Ahead of the University of Arizona's 16th I Dream in Widescreen student film showcase this month, films from last year's event are finding success at festivals in the United States and beyond.

I Dream in Widescreen is an annual showcase of undergraduate thesis films from students in the School of Theatre, Film & Television. Films from the 2020 I Dream in Widescreen showcase, created by students who have since graduated from the school, have earned 11 film festival selections in cities including Phoenix, Los Angeles and London. That's a record number of festival selections in a year for the school.

"Our students' festival success this year, from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to London, is testament to the vital importance of authentic stories during this time, and to the work of the School of Theatre, Film & Television faculty's longstanding focus on seeking out and mentoring diverse new voices," said Lisanne Skyler, a professor in the school.

The selected films include:

• "Barren," |Las Cruces International Film Festival, occurred March 3-7
• "Houses in Motion" | Las Cruces International Film Festival
• "IRIS" | Phoenix Film Festival, Aug. 12-22
• "Tesoro" | Philadelphia Latino Film Festival; May 30-June 6
• "Tesoro" | San Diego Latino Film Festival; occurred; occurred March 11-21
• "Tesoro" | Latino & Native American Film Festival (New Haven, Connecticut); occurred April 22-May 1
• "Tesoro" | Phoenix Film Festival
• "The Leak" | Austin Comedy Film Festival, May 14-16
• "The Leak" | Portland Comedy Film Festival, June 10-13
• "The Lights Are On, No One's Home" | Outfest Fusion (Los Angeles), occurred April 16-20
• "The Lights Are On, No One's Home" | BFI Flare (London), occurred March 17-28

In addition, "The Leak" won Best Director honors at the Austin Comedy Film Festival, and "Tesoro" has been nominated for Best Drama Short at the International Motor Film Awards, which will take place in London on a date to be determined.

Some of the filmmakers from the 2020 showcase are currently working in the film and entertainment industries, including "Tesoro" creator Roxanna Denise Stevens Ibarra, who is providing Spanish transcription and music composition for documentaries, and "IRIS" creator Zach Lovvorn, who works as a video editor for the Arizona-based live event production company Merestone, and "The Leak" creator Adam Meilech, who works as an assistant at Aqua Talent, an agency in Los Angeles..

This year's I Dream in Widescreen event will feature 14 student-made films and one television series pitch on a variety of topics, including race relations, biblical criticism and ghost hunting.

The in-person portion of the showcase will take place at 7 p.m. on May 8 at the Cactus Drive-In Cinema, 6201 S. Wilmot Road. The event will include screenings of all the films and a table reading of the television series pitch. Admission is free, and cars will be welcomed on a first-come, first-served basis until all parking spaces are filled. The films also will be available to stream at loftcinema.org May 8-22 through a partnership between the School of Theatre, Film & Television and the arthouse cinema.

The School of Theatre, Film & Television produced the video below, spotlighting last year's films that went on to earn festival placements and awards.