Keynote, VIP guests announced for 2019 CCH Film Fest

Columbia College Hollywood will host the exceptional filmmakers behind IFC Midnight’s “Greener Grass” as keynote speakers for the college’s 2019 CCH Film Fest, set to take place Nov. 1 and 2 on the Los Angeles campus.

"Greener Grass" directors/writers/stars Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawne Luebbe with producer Natalie Metzger will present at 10 a.m. Nov. 2, joining many other industry professionals involved in the weekend’s panels, workshops, demonstrations and screenings.

The annual CCH Film Fest celebrates emerging filmmakers and visual artists, maintaining a bridge between passionate creatives and industry professionals and inspiring future collaboration and recognition. The festival is free and open to the public, and tickets are available via EventBrite.

Chris Blim and Janek Ambros of Assembly Line Entertainment’s “Mondo Hollywoodland” will kick off the festival with an opening night screening at 6 p.m. Nov. 1, followed by a Q&A. The weekend’s conversation series will cover topics including television writing, auditioning, film distribution, sound effects, visual effects and more.

More information about guests, speakers and screening schedules is available on the festival website.

Film submissions were open to students and alumni from both of Columbia College Hollywood’s campuses, located in Los Angeles and Chicago. More than 50 entries were submitted to be reviewed and scored by a team of industry judges. Winners will be announced during the awards show at 5:15 p.m. Nov. 2.

“This year's student and alumni screenings include fresh, original content across the board from both our LA and Chicago campuses,” said Kelly Parker, CCH Film Fest executive director and Vice President of Student Affairs. “This year includes our largest list of categories including drama, comedy, horror-fantasy, music videos, documentaries, femme & LGBTQIA+.”

Last year’s CCH Film Fest hosted more than 400 attendees at 12 panels and conversation series events, eight trade show exhibitions and demonstrations and more than 40 film screenings. VIP guest events included a keynote by Boots Riley, a provocative and prolific poet, rapper, songwriter, producer, screenwriter, director, community organizer, and public speaker.

This year’s special guests also include Vice President of casting at CBS Television Dorey Poder, founder and CEO of Seed&Spark Emily Best, award-winning ADR & Foley Mixer for “Breaking Bad” Stacey Michaels and VFX artist for “Spider-Man: Far from Home” and “Men in Black: International” Ismael Camarillo.

Workshops and demonstrations will focus on Backstage, Canon, RED and Digital Sputnik.

The latest 2019 CCH Film Fest news and announcements will be shared on the festival website, and at @CCH_Official and @CCHFilmFestival on Instagram and Twitter.

Columbia College Hollywood, located at 18618 Oxnard St., Los Angeles, California, is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college focused on film, television, new media, and digital arts. The college is regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).