By Lookout Staff

November 18, 2014 – Santa Monica College’s film program is only one of three in the U.S. being represented this week at the 2014 FILMSCHOOLFEST MUNICH in Germany, one of the most respected student film festivals in the world.

Salvador Carrasco, who heads SMC’s film production program, and former SMC student and filmmaker Dustin Brown are representing the college at the festival, where film programs from 39 schools are competing.

"I'm impressed every year by how these young filmmakers approach current topics of interest from totally different perspectives,” said Festival Director Diana Iljine at the presentation of the program in Munich.

"Whether they deal with intimate relationships or worldwide phenomena, they give us exciting insights of society today."

“Solidarity,” a dramatic short film written and directed by Brown, will be screened at the festival.

The film follows the plight of two undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles who are dealing with loss and who connect through collective action, according to Brown’s successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the project.

"Solidarity," was the first film to come out of SMC’s new film production program and has been screened at several national and international film festivals, including Cannes and  the San Diego Film Festival, where it won Best Dramatic Short. The film was also nominated for a BAFTA Award.

Forty-six films by students from the world's leading film schools were selected for the festival's international competition.

Brown will be competing against them for eight awards, including best screenplay and best production.

The 34th Munich International Festival of Film Schools opened on November 16 with a gala at the Munich University for Television and Film. Screenings for the public began on Monday in the Filmmuseum München.

Many of today's successful directors had their first public screenings in Munich, including Lars von Trier (Nymphomaniac) and David Yates (Harry Potter).

The two other film schools invited this year from the United States are from Chapman University and UCLA.

For more information on all the film schools participating, visit www.filmschoolfest-munich.de/en/profil-iffh/filmschulen.aspx.

For the complete festival program and additional information, go to www.filmschoolfest-munich.de.