Highlights of the fourth-year films to be screened follow. Titles and line-up are subject to change.

Fourth-Year Films

AMERICAN DREAM

After quitting his job because of unfair treatment, a young Mexican American is torn between doing the right thing in his pursuit of the American Dream.

Producer: Shakim Coleman

Director: Martin Aguilar

Screenwriter: Aaron Smith

Editor: Andrew Brzozowski

Production Designer: Stephanie Redding

Cinematographer: Will Elder

Composer: Ulung Tanoto

BAYOU BLUES
When a Cajun musician’s magic accordion is stolen by a greedy businessman, he and his estranged grandson must confront the supernatural realm that is unwittingly unleashed upon our own world.
Note: This is the first film produced at UNCSA to combine live-action and animation elements. Second-year animation students participated in the production of this film.

Producer: Josh Dove

Director/Screenwriter: Nathan Connelly

Editor: Ben Morris

Production Designer: Sam Ogden

Cinematographer: Eric Androvich

THE GRAVY FARMER’S CURSE

Synopsis not available.

Producer: Aaron Smith

Director: Sergio Fernandez

Screenwriter: Stevi Dinizio

Editor: Robert Ellison

Production Designer: Dee Blackburn

Cinematographer: Danny Green

Composer: Nick Melton

IRMA AND THE YETI

An unlikely encounter between a lost school boy and a disgruntled elderly worker sparks a connection that takes both by surprise.
Producer: Sean Francis

Director: Robert Crain

Screenwriter: Gabriel Russo

Editor: Daniel Hansen

Production Designer: Rachel Qualliotine

Cinematographer: Spencer Goodall

Composer: James Niles-Joyal

THE MARTYR
A man gets involved in a terrorist conspiracy in order to save his family from poverty.

Producer: Alexander M. Roth

Director: Jesse Terrell

Screenwriter: Vera Herbert

Editor: Prema Burnside

Production Designer: Cara Rhodes

Costume Designer: Jessica Procopio

Cinematographer: Eli Wallace-Johansson

Composer: Nick Melton

THE MINUS TOUCH

When John is at the end of his rope and begins to seek answers to a mediocre life, he stumbles upon Kierkegaard’s “Either Or,” which leads him on an existential path of loss and discovery.

Producer: Fred Espinosa

Director: Rob Sterling

Screenwriters: Matt Gomez and Ian McClerin

Editor: Jesse Andrus

Production Designer: James Burns

Cinematographer: Josh Quick

Composer: Nick Melton

THE NIGHTMARE HOUR

A college student gets sucked into an episode of “The Nightmare Hour” and the horror begins.

Producer: David Misterek

Director: Priscilla Anany-Williams

Screenwriter: Crystal Williams-Brown

Editor: Zach Kashkett

Production Designer: Sarah Megyesy

Cinematographer: Trevor Metscher

Composer: Ulung Tanoto

ZOMROMCOM: THE MUSICAL!

A deadly serious love story.

Producer: John Eric Capps

Director: Messiah Amaram

Screenwriter: Vera Herbert

Editor: Eric Barker

Production Designer: Sam Ogden

Cinematographer: Drew Valenti

Composer: Leo Hurley

MMA

(A documentary about Mixed Martial Arts)

DAYS of preparation...  HOURS of training...  In exchange for 3 MINUTES...
Producer/Director: Jordan Laney

(Line) Producer/UPM: Alease Rowan

Editor: Max King

Highlights of the third-year films to be screened follow. Titles and line-up are subject to change. In some instances, information is unavailable.

THIRD-YEAR FILMS

BIRTHDAY PSALM

Cody is an outsider at an older boy’s birthday party, but when he tries to make friends he inadvertently threatens the birthday boy.

Producer: Joseph Poach

Director: Zach Laws

Editor: Kyle Meyers

Cinematographer: Grace Preller Chambers

CHANGE MACHINE
When Thomas stumbles upon a machine that has the power to "change" things (cats to lions, cars to fighter jets, people to hot dogs), he discovers that reality isn't quite what he imagined.
Producer: John Navarro
Director: Raven Bradley
Screenwriter: Noah Smith
Editor: Gen Liu
Production Designer Lauren Coffey
Cinematographer: Robbie Cline 

THE SEVERE PSYCHOSIS OF A MUSICLESS MAN
The father to an unstable family must choose between the television and the music in his head if he is to keep his sanity.
Producer: Dylan Gravley
Director: Ian McClerin
Screenwriter: Matthew Gomez
Editor: Matthew Gorbachov
Production Designer: Tayler Sommers
Cinematographer: Daniel Satinoff

THE BELLS OF FRANKENBERG
It is Spring 1945, in Frankenberg, Germany, and an American soldier is forced to choose between honoring his country and honoring his heart.
Producer/Co-Screenwriter: Julie Pechanek
Director: Zach Strum
Co-Screenwriter: Dylan Zola
Editor: Marcus Gonzalez
Production Designer: John Navarro
Cinematographer: Ronnie Nelson
Composer: Austin Smith

MODEL AIRPLANE
Producer: Cameron Abdo
Director: Gerik Gooch
Screenwriter: Brandon White
Editor: Christopher Kingery
Cinematographer: Adam Meadows

DON’T PANIC
Nine-year-old Jack and his overactive imagination long for adventure. After seeing a television show that details the end of the world, Jack carries out a plan to save both himself and Emily, the girl next door. DON’T PANIC is set in the 1950s.
Producers: John Harvey and Chelsea O’Shea
Director: Lindsay Thompson
Screenwriter: Daniel Parra
Editor: Hannah Smith
Production Designer: Brooke Robbins
Cinematographer: Dylan Zola
Composer: Carol Khouli

THE WATCH
Producer: Mariangelica Velasquez
Director: Zach Coker
Screenwriter: Blake Engel
Editor: Drew Johnson
Production Designer: Sam Ogden
Cinematographer: Devin Forbes

THE UNIVERSE AND YOU
Producer: Michael Fry
Director: Quentin Norris
Screenwriter: Stephanie Dinizio
Editor: Sean Butler
Cinematographer: Brittni Moore

NEEDLES
Producer: Meghan Cirillo
Director: Gerry Gibson
Screenwriter: Jack Pennington
Editor: Rachel Fowler
Production Designer: Sarah Megysey
Cinematographer: Aaron Gantt

FILE: ANNA
The story of your normal, everyday, average, possessed teen-age girl.
Producer: Alexa Reass
Director: Shannon Jones
Screenwriter: Nathan Glenn Fennell II with Dialogue Revisions by Crystal Williams-Brown
Editor: Zachery Kashkett
Production Designer: Cara Rhoads
Cinematographer: Brandon Clark
Director: Shannon Jones
Composer: Austin Smith 

LIKE MELANCHOLY FOR JOY
A brother's resentment towards his sister's decision-making deteriorates her personal relationship.
Producer: Nicholas Hoisington
Director/screenwriter: Edward Varnie
Editor: Justin Sale
Production Designer: Sam Shumway
Cinematographer: Daniel Satinoff
Composer: Carol Khaouli

NIGHT RITUAL
Director/screenwriter: Crystal Williams Brown
Editor: Kyle Meyers
Cinematographer: Dylan Zola

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972. More than 1,100 students from high school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. UNCSA is the state’s only public arts conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented students in the performing, visual and moving image arts. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu.

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