Films + Art Listings

Film Screenings

Saturday — 10/7 — 12:30-2:30pm

Fleeting Future: Protecting Monarch Butterflies
by Rebecca Lennon and Riley Smith
University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Fleeting Future is a short documentary that discusses the population decline of the Western Monarch Butterflies, exploring some of the potential causes for this decline and the efforts being made by experts and volunteers.

The Hidden Ocean
by Judy Zhao
California Institute of the Arts, USA

A curious young girl discovers Los Angeles's hidden ocean past and the creatures that once inhabited it through fossils buried throughout the city.

HIGH TIDE
by Lilika Leblanc, Nil Didek, Martine Renaux, Phoebe Cassey
Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, France

Blinded by their quest for profit, businessmen ignore climate change and will inevitably suffer the consequences.

Life Beneath Sage
by Chloe M Smith
Colorado State University, USA

In southwestern Wyoming, two field technicians document the nesting lives of songbirds near abundant energy fields—balancing scientific integrity, personal reflection, and the stark reality of a changing national perspective on public lands management.

Lopez Urban Farm
by Isabel Wilder, Carmen Navarrete
Pitzer College, Scripps College, USA

Through a single tree-planting event, the Lopez Urban Farm of Pomona, California explores their ideology of agricultural care, methods of participatory-activism, and thriving alternative community.

No Boundaries
by Arian Tomar
University of Southern California, USA

Friends of the Boundary Waters helps students across Minnesota experience wilderness for the first time by building outdoor skills, providing environmental context, and funding summer expeditions to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

She Measures the Earth
by Ching Yu
University of Saskatchewan, Canada

A short poetic science documentary following four women reshaping who belongs in science through leadership, art, adventure, and mentorship.

The Solace of Artemis
by Ava Mooney
Ulster University, Ireland

Exploring the deep connection between humanity and the natural world

Saturday — 10/7 — 3-5pm

AfterLife
by Fiyin Gambo

After his best friend is accused of terrorism, engineering student Ahmed searches for answers while navigating suspicion, grief, and isolation. As an extremist network exploits his vulnerability, he must confront the danger of losing himself in the search for belonging.

A Beautiful Ugly World
by Svitlana Dyl

When a young Ukrainian girl studies abroad, she learns to accept the ugly world she lives in, to see the beauty inside herself.

Boil That Cabbage Down
by Candace Williamson

After a Black Banjoist learns about the instrument's forgotten history, it launches her on a lyrical journey to reclaim the joy that was lost along the way.

The Day You Find Your Name
by Dominique Draper

At the height of the Black Panther movement, a pregnant Afeni Shakur battles 189 felony charges while forced to defend herself in a trial that could cost her freedom and her unborn child’s future.

Echoes of the Sea
by Zizheng “Boris” Liu

After finding an oil-soaked bird, two students embark on a magical journey that reveals hidden truths beneath the sea and within themselves.

Life Models
by Jean Paulo Lasmar

An intimate portrait of Mika, a breast cancer survivor who redefines beauty and strength by going flat, embracing vulnerability and self-acceptance, and reclaiming her body on her own terms.

Madrugada quebradiza: The Break of Day
by Leonora Anzaldua Burke

Home in LA for winter break, a college freshman struggles with terrors in the aftermath of a campus rape. As her nightmares and flashbacks worsen, she begins questioning her sanity and her future.

Mind the Gap
by Charles Gunn

A young gay man struggles to micromanage the first dinner between his skeptical mother, his conflict-averse father, and his 58-year-old boyfriend, who also happens to be his dad’s boss.

Sunday — 10/8 — 2-4pm

Buckskin
by Mars Verrone
New York University, United States

An experimental portrait of the filmmaker’s grandfather: Carroll B. Williams Jr., a ground-breaking African-American forester, reflecting on his work and legacy in the twilight of his life.

Eating Local
by Robert Drummond
University of Southern California, USA

With so many people talking about the sustainability of eating local, Robert investigates some farms close to USC to put these claims to the test.

Last Chance at Redemption
by Antonio Coelho
University of Southern California, Brazil

Mayans’ Popol Vuh, Spinoza’s God, seven deadly sins, and capitalist panopticism in dialogue in the jungle of Petén, Guatemala.

Lišaja / Lichenlike
by Brina Fekonja
School of Arts University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia

A story of inertia, lichens and fusion.

Lobsteropolis
by James DeLisio
University of Southern California, USA

The California Spiny Lobster does not have claws, leaving it especially vulnerable to exploitation. From commercial fishing vessels to natural history archives, Lobsteropolis silently observes a series of encounters between the California Spiny Lobster and the industries of San Diego, California.

Not All Heroes are Human
by Maya Gomez, Avery Lu
University of Southern California, USA

A short animated story follows a coral using its shape-shifting superpower, morphological plasticity, to adapt to environmental changes, until climate change pushes its abilities to the limit.

Waves of Wisdom
by Lauren Ritchie
University of the Arts London, The Bahamas

On the northernmost island of The Bahamas, elder fishermen, artisans, and environmentalists share their knowledge and vision, inspiring a new generation of ocean stewards to shape the future of their home.

