Film School Shorts Season 2 Fact Sheet

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Series title:	Film School Shorts
Season length:	Ten 30-minute episodes
Series description:	Film School Shorts is a national weekly public television series that showcases the best short student films from across the country. The second season will feature award– winning films from schools across the country, including CalArts, USC and NYU. Accolades include three Student Academy Award winners and honors from major film festivals including Toronto International and Sundance. One of the featured films, Short Term 12, has been developed into a feature-length movie.
Website:	kqed.org/fss
Production:	Film School Shorts is a national production of KQED. The series producer is Lisa Landi and the associate producer is Bobbak Sabet. KQED’s Vice President, Television Content is Michael Isip and the executive producer is Scott Dwyer.
Production:	Film School Shorts is made possible by a grant from Maurice Kanbar and by the members of KQED.

KQED Public Television, the PBS affiliate that serves Northern California, is one of the country’s most popular public television stations. It brings the values of public media to homes around the Bay Area with Emmy Award–winning programming that inspires, informs and entertains, including Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey, Masterpiece Classic: Sherlock Holmes, American Masters, Great Performances, NOVA and Nature. KQED provides the best in independent film, including POV, Independent Lens, Film School Shorts, Truly CA: Our State, Our Stories, and ImageMakers. KQED Public Television produces local series like Check, Please! Bay Area, KQED NEWSROOM, San Francisco Opera and ImageMakers, as well as popular programs for national broadcast such as Essential Pépin, and QUEST. KQED Public Television also distributes programming to public media stations across the country including The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, Roadtrip Nation and Joanne Weir’s Cooking School. For more information, please visit kqed.org/tv.

SEASON 2 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS

Monday, April 7, 2014, at 7:30pm
TOGETHER ALONE
Sometimes, moving on requires a confrontation — with yourself.

Will by Eusong Lee (CalArts)
On 9/11, a young girl wishes she could go back in time. Winner of a Student Academy Award.

Under by Mark Raso (Columbia)
A recovering drug addict and her fiancé journey to a remote country cabin so she can get clean. Winner of a Student Academy Award.

Monday, April 14, 2014, at 7:30pm
THIS PERFECT WORLD
When mother’s away, how will the children play?

Short Term 12 by Destin Cretton (San Diego State)
One eventful day at a group home for at-risk adolescents turns into a personal journey for the head counselor. The short was adapted into a feature film.

Dia de los Muertos by Ashley Graham, Kate Reynolds and Lindsey St. Pierre (Ringling College of Art and Design)
A little girl experiences the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead in the land of the dead with the help of someone very special to her. Winner of a Student Academy Award.

Monday, April 21, 2014, at 7:30pm
HOLY HIPSTER
What separates piety and pleasure?

Duvid by Chelsea Rebecca (University of Michigan)
Pressured by his Satmar Hasidic community to settle down and start a family, Duvid Stern decides to experiment with the world of underground electronic music and psychedelic drugs.

Monday, April 28, 2014, at 7:30pm
THE CAKE IS A LIE
Sometimes, there is no gold at the end of the rainbow.

Springtime by Erica Liu (NYU)
In search of her “springtime,” an 86-year-old pork sungmaker quits her shop in rural Taiwan to head to the big city.

Doubles with Slight Pepper by Ian Harnarine (NYU)
Despite their strained relationship, a young Trinidad street-vendor must decide if he will help save his estranged father’s life.

Monday, May 5, 2014, at 7:30pm
BIG CITY BLUES
A big city can be a confusing place.

Priceless Things by Sarah-Violet Bliss (NYU)
When a piece of jewelry goes missing in a salon in Brooklyn, a recently engaged couple suspect the immigrant employees know more than they admit.

I Am John Wayne by Christina Choe (Columbia)
In New York City, an urban cowboy avoids going to his friend’s funeral.

Monday, May 12, 2014, at 7:30pm
SUGAR & SPICE
Two deliciously dark films turn the tables on the hunter.

Penny Dreadful by Shane Atkinson (Columbia)
A novice crook kidnaps the wrong girl…and learns the hard way that you don’t mess with Penny.

Delicacy by Jason Mann (Columbia)
A culinary connoisseur and an expert chef go on a hunt for a rare animal.

Monday, May 19, 2014, at 7:30pm
LIFE DURING WARTIME
During wartime, chaos is not limited to the battlefield.

They Also Serve by Michael Meehan (CalArts)
A mother’s nerves start to fray as she waits for her soldier son to arrive home for his welcoming party.

Road to Peshawar by Hammad Rizvi (University of Texas)
During the Soviet-Afghan War, a father leads his injured daughter through the treacherous Peshawar Pass. In a literal minefield, her fate becomes linked to that of a Soviet sniper.

Monday, May 26, 2014, at 7:30pm
DADDY DEAREST
Under duress, children form their own independent paths.

First Match by Olivia Newman (Columbia)
Fourteen-year-old Mo is the only girl on an all-boy wrestling team. Despite her practice and training, her first high school wrestling match introduces a new challenge.

Efrain by Matthew Breault (USC)
Ten-year-old Efrain’s father teaches him never to steal, but the lesson comes at a price on the charged Mexican border.

PLEASE NOTE: In June, the series switches to Thursdays, at 7:30pm.

Thursday, June 19, 2014, at 7:30pm
WHEN WE WERE YOUNG
Growing up is always harder than expected.

Blue Boy by Alex Jablonski (UCLA)
Credited with saving a kid’s life, a teenage lifeguard decides to act on his romantic obsession with a gorgeous country club wife.

Bombshell by Erin Sanger (NYU)
All Daisy wants to do is be one of the boys, but when she tags along with her brother and his troublesome friends, she realizes where her heart really lies.

Thursday, June 26, 2014, at 7:30pm
INTO THE DARK
Can your executioner help you accept your fate?

A Better Place Than This by Daniel Grove (USC)
An executioner on Singapore’s death row tries to help a young convict accept her fate, even though it means facing his own demons.