Students Category

Cross-Collegiate Collaboration: Justin Lerner and Katharine O’Brien

Lerner, MFA at UCLA film school, and O’Brien, MFA at Columbia film school, talk about their collaboration on a screenplay and resolving their differences.

January 30, 2008

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Oscar Alvarez on his Slamdance film, “Broken English”

UCLA MFA film student talks about his film, “Broken English,” at the Slamdance Film Festival, which happens at the same time as Sundance in Park City, Utah.

January 25, 2008

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The UCLA Party in Pictures

(L to R) During the UCLA at Sundance Party, on January 21st at Cafe Terigo in Park City, Utah were writer/director Oscar Alvarez MFA ‘09, writer/director Bryan Jackson MFA ‘01 and Motorola executive John Hallman.

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January 21, 2008

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Oscar Alvarez, UCLA student

Director Oscar Alvarez’s first film “Broken English,” is screening before a feature during the Slamdance Film Festival. The work is up for a Grand Jury Prize, Short Narrative award. Raised in Inglewood surrounded by poverty and violence, Alvarez knew since the first grade that he wanted to tell stories through moving images. His 10-minute film is a true story about a Venice High School student who is denied his spot in an AP Biology class. For more on Alvarez and the film, visit his web site.

Update: Video interview now online.

Related coverage: Daily Bruin

January 21, 2008

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Justin Lerner, UCLA student, on collaboration

Justin Lerner and Katharine O'Brien

Justin Lerner, MFA directing student, is visiting Sundance in support of his fellow Bruin filmmakers and hoping to make a deal to produce his latest feature-length script. Working with Endeavor on his career strategy, Lerner was schmoozing at the agency’s party Friday night.

Lerner is knee deep in the festival circuit screening his UCLA Spotlight Award-winning thesis film, “The Replacement Child.” After showing the dramatic short at Telluride, Florida, Santa Fe and Torino Festivals, the director is headed to the Santa Barbara Film Festival just days after he returns home to L.A. from Park City.

His newest screenplay is a family tragic comedy about the inheritance of a grudge. He collaborated on the script with Katharine O’Brien, a graduate student at Columbia, whom he met while they were both writing story coverage at The Weinstein Company. Lerner says collaborating “boosts the level of professionalism while writing a screenplay.” Lerner is not shy about collaborating with other film school students. Working on his thesis were filmmakers from Columbia, NYU and USC.

Update: Video interview, with Lerner and Katharine O’Brien, is now online.

January 21, 2008

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Robert Rosen, UCLA dean

January 20, 2008

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Sundance welcomes several Bruins

SUNDANCE STAFF

  • Geoff Gilmore MFA ‘79, director
  • Caroline Libresco MFA ‘01, senior programmer
  • John Nein MFA ‘07, programmer
  • Juli Kang MFA ‘07, assistant, Feature Film Program International
  • Rosie Wong ‘03, manager, Sundance Industry Office

SUNDANCE FILMS

Salt Lake City Gala

  • ‘The Great Buck Howard,’ directed by Sean McGinley, co-stars Dean’s Advisory Board Member Tom Hanks and George Takai ‘60, MA ‘64.

    Fri. January 18, 6:30pm, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, SLC
    Fri. January 18, 9:30pm, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, SLC
    Sat. January 19, 3:15pm, Eccles Theatre, Park City
    Sun. January 20, 6:30pm, Peery’s Egyptian Theater, Ogden
    Sun. January 20, 11:30pm, Library Center Theatre, Park City
    Mon. January 21, 9:00pm, Screening Room, Sundance Resort

Premieres

  • ‘Be Kind Rewind,’ written and directed by Michel Gondry, stars alumnus Jack Black.

    Sun. January 20, 3:15pm, Eccles Theatre, Park City
    Mon. January 21, 8:30am, Library Center Theatre, Park City
    Tue. January 22, 9:30pm, Redstone Cinemas, Kimball Junction
    Thu. January 24, 6:30pm, Peery’s Egyptian Theater, Ogden
    Sat. January 26, 9:00pm, Tower Theatre, SLC

  • ‘Death in Love,’ written and directed by Boaz Yakin, co-stars Adam Brody ‘05.

    Tue. January 22, 6:15pm, Eccles Theatre, Park City
    Wed. January 23, 11:30am, Library Center Theatre, Park City
    Fri. January 25, 9:00pm, Screening Room, Sundance Resort
    Sat. January 26, 4:30pm, Broadway Centre Cinemas VI, SLC

  • ‘Towelhead,’ written and directed by Alan Ball, co-stars Larry Cedar ‘76, MFA ‘78.

    Sat. January 19, 9:00pm, Broadway Centre Cinemas IV, SLC
    Thu. January 24, 9:30pm, Eccles Theatre, Park City
    Fri. January 25, 8:30am, Prospector Square Theatre, Park City

Independent Film Competition: Dramatic

  • ‘Downloading Nancy,’ directed by Johan Renck, co-stars Visiting Professor Amy Brenneman.

    Mon. January 21, 11:30am, Racquet Club, Park City
    Tue. January 22, 5:30pm, Racquet Club, Park City
    Wed. January 23, 8:30am, Library Center Theatre, Park City
    Thu. January 24, 6:00pm, Tower Theatre, SLC
    Fri. January 25, 3:15pm, Eccles Theatre, Park City

Independent Film Competition: Documentary

  • ‘Fields of Fuel’ was photographed by James Mulryan ‘81.

