The showcase, which culminates four years of study for the university's senior-level film students, starts at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The screenings will take place in the Leonard Goldensen Theatre of the academy, located at 5230 Lankershim Blvd.

The evening will be hosted by Northridge theatre alum Donald Petrie, director of such films as "Mystic Pizza," starring Julia Roberts; "Welcome to Mooseport," starring Gene Hackman and Ray Romano; "Ms. Congeniality," starring Sandra Bullock; and "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days," starring Kate Hudson.

The showcase will feature a tribute to Dagmar Dunlevy, past president and current chair of the Board of Directors of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the Golden Globe Awards each year.

"It's the least we can do to thank her for her undying support of our senior film projects," said Nate Thomas, a cinema and television arts professor. "We have received scholarship support from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for the past eight years. This past summer the organization, with her guidance, gave our students and the showcase an unprecedented $25,000. She truly has made a difference in the lives of our students."

One way of saying "thank you," Thomas said, was to pay honor to Dunlevy at the showcase.

"In many ways, her support is responsible for what we will be seeing on the screen," he said. "Each year the students' films we show get better and better. This year in particular reflects that. These films represent the best of the department. I would not be surprised to see any or all of these students' names being bantered about Hollywood in the future."

The four films:

• Long Night's Reprieve, by Damon Kubiak, is a film noir in which a former cop turned private investigator seeks the truth while haunted by his past.
• Grace, by Parish Rahbar, examines what happens when a young woman who never leaves her home is forced by circumstances to step outside and face her fears, only to find more than she bargained for.
• Death as a Tango, by Valerie Plimpton, tells the story of a young woman's struggle to rekindle her passion for life while dancing with death.
• Recalling Ted, by Dustin Gould, is about a Hollywood agent who gets a visit from the Angel Michael. The agent must make the deal of all Hollywood deals to save himself from being recalled to an eternity in Hell. Recalling Ted was made as part of a new program, "The 35mm Project," sponsored by the Eastman Kodak Co.

The program provides the opportunity for students at a select number of film schools to produce a film in the 35 mm motion picture format with production services, post production services, film stock and equipment provided by Eastman Kodak and a variety of other film industry companies, including Mole-Richardson Co., Clairmont Camera, FotoKem Laboratories, Dolby Laboratories, Inc., Mix Magic Post Sound, Title House, NT Audio Video Labs and FPC. In addition, mentors from the American Society of Cinematographers and the American Cinema Editors were provided to the students.