Media Art

You can see the following art on display in the SCA — George Lucas Lobby throughout the festival weekend.

Bajo la Misma Luna
by Brenda Vega Hernandez
University of Southern California, USA

Bajo la Misma Luna is a short video that explores the relationship between the moon, our oceans and the growing effects of climate change on coastal communities. The moon represents the connection we share across cultures and borders, reminding us that we all call the same planet home and have a collective responsibility to protect it.

In Another Life
by Thea Dahl-Pedersen
University of Southern California, USA

This is an 18 × 24-inch watercolor on paper that presents a reversed representation of how we treat the species with which we coexist. Each animal represents the parasitic relationship humans have with its respective species, emphasizing the disconnect between our actions and our perceived right to dominate the animal world.

Resisting Cartography
by Sarah Rose
University of California, San Diego, USA

This work explores the trajectory of mapping and imaging the Antarctic. Cyanotypes of contemporary technologies, like satellite and radar, are printed on paper made from the pulp of over 80 maps from the “Heroic Age” of imperial expedition.

Heartstone
by Yenifer Gallardo Preciado
University of Southern California, USA

Heartstone is a temporary interactive installation inspired by the natural movement of water and the forms it creates in the landscape. Through sculptural elements and seating, the project invites visitors to reflect on the relationship between water, nature, and the future of local water resources.

Single-use
by Chloe Smalls Johnson
University of Southern California, USA

This ceramic sculpture depicts burnt banana tree stem addressing the practice of planting banana trees for fire resistance in LA. By showing the speculative aftermath of this planting, the artist questions the actual sustainability of initiatives that still involve implicit single-use waste.

This is Trash
by Miranda Yee
Pitzer College, USA

Packaging materials collected and scanned, animated to Flight of the Bumblebee. An exploration into the normalization of consumption.

The Tree
by Eva Zhang
University of Southern California, USA

We speak to trees. We rarely wait for an answer.

The Tree invites an encounter unfolding through light and sound. An approach, a pause, a whispered word may shift the light moving through its branches and the surrounding soundscape. The tree answers in its own time, drawing attention to how our bodies enter a place and how a place, in turn, touches us.

Rooted in animism, the work imagines a language briefly shared between human and nonhuman life.

The Tree belongs to The Lab, an ongoing vision of a world where people, nature, and space live together, leave traces, and carry one another’s unfinished creations forward. As AI reshapes work and everyday life, The Lab holds open another possibility: time returned to care, energy given to connection, and creativity continually emerging from life together.

Unlearning the Machine: Rediscovering Nature as a Viable Technology
by Katherine Phail
University of Southern California, USA

As contemporary building practices have become more mechanized, the human connection to craft, material, and the collective act of making has been lost, isolating communities from the very processes that construct their own environments.

Unlearning the Machine proposes an earthen-based plaster that is more earthquake- and fire-resistant than contemporary building materials, positioning natural building as a viable alternative to industrial construction.

The project demonstrates how resilient earthen construction is not only an environmental solution but also a cultural tool that can rebuild both physical infrastructure and community, restoring humanity to the act of making while supporting ecological and disaster resilience.

Velella Velella
by James DeLisio
University of Southern California, USA

A cameraless film in the tradition of Stan Brakhage's Mothlight, which takes celluloid as the medium for an encounter between the moving-image, and the materiality of San Diego's shoreline ecosystems.

Impact Shorts

We asked USC students to submit films with impact driven stories. These films have been curated by the SCA Impact Council student producers. You can watch the films, on loop, in SCA 110 every day of the festival!

Peace of Mind
Written & Directed by Graham Wynn | Produced by Graham Wynn and Joseph An | Cinematography by Joseph An

Runtime: 7:26
Playing: 1:21 PM | 3:31 PM | 5:42 PM | 7:52 PM

Peace of Mind recounts the filmmaker's journey with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), focusing on his experiences undergoing exposure therapy.

Picture Perfect
Directed by Brendan Giang | Written by P.J. Palmer | Cinematography by Aidan Fong

Runtime: 17:50
Playing: 1:03 PM | 3:13 PM | 5:24 PM | 7:35 PM

Picture Perfect confronts the pressure teens feel to perform perfection while quietly absorbing family trauma and unhealthy relationship patterns. Commissioned by the City of Palo Alto and Paly RISE Task Force, it will be shown annually to every incoming Palo Alto High School freshman in PAUSD’s Healthy Relationships & Consent Workshops, giving students a shared, teen-made story for talking about communication, boundaries, and emotional safety.

Mirrors
Written & Directed by Harsimran Sandhu | Cinematography by Connor Tress

Runtime: 20:24
Playing: 1:47 PM | 3:58 PM | 6:08 PM | 8:19 PM

Mirrors seeks to represent stories and voices from the 1984 Sikh Genocide through narrative fiction. |

In The Valley
Written & Directed by Baiwen Xu | Produced by Tingfeng Jimmy Zhu | Cinematography by Yijian Jason Jiang

Runtime: 5:52
Playing: 12:27 PM | 2:38 PM | 4:49 PM | 6:59 PM

In the Valley explores a question that feels increasingly important in today's divided America: who gets to be called American? Through horror and violence, the film reflects on how fear, racism, and political extremism can turn people against one another, and what happens when we stop seeing each other as human.

