Two Chapman Shorts Account for Half of the Films Accepted from the United States.

Films from two of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts students will be showcased at the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Rick Curnutt’s Free Lunch and Kevin Acevedo’s The Last Page were accepted into the international competition and represent half of the accepted entries from the United States. The annual Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, which takes place January 30-February 7, 2009, is one of the most prestigious showcases for short films in the world.

“We are honored that Dodge students have been recognized by the premier short film festival in the world. Having not only one, but two films accepted from the United States is a true testament to the extraordinary caliber of our students,” says Dean Robert Bassett.

Co-written and directed by Rick Curnutt (M.F.A., Film Production ‘08), Free Lunch centers around Walter Tanner Jr, a privileged youth who sets off on the road to the American dream in a lunch truck. As he serves the working people of L.A., Walter struggles with the realities of business and being a fish out of water.

The Last Page, co-written and directed by Kevin Acevedo (M.F.A., Film Production ‘08), deals with a screenwriter suffering from writer’s block. Taking a break from the screenplay he’s been working on forever, the writer embarks on a typical coffee break that unexpectedly turns into a nightmarish day from hell, providing him with all the inspiration he needs to finish his script.

For the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, 76 short films from 51 countries were selected from thousands of submissions.

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ABOUT DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM
Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, home to 1,100 students, is comprised of the Sodaro-Pankey Undergraduate School of Media, offering undergraduate degrees in film production, screenwriting, public relations and advertising, film studies, digital arts, and television and broadcast journalism; the Conservatory of Motion Pictures, offering graduate degrees in film production, film and television producing, screenwriting, production design and film studies. Marion Knott Studios, the $42-million, 76,000-square-foot home of the Dodge College, opened in fall 2006.

Press Contact: Misty Espinoza
Rogers & Cowan
310 854 8145
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