The 23rd season of KCET’s Fine Cut Festival of Films kicked off Wednesday, Sept. 21, with recent California Institute of the Arts graduate Adam Musa Othman (Film/Video BFA 2022) taking home Best Animation for his short “Horned Cook, Gola.”

Othman, as well as several other CalArtian animators, will have their short films screened over the course of six weeks.

Alongside the winners of the Documentary and Narrative prizes, Othman’s film will screen at the 2022 Newport Beach Film Festival on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at THE LOT Fashion Island in Newport Beach. The winners will also receive a variety of prize packages valued at more than $30,000.

This year’s festival programming was selected from more than 300 films submitted by student filmmakers enrolled in more than 40 schools across Southern California. Among the eight judges judging the 2022 Fine Cut submissions is “City of Ghosts” creator and CalArts alum Elizabeth Ito (Film/Video BFA 2004).

Each of this year’s six episodes feature at least one film by a CalArtian, all of whom were listed as competition finalists. Learn more about this year’s Fine Cut programming and more at KCET.

Episode Guide
“Where Do I Fit?”: Wednesday, Sept. 21, 10 p.m. on KCET, Thursday, Sept. 22, 11 p.m. on Link TV. The first CalArtian film to screen at Fine Cut is D Morales’ (Film/Video BFA 2024) “Volador,” in which a young boy faces his fears as he attempts his first volador, an enduring Mesoamerican traditional dance.

“Pairs”: Wednesday, Sept. 28, 10 p.m. on KCET, Thursday, Sept. 29, 11 p.m. on Link TV. Two films by current CalArts students air the second week of programming. In Michelle Tang’s (Film/Video BFA 2023) BFA3 film “The Twins,” a sibling rivalry between grade schoolers Lake and Lucas gets out of hand.

A girl with insomnia befriends a mysterious celestial figure in Christina Wu’s (Film/Video BFA 2025) “mr. sun.”

“Family Struggles”: Wednesday, Oct. 12, 10 p.m. on KCET, Thursday, Oct. 13, 11 p.m. on Link TV. Episode three includes “Something Fishy” by Christina Woo (Film/Video BFA 2023), in which pet goldfish Jessica harbors reservations about her owner Sara’s new boyfriend.

“Live With It”- Wednesday, Oct. 19, 10 p.m. on KCET, Thursday, Oct. 20, 11 p.m. on Link TV. Adam Musa Othman’s (Film/Video BFA 22) winning film “Horned Cook, Gola” airs the fourth week of Fine Cut, featuring a dragon who “enters his living room struggling to remember something important.”

“I’ve Got This”- Wednesday, Oct. 26, 10 p.m. on KCET, Thursday, Oct. 20, 11 p.m. on Link TV. Kelly Wang’s (Film/Video BFA 24) second year film “Blast Off,” an intergalactic tale about teamwork and cooperation, screens during the fifth episode.

“You’re Still Out There”- Wednesday, Nov. 2, 10 p.m. on KCET, Thursday, Oct. 27, 11 p.m. on Link TV. Two CalArts films wrap up Fine Cut’s sixth and final episode.

In “Night Cruise” by Claire Seckler (Film/Video BFA 2025), a man drifting off to sleep gains a new perspective.

Michelle Cheng’s (Film/Video BFA 2023) second year film “Birdsong” is based on late biologist and conservationist John Sincock’s study of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, a native Hawaiʻian bird that went extinct.