On Hilgard, 50 girls hold their breath. The air is still, the tension thick. As the cameras zoom in on the final rose, the room stiffens, and each girl says a quick prayer for her favorite contestant. Read more...

In 2009, Vanessa Yee began her graduate film thesis: a documentary that turned the camera not only on an issue in her community, but onto her own personal life. Read more...

Photo: Graduate film student Vanessa Yee’s film thesis “The Laundromat” investigates the stigmas within the Asian American community of mental health and communication of emotions. The documentary shares the stories of her friends who have struggled with silence, as well as her own story of depression.

“The ABCs of Death” is a bad movie – and some may find that endearing. An ambitious anthology that culls 26 short films from 26 international directors, “The ABCs of Death” is exactly what its title implies: juvenility posed against morbidity. Read more...

Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or-winning second feature, “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” an intimate drama of two friends forced to seek extralegal abortion under Communist rule, played better as a thriller than a message movie. The same curious quality informs Mungiu’s follow-up, “Beyond the Hills,” a gripping depiction of a remote Romanian monastery that similarly falls short of making a statement. Read more...

Kimberly Townes, a 2012 graduate of the UCLA theater department’s graduate directing program, said her motto for her first year at UCLA was to apply for everything with the perspective of trying, working and hoping. Read more...

Photo: School of Theater, Film and Television alumna Kimberly Townes had her thesis film “Zero” premiere on Feb. 16 on HBO. It was a finalist submission in the 2012 HBO Short Film Award competition, as part of the American Black Film Festival.

Gone are the days of fake IDs and getting turned away at the bar. The big 2-1 has finally arrived for Jeff Chang (Justin Chon), a straight-A student whose birthday falls on the eve of his medical school interview. Read more...