    Mon. January 21, 11:30am, Prospector Square Theatre, Park City
    Tue. January 22, 9:30pm, Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City
    Thu. January 24, 3:15pm, Holiday Village Cinema III, Park City
    Fri. January 25, 6:45pm, Broadway Centre Cinemas V, SLC
    Sat. January 26, 10:00am, Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City

  • ‘Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson,’ was directed by alum Alex Gibney.

    Sun. January 20, 2:30pm, Library Center Theatre, Park City
    Mon. January 21, 9:15pm, Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City
    Thu. January 24, 2:30pm, Holiday Village Cinema II, Park City
    Fri. January 25, 10:00am, Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City
    Fri. January 25, 9:30pm, Redstone Cinemas, Kimball Junction

Shorts Program

  • Tadashi Nakamura’s ‘Pilgrimage’ is a production of the Center for EthnoCommunications of the Asian American Studies Center, whose director is Robert Nakamura MFA ‘75, UCLA’s Japanese American Alumni Professor of Japanese American Studies.

    Fri. January 18, 8:30am, Prospector Square Theatre, Park City
    Fri. January 18, 10:30pm, Broadway Centre Cinemas VI, SLC
    Sat. January 19, 12:15pm, Holiday Village Cinema III, Park City
    Mon. January 21, 5:30pm, Prospector Square Theatre, Park City
    Sat. January 26, 5:30pm, Library Center Theatre, Park City

New Frontier

  • ‘Reversion’ was written, directed and co-produced by Mia Trachinger ‘91, MFA ‘02. Other Bruins associated with the project include Rebecca Sonnenshine ‘93, producer, Ulrich Schwarz MFA ‘06, co-producer, Patti Lee ‘88, director of photography, Mischa Livingstone ‘97, MFA ‘99, editor, and Jonathan Snipes ‘05, MFA ‘08, music composer.

    Fri. January 18, 9:00am, Egyptian Theatre, Park City
    Sun. January 20, 9:00pm, Tower Theatre, SLC
    Tue. January 22, 9:00pm, Holiday Village Cinema III, Park City
    Sat. January 26, 3:00pm, Egyptian Theatre, Park City

Spectrum

  • Mark Adler ‘77 composed the music for Randall Miller’s ‘Bottle Shock,’ a fact-based comedy about the California wine trade.

    Fri. January 18, 8:30pm, Library Center Theatre, Park City
    Sat. January 19, 6:00pm, Broadway Centre Cinemas IV, SLC
    Mon. January 21, 11:30pm, Holiday Village Cinema II, Park City
    Fri. January 25, Noon, Egyptian Theatre, Park City
    Sat. January 26, 6:30pm, Redstone Cinemas, Kimball Junction

  • ‘Quid Pro Quo,’ written and directed by Carlos Brooks, was produced by Dean’s Alumni Council Member Sarah Pillsbury ‘76.

    Sun. January 20, 5:30pm, Library Center Theatre, Park City
    Mon. January 21, 11:30am, Holiday Village Cinema II, Park City
    Fri. January 25, 8:30pm, Prospector Square Theatre, Park City
    Sat. January 26, 7:30pm, Broadway Centre Cinemas VI, SLC

Spectrum Documentary Spotlight

  • Alumnus Sacha Gervasi directed ‘Anvil! The True Story of Anvil’.

    Fri. January 18, 5:30pm, Library Center Theatre, Park City
    Sat. January 19, 9:00pm, Tower Theatre, SLC
    Sun. January 20, Noon, Egyptian Theatre, Park City
    Sat. January 26, Midnight, Egyptian Theatre, Park City

Park City at Midnight

  • Lisa Wiegand MFA ‘98 was the director of photography on Ari Gold’s film industry satire ‘Adventures of Power’.

    Sun. January 20, Midnight, Egyptian Theatre, Park City
    Mon. January 21, 2:30pm, Holiday Village Cinema II, Park City
    Thu. January 24, 9:00pm, Tower Theatre, SLC
    Sat. January 26, 11:45pm, Holiday Village Cinema III, Park City

For more, see the Sundance Film Festival 2008 site.

SLAMDANCE

  • The short film ‘Softly’ was written and directed by Bryan Jackson MFA ‘01. It was shot by Quyen Tran MFA ‘07; Brian Crano ‘01 was an associate producer and Angie Pop MFA ‘07 was key grip.

    Sat. January 19, 4:30pm, Treasure Mountain Inn (playing with “Shorts Block 5″)
    Thu. January 24, 11:00am, Treasure Mountain Inn (playing with “Shorts Block 5″)

  • ‘Broken English,’ written and directed by Oscar Alvarez MFA ‘09, was one of only 10 narrative short films out of 60 chosen to screen in front of a feature film, ‘The Project’ by Ryan Piotrowicz.

    Mon. January 21, 12:30pm, Treasure Mountain Inn (playing with “The Project”)
    Wed. January 23, 7:00pm, Treasure Mountain Inn (playing with “The Project”)

For more, see the Slamdance Film Fest site.

January 17, 2008

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