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 at 5230 Lankershim Blvd.

"Each year the films get more amazing," said CSUN cinema and television arts professor Nate Thomas. "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 in Hollywood in the future."

The evening will be hosted by acclaimed character actor Clint Howard, brother of actor and Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard. Clint Howard has had supporting roles in nearly all of his brother's films including "Grand Theft Auto," "Splash," "Cocoon," "Apollo 13," "Far and Away" and "Cinderella Man." As a child, Howard starred opposite the late Dennis Weaver in the 1960's television series "Gentle Ben."

The showcase will include an on-screen retrospective of Howard's career as well as a tribute to Arri, Inc., the entertainment industry's largest manufacturer of motion picture cameras.

Each semester, selected senior film production students have the opportunity to use a new state-of-the-art Arricam 35mm camera through a new relationship with Arri, Inc. Each year, one of the student projects is selected to be made using the camera. An Arricam 35mm was used in three of the films nominated this year for an Academy Award in Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography.

The four student films to be premiered at the showcase are:

• "Bauhaus," which was selected as the Arri 35mm Project, is based on the true story of students at the Bauhaus School for the Arts and Architecture who tried to save their art from the rise of Nazi Party in 1933. The film was directed by Phillip Eierund.
• "Danny Boy" is the story of Daniel who walks into a grocery store and is confronted by a stranger who tells him that he reminds him of his dead son, and then asks for a favor that will help him gain closure. The film is directed by Guy Noland.
• "Fridge" is a dark comedy about two roommates who purchase a refrigerator at a police auction and become convinced it is haunted. The film is directed by Patrick O'Reily.
• "The Unobstrusive Fantasy of Manny Quinn" is a stop motion animated film about a lonely tailor dummy who falls in love with a theatre's leading lady. This is the first time stop motion animation has been done in CSUN's Cinema and Television Arts Department. The film is directed by Matt Netzley.

There will be a reception following the screening of the four student films in the Academy's lobby and patio areas.

For more information about the showcase, call the Cinema and Television Arts Department at (818) 677-3192.