VCU Cinema Presents 'First Cut' Screening of Student Films

By Tom Gresham

The Cinema Program of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts will screen the premieres of a collection of new student films next week on campus.

The “First Cut” program, a selection of six films shot during the Cinema Program’s summer intensive session, will feature screenings on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Grace Street Theatre, 934 W. Grace St. The screenings are free and open to the public.

Industry professionals will judge the films and present awards following the 7 p.m. screenings.

The films include:

• “Laila,” directed by Duy Nguyen, produced by Gerhard Stiene. Illegally in the United States and trapped in a polygamous marriage, Laila, a Moroccan immigrant, struggles to raise her son in America. Her courage compels her to reach out for help. (Running time: 19:36)
• “The Bind,” directed by Daniel Schofield, produced by Bryan Burns and Leigh Rawls. Ricky is tied up and blindfolded in the bathroom of a remote hunting cabin. Outside the door is a man who might just kill him. (17:59)
• “The First Stone,” directed by Danny Caporaletti, produced by Ana Lucia Figueroa and Alee Sproles. A man who has lived a turbulent life attempts to adjust to the vicissitudes of fate and his fears after a recent release from prison. (12:50)
• “Trigg County,” directed by Dylan Frayser, produced by Gordon Whiteway and Will Mattimoe. When Gary is released from a 20-year stint in prison, he hopes to find redemption and his son. Instead he finds the one man who can keep him from both. (16:28)
• “A Promise,” directed by Olivia Brackwell, produced by Ana Lucia Figueroa and Autumn Dea. Two sisters, Claire and Jess, set out on a road trip to fulfill their father’s dying wish and find the woman he once loved. The sisters discover their friendship needs mending. (17:49)
• “My Father, the Dagger,” directed by Chandler Honeycut, produced by Amy Fox and Eliot Hagen. A child trapped in a carnival fantasy about his father attempts to reconcile himself with his mother’s wholesome country world. (10:50)

For more information, contact the Cinema Program at 804-828-2787 or cinema@vcu.edu.