchi's network offices around the world. He helped set up a film production company based in Dubai, Neel and has since directed and produced commercials and corporate films for clients like Emirates, Land Rover, Toshiba, Samsung, Sharp, Anta Sports and a number of Dubai-based startups.

Located in Downtown LA, South Park Center is the Presenting Venue Sponsor of NewFilmmakers LA film festival. Founded in 2007, NFMLA has screened over 1750+ films from over 69 countries. The organization provides a forum where filmmakers can be recognized with title supporters Sony Pictures Entertainment, SAG-AFTRA and FilmLA.

For information or to reserve tickets to the NewFilmmakers LA December 17th, 2016 Film Festival, please visit http://www.NFMLA.org

# # #