Capstone festival presents screen gems

The World Theater stage on the campus of CSU Monterey Bay will host a stellar selection of student films at this year’s Fall Capstone Festival, scheduled for two public screenings on Dec. 20 in the World Theater. The matinee showing will begin at 1 p.m.; the program repeats at 6 o’clock. Admission is free.

The Capstone Festival event will feature 13 professional-quality film productions spanning genres, including documentary, narrative and experimental works produced by students of CSUMB’s Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department.

The program includes Mattieu Mauthes’ THE TOME, a comedic romp through the daily life of a terminally-underemployed paranormal investigator, and Renee Infelise’s A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT, a short documentary featuring award-winning writer Dustin Lance Black speaking passionately about his politically-charged play “8.”

J. Beau Sandoval’s AGAINST THE ODDS is a compelling drama exploring the tensions between a father and daughter over her right to love whom she chooses, and Matthew DiPietro’s THE PEOPLE WATCHER is a short suburban thriller about a man whose park visits are interrupted by an ominous stranger.

Garrett Collins’ 20 MINUTES offers an unsettling glimpse into a dystopian future where population control occurs by lottery.

Leslie Juarez’s A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS offers an intimate portrait of a local breast cancer assistance group and Safeer Bhombal’s YELLOW PANTHERS documents the little-known history of the Asian American presence in the Black Panther Movement.

Seleena Tesfazgi’s HOW FAR IS HAVEN traces the perilous journey of a young girl’s flight across East African borders en route to the United States, and Carolyn Janis’ gripping drama WEDNESDAY follows another journey in which a mother’s desperate choices on one violent night lead her to escape with her young daughter into an unknown and uncertain future.

Kirsten Clapp’s SKINNY ON THE INSIDE is a serio-comic and poignant tale of female body dysmorphia and courage, and Austin Gavin’s AT EASE, SOLDIER lovingly portrays one of our community’s last family-owned and operated local bars for veterans and those who support them.

Lindsey Wallraff’s documentary GIVEN AWAY FOR LOVE is a powerful and poetic tale of self-discovery told through the voice of an adopted young woman, and Kevin Protz’s animated comedy NIGHT OF THE LIVING FOOD devilishly depicts a world of genetically “enhanced” fruits and vegetables running amuck in the streets.

Please note that some films in the program contain mature language or violence.

The World Theater is located on Sixth Avenue, near the intersection with A Street. Parking is free on the adjacent lot.

For more information, contact Professor Karen Davis of the Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department at kdavis@csumb.edu or 831-582-4396. For disability accommodations, e-mail jbenge@csumb.edu.

The event is co-sponsored by the Monterey Bay Film Society. View a photo gallery of stills from the films. View the campuswide Capstone Festival schedule. Learn more about Teledramatic Arts and Technology at CSUMB.

Image from Kevin Protz's animated comedy Night of the Living Food