The Ray Stark Family Theatre was abuzz Thursday night as the School of Cinematic Arts’ Office of Industry Relations gathered together students, industry partners, alumni and faculty for another memorable evening of the First Look Awards ceremony. The annual First Look Awards commemorate and recognize the talented filmmakers at SCA who are shaping tomorrow’s cinematic landscape.

First Look is the culmination of outstanding achievement for students at SCA. It is a primer for their coming career and a stepping stone toward award circuit culture in Hollywood among the ranks of the Academy Awards, The Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, to name a few. Not only is it preparation for receiving cinematic honors, but more importantly, it is a celebration of collaboration and artistic valiance within the visual medium at USC.

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Students’ coursework eligible to enter included graduate and undergraduate films from classes such as “Advanced Production,” “Narrative Thesis” and “Advanced Documentary Production.” From film and television production to animation and documentary, the festival offered a glimpse at the breadth of advanced filmmaking happening at SCA, spanning multiple mediums and exploring a vast array of genres.

The evening began with a red carpet outside the SCA courtyard, greeted by photographers, panelists and a colorful presentation of film posters nominated for the First Look Awards. Each guest received an illustrious program pamphlet with information on all the nominations, jurors, panelists and industry relations faculty responsible for making this happen. While attendees and nominees trickled in, the anticipation grew to a healthy boil as the room swelled with an electric undercurrent of nervous energy coursing through the air.

Luke Salewski, a recent alum of SCA’s Master of Fine Arts program in film and television production, wrote and directed “The Lights Above,” a fictionalized story inspired by the “Great LA Air Raid” of Feb. 25, 1942. After discovering a series of strange sightings of unidentified aircraft above Los Angeles, a journalist reluctantly joins forces with a Japanese American photographer to unravel the mystery surrounding the phenomenon. Nominated in the drama category, “The Lights Above” garnered the Industry Award for Best Editing.

“A big part of [First Look] is the school taking time to honor the hard work that has been put into the advanced projects,” Salewski said. “It is astounding to me how many advanced projects come through USC every year — every semester, really — and just the level of expertise and creativity put into them.”

Participating First Look films are included in Industry Award categories such as animation, comedy, drama, documentary, social change and genre. In addition to the Industry Awards, students are qualified for nominations in the Faculty Awards which include recognition for Outstanding Directing, Editing, Producing, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography (Narrative) and Cinematography (Documentary).

Charlie McCollum, an alum from the film and television production program who worked on the First Look-nominated films “Sultana” and “Clowning Time,” said having the First Look festival on USC’s campus made the event more accessible and delightful. 

“[The location] made it feel like a school event in the best way possible,” McCollum said. “I love the presentation. I love the trailers of all of the projects. It felt like a celebration, which is what this event is for. I went in with no expectations and had a great time.”

Millie Y. Xu, a writer-director and recent alum of the MFA program for television and film production, won awards for Outstanding Cinematography (Narrative) and Best Genre Film for her riveting psychological horror short, “THE VISIT.”

“I think it’s good proof that our experiences of working on [“THE VISIT”] was worth the effort, all the hardships and difficult times I had to overcome and just a rewarding moment for me and my crew,” Xu said.

In addition to two Industry Award wins, “THE VISIT” also took home the grand prize Focus Features Best Film Award, which will open doors and propel Xu to further success as she endeavors into her professional career in the film industry.

After the ceremony concluded, attendees converged in the SCA courtyard for a reception and gala complete with food, drinks and convivial connections.

First Look Awards was a successful and amazing ceremony celebrating the achievements of student work produced at SCA who are paving the way for how we experience the entertainment of tomorrow. First Look 2024 Industry Award winners included “Lift Off” for Best Animation, “Start Them Young” for Best Comedy, “A Hand To Hold” for Best Documentary, “Donut Boy” for Best Drama, “THE VISIT” for Best Genre and “Califoreclosed” for Best Social Change.

Gabe Udofia, an alum of SCA’s screenwriting program, said the First Look festival embodies the spirit of USC’s film program.

“Tonight was a great night for Trojans who are part of the filmmaking community,” Udofia said. “[The First Look festival is] really something I think every Trojan who is a part of the USC film program, or, in general, part of the USC campus, needs to be part of. It’d be awesome one day for this to really be a centerpiece of what it is to be a USC film student.”