Fine Cut 2014: 'The Promised Land'

"The Promised Land" is a UCLA thesis film shot on location in Israel and directed by Vanessa Knutsen. The movie aired as part of the 2014 edition of "Fine Cut," KCET's 17th annual festival of student films.

"The Promised Land" Synopsis:

With immigration forces on her pursuit, Mary -- an illegal foreign worker living in Israel -- must decide between uprooting her son from the only place he calls home or risking deportation.

Vanessa Knutsen's Bio:

Vanessa Knutsen is an Israeli-American filmmaker living in Los Angeles. After completing her service in the Israeli Army, she moved to the U.S. to pursue her undergraduate studies at Yale University. She is a recent graduate of the UCLA MFA directing program where she wrote and directed four short films.

Her thesis film, "The Promised Land," had its world premiere at the Palm Springs International ShortsFest, where it was awarded best student short film and Cinema Without Borders. The movie has since screened at several festivals across the U.S. and abroad. Vanessa is currently an instructor at UCLA Extension and is launching her first feature film, "The Healer," which was a finalist for the 2014 Sundance Screenwriter's Lab.