The power of films lies in their ability to bring audiences together, whether through singing animals or stories about world wars, there is something in them for everyone. Even more inspiring are films made by students, whose fresh visions and production styles represent the future of cinema. On Sept. 17 at 4 p.m., more than 100 film enthusiasts gathered in the Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre to watch the work and dedication of cinematic arts, film and television production students for the premiere screening of six short thesis films from the Individual Production Workshop and Advanced Production Seminar production classes.

An audience of all ages filled the theater to the brim, buzzing with excitement in anticipation of imaginative and visual mastery. Tino Garcia Gross, a freshman majoring in writing for screen and television, attended the screening with the hopes of learning more about the possibilities of filmmaking, especially at USC.

“It just seemed like a great chance to see, as a freshman, where the track leads,” Garcia Gross said. “I know that they have screenwriting majors do some of the writing for these. I wanted to see where it could all lead for my four years at USC.”

Within the Individual Production Workshop class, students produce their individual works with an emphasis on the creative use of visuals and sound. Advanced Production Seminar allows students to develop individual films under the mentorship of School of Cinematic Arts faculty without University benefits or resources. Through the creative freedom of the students, along with guidance from a mentor, the production students were able to craft 15-to-20-minute short films.

The first film of the evening was “Starting Line,” written and directed by Brenton Bender. “Starting Line” gave a visually professional and sporty start to the screening with a story revolving around two brothers battling for the best place in their high school cross country team. The film stood out for its elegant cinematography, touching storyline; and emphasis on values of fairness, connection, and family.

Following the first film of the night was “I’m Todor. I Mean, Bill,” a quirky and unconventional story written and directed by Madison Leonard. This short film follows Todor, a churchgoing widower, as he attempts to curb his loneliness by visiting an old lady’s house for hand jobs, but ultimately finds himself more interested in these visits than he anticipated.

“I just wanted to tell a story where people do offbeat things, they do things outside of the norm, and just creating a film that feels like […] you can do whatever you want, you can be whoever you want,” Leonard said. “It really came from a lens of wanting a character to be able to radically accept himself and do so through these intimate acts with another person.”

The film features bold scene direction, unique framing, distinctive characters and ornate orchestration of sound. Leonard said there was a reason behind her alternative use of sound, as opposed to music, in her film.

“It’s just what I like […]  I like a lot of sound design,” Leonard said. “I like when sound comments on moments, so it’s like a character.”

The third thesis film of the evening was the powerful story “Anywhere the Wind Blows,” written and directed by Jay Liu. An activist from Hong Kong who recently fled Chinese political persecution is visited by his ex-boyfriend, who poses a possible threat to his journey building a new life in the United States. The film carries strength in its representation of queer desire, the universal experience of a first-generation immigrant and political persecution.

Joy Tam, the production designer of the film, spoke about what the film means to her and why she decided to join the development.

“The film, the script, touches me a lot, so I decided to sign up for this project,” Tam said. “The motif and the topic it talks about really interests me about Hong Kong.”

Starting off the second half of the screening with a more supernatural approach was the short film “The Lights Above,” written and directed by Luke Salewski. The film was inspired by the Great Los Angeles Air Raid that occurred Feb. 25, 1942, months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The heroic story follows an L.A. journalist and a Japanese American photographer as they decipher sightings of unidentified aircraft that could possibly be another attack.

The fifth film of the night was “MIKE,” written and directed by Ɖức Anh Nguyễn. Taking inspiration from his own experiences as an international student, Anh Nguyễn created a modern tale of immigration about a Vietnamese exchange student embarking on his first day of school at an all-white Christian high school in South Dakota.

The screening had reached its end on a note of perseverance with its sixth and final thesis film, “WRESTLE-OFF,” written and directed by Sabatino Ciatti Jr. High schooler and head-strong wrestler Alex grapples with her father’s passing and hostile teammates, but ultimately finds the strength within her to fight on to earn a place on the all-men varsity team.

All six thesis films created an imaginative evening, paving the way for more students and film enthusiasts to embark on their own personal journeys.

“It’s great to have these screenings to inspire new films or new producers, new writers, like myself,” Garcia Gross said. “I came here to be inspired, and I’m feeling really inspired.