‘Fine Cut’ Grades Local Film Talent

Ever wonder where the filmmakers of tomorrow are honing their craft today?

Look no further than “Fine Cut: A Festival of Student Film” (10 p.m. KCET), a locally produced series launching its fifth season tonight with a selection of first-time features from students in Southern California.

The one-hour programs serve as a showcase for pupils at USC, UCLA, the American Film Institute, Cal Arts, Loyola Marymount and the Art Center College of Design. Films can be based on any genre of choice but can be no longer than 30 minutes and must have been produced within the last two years.

Tonight’s projects are “Impala,” a 20-minute feature in which an eccentric shows a youngster how to “shoot for the stars”; Victor Vu’s “Firecracker,” a tale of domestic violence as seen through the eyes of a Vietnamese American boy; and “Rest Stop,” Kris Hackel’s story of a homeless kid explaining life on the street to a teenage runaway.

Hosted by filmmaker Charles Burnett (“To Sleep With Anger”), the five-week series concludes on June 12.