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One of My Own, a ��ݮ��Ƶ student film written and directed by Analei Song ('23), has been playing the festival circuit since its completion in 2023. It had its world premiere at the LA Shorts International Film Festival in July and has since played at the Peoria Film Festival and the Toronto Chinese Film Festival. However, its selection as a finalist in the 25th season of Fine Cut, the long-running student film showcase hosted by PBS SoCal, is its greatest honor to date. This is the third straight year a Biola student film has been a finalist at Fine Cut, which highlights short films from student filmmakers across Southern California. 

“I think the biggest highlight of my project was getting to work with so many talented individuals,” said Song.

Song assembled Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts’ students and alumni to work on the project. Among them include director of photography Gunnar Goding (’23), production designer Hannah Zhang (’23), first assistant director Harrison Zeiders (’23), editor Brooke Meadows (’23), and sound designer Ryan Jachetta (’23).

“I really lucked out with how many people were willing to donate their time, efforts and finances to support my project. It was a humbling and incredible experience, feeling like a true culmination of both college and my life so far,” said Song.

Writer-director Song, who graduated in 2023 from the Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts, produced the film with Po Yin Sham, a current B.A. in Cinema and Media Arts senior. One of My Own tells the story of Maisie, a Chinese girl who is adopted into a Caucasian family and finds herself lost even in the places she should call home. The film blends stop-motion art to approximate Maisie’s point of view as she processes and comes to terms with the world around her.

Producer Sham recognized that this was a personal project from the beginning.

“Analei poured so much of herself and her intentionality, love and care into One of My Own, throughout all of its stages from development to completion,” said Sham. “I felt so much love and graciousness poured out to me by everyone that we had the pleasure of collaborating with along the way.”

One of My Own features a remarkable portrayal of Maisie by actor, dancer and voiceover artist Brielle Santos, who was nine years old at the time of filming. Song’s sensitive direction explores Maisie’s inner life as she is misunderstood by her peers at school, and finds herself caught between cultures as an adopted child. The title itself derives from a devastating line of dialogue that highlights her estrangement from her family. Song hopes the film will bring attention to this frequently misunderstood subject.

Erin Ball, a producer at PBS SoCal who has been involved with Fine Cut for several years, recognizes the consistent quality of Biola student films.

“When I'm looking at submissions, I can always tell it’s a Biola film,” Ball said. “They’re well-made and the stories always have a lot of heart. There’s a deep emotional component and earnestness to them.”

Song has been pleased with the reception of her film so far.

“I remain grateful as One of My Own makes its rounds in the festival circuit,” she said. “I didn’t enter with many expectations, but I’ve been delighted to be accepted into a few festivals so far. I look forward to hearing more responses. I hope more people can see the film as a tribute to those who worked so hard on it, while also sharing what I believe is the very important topic and experience of adoption.”

One of My Own will air on October 9 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus (formerly KCET) and will be available for streaming on October 10.

Biola’s Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts was recently named a top film school by Variety Magazine and a by Hollywood Reporter.

Learn more about Biola’s B.A. in Cinema and Media Arts.

Written by Nate Bell, Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts. For more information, email media.relations@biola.edu.