December 6, 2024 -- Santa Monica College's film production and journalism programs have received two grants totaling $45,000 from the Golden Globe Foundation Awards, college officials announced Friday.

A $10,000 renewed grant was awarded to students who work for or intern on the student-run media outlet The Corsair, while $35,000 will help fund the film production program’s capstone class, “Making the Short Film.”

SMC was among 83 nonprofits that received grants for programs that "educate, enrich and empower the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers," school officials said.

“The training students receive at SMC and the work they produce year after year speak volumes to the potential of community college students who bring fresh perspectives, their diverse backgrounds, and unparalleled grit to the vital work of telling stories and bearing witness,” said Golden Globe Foundation President Henri Arnaud.

The grant to SMC’s film program helps to fund the capstone class that provides "a hands-on student learning experience in which students under the direct mentorship and guidance of faculty produce a professional-level short film," according to the film department.

This enables students "to gain ever greater exposure, access to cutting-edge technology, and entry into a career in applied filmmaking."

In July, MovieMaker magazine named Santa Monica College (SMC) one of the top 30 film schools in the U.S. and Canada, praising its affordable hands-on approach to filmmaking ("SMC Makes List of Top Film Schools," July 17, 2024).

SMC -- which offers two-year film studies and film production programs -- joined the ranks of UCLA, USC, Columbia University and the AFI Conservatory on the list, which includes 31 schools this year due to a tie.

The SMC student short films funded by the Foundation have won major awards and been invited to prestigious festivals both in the U.S. and overseas.

The Golden Globe Foundation has also funded 20 SMC journalism program scholarships for students "to develop real-world experience by working as part of The Corsair’s staff.

As staff members, students commit hundreds of hours each semester to the newsroom, where they "develop storytelling techniques, build their career portfolios, and think critically in real-world settings."

"These scholarships, awarded at the end of every Spring semester, have enabled a more diverse range of talented journalism students to engage in this important academic and career development opportunity," officials said.