Private Project

Philosophy 101

A college student begins to suspect that his philosophy professor may need a reality check.

  • Steve Hosford
    Director
  • Steve Hosford
    Writer
  • Steve Hosford
    Producer
  • Kyle Eastman
    Key Cast
    "Student"
  • Mike Firek
    Key Cast
    "Professor"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 8, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    DVCPRO HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • LA Shorts International Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    September 8, 2016
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Indie Night Film Festival
    Hollywood, CA
    United States
    June 17, 2017
    Official Selection
  • Oceanside International Film Festival
    Oceanside, CA
    United States
    August 7, 2017
    Official Selection
  • Mountain Shadow Short Film Competition
    Walnut Creek, CA
    United States
    September 15, 2017
    Third Place
  • Glendale International Film Festival
    Glendale, CA
    United States
    October 21, 2017
    Official Selection
  • Kapow Intergalactic Film Festival
    North Hollywood, CA
    United States
    November 13, 2017
    Official Selection
  • Red Rock Film Festival
    Cedar City, UT
    United States
    November 17, 2017
    Utah Premiere
    Red Film Market
  • Dam Short Film Festival
    Boulder City, NV
    United States
    February 10, 2018
    Nevada Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Portland Comedy Film Festival
    Portland Comedy Film Festival
    United States
    March 24, 2018
    Oregon Premiere
    Official Selection
  • North Hollywood Cinefest
    North Hollywood, CA
    United States
    March 28, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival
    Hollywood, CA
    United States
    April 21, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Burbank International Film Festival
    Burbank, CA
    United States
    September 6, 2018
    Official Selection
  • The Comedy World Network International Film Festival
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    United States
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Steve Hosford

Steve Hosford is a graduate of the Film Program at San Francisco State University, where his DOWNWARDLY MOBILE won a coveted slot in the 36th annual SFSU Film Finals (a publicly-screened showcase of student work) as well as acclaim from Gregg Rickman in the SF Weekly calling it an “excellent short film”. In 2008, Steve won Best Comedy Short at the Eugene International Film Festival for WHITEBREAD AND GOATMAN, a no-budget project which found him in the roles of director, producer, writer, cinematographer, editor, composer, and actor. Jeffrey M. Anderson, in Combustible Celluloid, praised the film for its “funny and imaginative” dialogue and “top-notch” performances. The film went on to play at nearly two dozen film festivals across the nation, and was also featured on IFC (Independent Film Channel) as part of its Media Lab Shorts Uploaded program. He has also worked in a variety of capacities on a number of spec commercials, short films, and industrials. Currently, Steve is the director, cinematographer, and co-owner of CREATE YOUR REEL, the premiere actor reel producing company in Los Angeles, voted the #1 Demo Reel Producer by the readers of Backstage.

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Director Statement

PHILOSOPHY 101 began life as a sketch I wrote while taking classes at ACME Comedy Theatre in Hollywood, and I always thought it might make a funny short film – so, 11 years later, I jumped into action and filmed it in a lecture hall at the University of Southern California. The shoot ended up taking two full days…with a seven-week break in between.

I have a saying I like to use: Films don’t want to get made. I absolutely found this to be the case with PHILOSOPHY 101. The gory production details don’t really matter, as anyone who’s ever attempted to make a film can attest. In my opinion, filmmaking is nothing but problems – and if you’re not encountering significant difficulty attempting to make a film, you may be doing something wrong. In the end, everything worked out for the best, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result. All due credit to Kyle Eastman and Mike Firek for making me look smart for casting them; special thanks to USC instructor Tim Astor for propping open the door to my set; and lastly, thanks to LA Shorts Fest founder Robert Arentz for agreeing to screen the film on the condition that I cut it down from its original, overlong 17-minute runtime.