(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Apr. 27th, 2010) ―

The public can catch a glimpse of Hollywood’s next generation of movie makers on Wednesday, May 5, at Cal State Northridge’s 20th annual “Senior Film Showcase” at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The showcase, which culminates four years of study for the university’s senior-level film students, is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The screenings will take place in the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre of the academy at 5220 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood.

Cinema and television arts professor Nate Thomas, head of CSUN’s film production option, said the films in the showcase represented the best of Northridge’s program.

“This year’s showcase continues our tradition of award-winning senior films,” Thomas said. “We have a diverse group of filmmakers with diverse stories to tell. Some of the films, like ‘Be Good to Eddie Lee,’ are already creating a buzz. We’ve received several inquiries from middle schools that want to use this important film to help them deal with the timely issue of bullying and respecting others who are different.”

Thomas noted that participants in last year’s showcase won CSU Media Arts Awards and an American Society of Cinematographers Heritage Student Award, and one was a Region I finalist in the Student Academy Awards.

“We expect this year’s crop of films to surpass these accolades,” Thomas said.

The May 5 showcase will honor alum Glenn S. Gainor ’95 (Radio-Television-Film), senior vice president in charge of physical production for Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems. Gainor was executive producer of such recent box office hits “Death at a Funeral,” “Vacancy,” “Prom Night,” “Quarantine” and “Obsessed.” Gainor is the 2009 recipient of the California on Location Signature Award, given in appreciation for his efforts in preserving California’s film industry. His senior film project was featured in the university’s 1995 showcase.

The host of this year’s showcase is comic legend and actor Sinbad, who first caught national attention as a contestant on Star Search in the mid 1980s. He has since emerged as an actor and comedian known for his biting, yet family friendly, commentary on everyday life. He recently starred in his own Comedy Central television special, “Where U Been?” and in the new season of Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”

The five student films to be premiered at the showcase are:

• “Be Good to Eddie Lee,” directed by Kaileigh Martin and based on the popular children’s book. It is the story of a Midwestern girl, Christi, who heads to the local pond to collect frog eggs with her best friend, Jim. They are followed by her neighbor, Eddie Lee, who has Down Syndrome. When Jim threatens Eddie Lee, Christi must make a choice and define the true meaning of friendship.

• “En Tiempo de Guerra,” directed by Brian Prada. During the El Salvador civil war of the 1980s, clashes between the government and rebel militia caught many innocent civilians in the crosshairs. Beto, a university student on the way to visit his girlfriend, is among those stopped at a military checkpoint. Suspected of being a rebel, his future is in jeopardy.

• “Sheeps and Wolves,” directed by Jamie Yukich. The film chronicles what happens when two best friends decide to rob an ex-classmate’s home during his funeral.

• “Onigiri,” directed by Lhennards Acuna. It is the story of Yasuko, a young girl from feudal Japan who dreams of becoming a samurai. Her dreams are crushed by the samurai leader of her village, who deems her “unfit” to learn the samurai way. Inspired by the memories of her late father, an honorable samurai, Yasuko will stop at nothing to be part of Japan’s elite class of warriors.

• “Misdirection,” directed by Doron Kipper. The film explores what happens when Peter, the grandson of a famous magician, Castulo the Magnificent, discovers his grandfather’s greatest secret, which is much more dangerous than he ever imagined.

A reception with live music from The Tim Russ Band will follow the screenings in the academy’s lobby and patio areas.

The evening is sponsored by the CSUN Associated Students Instructionally Related Activities Fund and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

For more information about the showcase, call CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts at (818) 677-3192.