PBS SoCal Announces 27th Annual Fine Cut Student Filmmaker Winners

Top Winners and Categories at the 27th Annual Fine Cut Festival

The festival recognized emerging talent across several core filmmaking categories. Daniel Simon Zhang of USC won the narrative category for “Stop When Your Ancestors Say So.” Fellow USC student Mia Hagerty secured the documentary prize for “A Good Death.” In the animation category, John Angelo Serrano of the California College of the Arts won for “Bigger Picture.” The evening’s highest honor, the Jack Larson Southern California Student Filmmaker Award, went to Sam Markson of CSUN for “Jewish Moms Scare the Crap Out of Me,” as reported by Variety.

Festival History and Submission Growth

Established in 1996 with participation from just four local schools, Fine Cut stands as PBS SoCal’s longest-running series. The competition expanded significantly for its 27th iteration, drawing more than 430 film submissions representing 53 different schools. Selected films from the festival began airing on PBS SoCal channels this week, with additional streaming options available on the station’s official website.

Prizes, Support, and Industry Mentorship

The event receives core support from the Bridges-Larson Foundation, originally founded by screenwriter, producer, and actor Jack Larson, widely recognized for his role as reporter Jimmy Olsen in the 1950s television series “Superman.” For the fifth year, the awards ceremony was hosted by Variety’s executive editor of television Michael Schneider and senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson.

Winning filmmakers received a $2,500 grant provided by First Entertainment Credit Union. Additional prize contributions included filmmaking rental equipment, production resources, and professional software donated by various entertainment industry partners. PBS SoCal senior director of production Angela Boisvert noted that past participants in the program include notable directors and creators such as Ryan Coogler, Ben Proudfoot, Patricia Cordosa, and Rashida Jones.

Judging responsibilities for this year’s entries were handled by a panel of industry professionals, including animator and director Sofia Alexander, character designer Asia Vigil Ellington, cinematographer Jonathan Furmanski, director Yu Gu, producer Jennifer Kobzik, director Linda Mendoza, director Bethany Rooney, storyboard artist Victor Sampaio, and director Jesús Salvador Treviño.

Upcoming Festival Events and Broadcast Schedule

The festival program extends beyond the awards ceremony, with an annual mentoring workshop scheduled for Sunday at Radford Studio Center for California students. Professional producers, directors, writers, and animators will lead sessions to assist students within their chosen filmmaking tracks.

PBS SoCal’s scheduled broadcasts for the festival selections feature multiple themed blocks:

• Thursday, Sept. 24: Includes “The Successor” (Jacob Gambina, CSUN), “Dog Brain” (Helen Benavidez, CSUF), “Hydra on the Horizon” (Curran Seth, UCSB), “Swimming Lessons” (Meloddy Gao, UCSC), and “Unikid” (Darian Hernandez, CSUF).
• Thursday, Oct. 1: Features “Talk Straight Duda” (Eduardo Maia, USC), “Seagull Coffee” (Yunqing “Sally” Pan, CalArts), “American Daydream” (Ziyu Luo, NYFA), “Sister’s Keeper” (Oliver Thrush, Biola University), and “The Rat Race” (Sarah Jackson, CSULB).
• Thursday, Oct. 8: Showcases “The Unlucky Rabbit” (Shane Hernandez, LMU), “Wilbur & Harold” (Giovanni Edwards, CalArts), “Screenagers” (Angela Suh-Young Kim, UCLA), “Rebound” (Anna O’Donnell, USC), “Bigger Picture” (John Angelo Serrano, California College of the Arts), and “Perfectus” (Regis Iofis, San Jose State University).
• Thursday, Oct. 15: Highlights “Stop When Your Ancestors Say So” (Daniel Simon Zhang, USC) and “From, Farmersville” (Savannah Gasca, CSULB).