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Announcing NXTUP Fest 2024: A Celebration of Emerging Filmmakers!

Get ready to be captivated by the talents of tomorrow at the upcoming NXTUP Fest 2024 Live Show, presented by the Academy of Art University’s Schools of Entertainment. Join us virtually on Friday, May 9th, 2024, at 7:00 pm Pacific for an evening filled with exceptional student films and creative storytelling.

Hosted by the Oscar-winning Jana Sue Memel, Executive Vice President of the Schools of Entertainment, and Randy Levinson, Director of the Schools of Entertainment, NXTUP Fest is a showcase of excellence in creating and producing moving images. This event highlights the incredible work of students from the School of Motion Pictures & Television, Acting, and Writing for Film, Television & Digital Media.

Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker, actor, writer, or simply passionate about the entertainment industry, NXTUP Fest promises an unforgettable experience. 

Famed presenters and judges include Albie Hecht (Former president of Nickelodeon and producer of the SpongeBob SquarePants movie), Pat Resnick (Producer of 9 to 5 and Mad Men), Liz Glotzer (Producer of Friends with Benefits and The Mist), Mary Lou Belli (Director of True Lies and Wizards of Waverly Place), Ariel Schulman (Writer and Producer of Catfish: The TV Show), Jeff Valdez (Executive Producer of The Garcias), Charles Minsky (Cinematographer for Pretty Woman & Director of Photography for Princess Diaries 2), Bob Bronow (Re-recording Mixer for Love is Blind and Perfect Match), Matt Brady (Actor & Special Effects for The Bear and Actor in Saturday Night Live), and so many more!

Now, without further ado, the moment you have all been reading to this point for… Your NXTUP Fest nominees are:

nxtup-fest-nominees
PICTURE OVER 12
  • Never Too Late – Raquel Calvo Méndez (Producer), Marilyn Chen (Director)
  • Zero Sum – Hugo Liu (Producer), Ryan Lampe (Director)
  • Veteran’s Crisis Line – Madison Champaigne & Robert Hughes (Producers), Gloria A. Downey (Director)
  • How to Disappear Completely – Tommy Harkness (Producer / Director)
PICTURE UNDER 12
  • Her Double Life – Lidong Xu (Director)
  • Not for Comedy – Laurel Bolts (Producer), Marco Padilla (Director)
  • Rat Roommate – Darrell “Rell G” Reynolds Jr. (Director)
  • Just Say It – Qian Li (Producer), Yunfan Xiao (Director)
  • Don’t Go – Laurel Bolts & Darrell “Rell G” Reynolds Jr. (Producers), Melanie Harris (Director)
DIRECTING OVER 12
  • Marilyn Chen
  • Ryan Lampe
  • Gloria A. Downey
  • Tommy Harkness
DIRECTING UNDER 12
  • Lidong Xu
  • Marco Padilla
  • Darrell “Rell G” Reynolds Jr.
  • Yunfan Xiao
  • Melanie Harris
CINEMATOGRAPHY
  • Jay Bolusan
  • Kylan Philipona-Breton (2)
  • Max Miles
  • Sienna Sparks (2)
  • Tanner Casares (2)
EDITING
  • Eduardo C. Torres
  • James Montgomery (2)
  • Jay Bolusan
  • Joaquin Bacquerie
  • Nadim Karanouh
MICRO DOCS
  • Eduardo C. Torres
  • Jay Bolusan
  • Lidong Xu
  • Nikole Haraszt
COMMERCIAL / PSA
  • Kaixin Zhang & Qian Li
  • Nikole Haraszt & Raquel Calvo Méndez
  • Shang Che Tsai & Raquel Calvo Méndez
GRAD ACTRESS – DRAMA
  • Cassiel Cao
  • Chuer Huang
  • Cristiana Alexis (2)
  • Ashley Neves
  • Julia Yang
GRAD ACTOR – DRAMA
  • Archie Maznev
  • David Han
  • Joel Ochoa
  • John Delia
  • Najee Joyner
  • Taylor Morris
  • Tommy Harkness (2)
MUSIC VIDEO
  • Marco Padilla
  • Rell G
  • Kishawn McGhee
UNDERGRAD ACTOR – DRAMA
  • Elijah Roberts
  • Travis Hill
UNDERGRAD ACTRESS – DRAMA
  • Copney Toler
  • Summer Givens (2)
  • Sunseray
SHOT IN A DAY
  • Junhong Wu
  • Nathan Bogdan
  • Yixin Zhu
SHORT FILM CHALLENGE
  • David Pierre
  • Junhong Wu
  • Eden Moshe
  • Kylan Philipona-Breton
  • James Estes
  • Yixin Zhu
  • Amber Chen
  • Darrell “Rell G” Reynolds Jr.
  • Jas Bouyer
  • Kevin Cui
DOCUMENTARY
  • Cynthia Vyle
  • Eduardo C. Torres
  • Landuo Li
  • Kaixin Zhang
  • Nikole Haraszti
  • Samantha Girard
  • Silvio Salom
234
  • Amber Chen
  • Darrell “Rell G” Reynolds Jr.
  • Jas Bouyer
  • Kevin Cui
SOUND DESIGN
  • Eduardo C. Torres
  • James Montgomery
  • Mengting Liu
MUSIC SCORE
  • James Montgomery
  • Kevin Edilson
  • Mengting Liu
SCREENPLAY
  • Gloria A. Downey
  • Ryan Lampe
  • Tommy Harkness
UNDERGRAD ACTOR – COMEDY
  • Bryant Smith
  • Chad Ayers
  • Kenderly Labissiere
  • Victor Mena
  • Wenshelson Mack Voltaire
UNDERGRAD ACTRESS – COMEDY
  • Agostina Marcataio
  • Beba Sagrista
  • Brooke Worthen (2)
  • Copney Toler (2)
  • Micaela Davis (2)
  • Summer Givens (2)
GRAD ACTOR-COMEDY
  • Joel Ochoa
  • John Delia
  • Roosevelt Green
  • Taylor Morris
  • Winter Rain Wang
GRAD ACTRESS-COMEDY
  • Chelsey Coleman
  • Chuer Huang
  • Cristiana Alexis
  • Madeline Belknap

Audience voting is now live. Click below to watch and vote for your favorites!

Click Here to Vote: https://artunews.com/2024/04/26/nxtup-2024-voting-is-open/

Click Here to Watch: https://vimeo.com/showcase/11127379

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