Hot Comb
Written & Directed by Jada Wanjiku Kamau | Produced by Lina Dabir | Cinematography by Stephen Walsh Jr.

Runtime: 6:01
Playing: 1:41 PM | 3:52 PM | 6:02 PM | 8:13 PM

Hot Comb explores the natural hair journey many Black women experience, shaped by beauty standards that can distance us from what was ours from birth. It celebrates the awakening of embracing our natural hair—from the roots of our heads to the tips of our curls.

God, Homeless and a Smartphone
Written and Directed by Huanan (Neo) Wang | Produced by Lingxue (Luna) Hao and Huanan (Neo) Wang

Runtime: 6:46
Playing: 12:00 PM | 2:10 PM | 4:21 PM | 6:31 PM

Through absurd comedy, God, Homeless and a Smartphone satirizes smartphone addiction, viral culture, and society's tendency to blindly idolize and commercialize whatever captures public attention. The film invites audiences to reflect on how social media shapes our perception of value, identity, and reality.

God Doesn't Love Me
Director: Thomas Miller | Writer: Thomas Miller | Director of Photography: Enrique Gaona Jr.

Runtime: 15:49
Playing: 12:33 PM | 2:44 PM | 4:54 PM | 7:05 PM

God Doesn't Love Me explores the interaction of mental illness and the criminal justice system and asks viewers to confront how their perceptions of people experiencing mental illness shape their views of an individual's guilt or innocence.

6%
Written & Directed by Tamzen Lim | Produced by Tamzen Lim | Cinematography by Tamzen Lim

Runtime: 2:23
Playing: 2:08 PM | 4:18 PM | 6:29 PM | 8:39 PM

6% juxtaposes beautiful natural imagery with intimate representations of women’s sexuality, exploring female pleasure as something equally natural. Inspired by the statistic that only 6% of women’s sexual experiences end in orgasm, the film challenges taboos and misconceptions while encouraging greater openness, awareness, and sexual empowerment.

The Day the Sky Darkened
Written & Directed by Baris Kuzey Yilmaz | Produced by Baris Kuzey Yilmaz

Runtime: 5:18
Playing: 12:22 PM | 2:33 PM | 4:43 PM | 6:54 PM

The Day the Sky Darkened explores the devastating consequences of a mother’s relentless academic pressure on her son, eventually driving him to take his own life. Through the mother’s overwhelming guilt and grief following his death, the film emphasizes the harmful impact of parental pressure on young people’s mental health and the need for empathy, understanding, and emotional support within families.

Sundered
Written & Directed by Joshua Manuel Lopez, Produced by King Cudjoe, Cinematography by Maya Morales

Runtime: 5:58
Playing: 12:49 PM | 3:00 PM | 5:10 PM | 7:21 PM

Writer/Director Joshia Lopez spent five years in the Marine Corps and six months deployed to Iraq, where he saw firsthand how whole generations grow up inside conflicts they didn’t start. Sundered looks at how violence is inherited rather than just witnessed: when a grieving father chooses revenge, his son has to decide whether loyalty means becoming him, and the film asks what it costs a child to break that cycle, and what it costs to keep it.

The Last Song of the Night
Written & Directed by Hanyun Zhang | Cinematography by Harley Cheng

Runtime: 7:44
Playing: 12:55 PM | 3:06 PM | 5:16 PM | 7:27 PM

The Last Song of the Night is a film dedicated to those who have fought battles far from any battlefield. It honors the quiet struggles, unseen wounds, and personal wars fought by those simply trying to survive and find their way forward.

USER
Written & Directed by Eli Rebhun & Ellis Friday | Cinematography by Eli Rebhun & Ellis Friday

Runtime: 13:11
Playing: 1:28 PM | 3:39 PM | 5:49 PM | 8:00 PM

USER explores the growing influence of artificial intelligence on our lives, raising questions about identity, individuality, and the consequences of surrendering human autonomy to technology. Through a dystopian lens, the film challenges audiences to consider what it truly means to be human in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Praise to Prey
Written & Directed by Tuma (Ziyi) Wang | Produced by Vivian Chen | Cinematography by Aaron Wang

Runtime: 6:00
Playing: 1:28 PM | 3:39 PM | 5:49 PM | 8:00 PM

The internet can turn ordinary people into overnight sensations, only to tear them down for being ordinary. As admiration turns to ridicule and public humiliation, one person is left to face the aftermath, lost, helpless, and unable to identify who is responsible.

Honor's Veil
Written & Directed by Lavanya Manikkan | Produced by Shikha Janet Alaagh | Cinematography by Aanya Maskara

Runtime: 9:50
Playing: 12:06 PM | 2:17 PM | 4:27 PM | 6:38 PM

Honor’s Veil draws attention to the more than 3,000 honour killings reported worldwide each year, while exploring how bonded labour and class hierarchies limit people’s freedom in rural India. Through Sakshi and Aaryan’s story, the film invites audiences to confront the human cost of violence committed in the name of family honour.