Alumna’s short film ‘Zero’ premieres on HBO

Kimberly Townes, a 2012 graduate of the UCLA theater department’s graduate directing program, said her motto for her first year at UCLA was to apply for everything with the perspective of trying, working and hoping.

For Townes, she said her motto earned her a big break after graduation with the launch of her thesis film “Zero” on HBO on Feb. 16.

Townes’ thesis film was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant she won in 2009. She also received the 2009 Edie and Lew Wassermann Film Production Fellowship. Now, Townes’ work has made it to the small screen as a finalist submission in the 2012 HBO Short Film Award competition that was part of the American Black Film Festival.

While she didn’t expect such a warm and successful reception for her thesis, Townes said she always believed in her work.

“I don’t think I exactly expected it, but I did hope. I definitely wanted it and willed it, but I’m still completely blown away,” Townes said.

The short, which is available on HBO Go, follows the story of a girl struggling with bullying because of her crush on her math teacher. She becomes an unexpected hero as she learns to defend herself through the encouragement and mentorship of her teacher.

Townes said the importance of education and teachers are a prevalent part of her life that she likes to play up in her work. She said she believes this is in part because her mother was a science teacher. When speaking about her time at UCLA, Townes said her professors helped her develop as a filmmaker.

“It’s such a small program, I think that all the intimate conversations that you get to have with your mentors may have been some of the most valuable conversations I’ve ever had,” Townes said. “The program is a total immersion and a strong incubator, so I think I grew tremendously from it.”

Townes said her experience at UCLA, however, was also a very trying time. In her first year, her father passed away. She said that while she was in pain, she was inspired to use her work as a way of honoring what he stood for.

“I try to dig out the truth in people and expose the duality of people with the balance of good and bad and accepting it. My own persistence was something I got from my dad,” Townes said. “I just try to honor him and his teachings.”

Melissa Nemcek, also a UCLA alumna and the producer of “Zero,” said Townes’ persistent nature is what sets her work apart, as it allows her to convey a very precise vision and rare perspective on the cross section of science and art. Nemcek said this theme is prevalent in Townes’ short documentary “Planting Hope,” which depicts a scholarship founded by a gardener.

“What I admire about her is that she has this different perspective on simple things we see every day,” Nemcek said. “There are all these different aspects of life that she sees in a different way, and she really convinces people of this in her films.”

Christina Carrea, Townes’ cinematographer and fellow UCLA alumna, said she agrees that Townes’ dedication to her work sets her apart, as she partakes in the entire process from writing, to costuming, to directing, to production and so on. Carrea also said it is Townes’ excitement that carries her team through the filmmaking process.

“She’s organized and she’s got her team together, but at the same time, she has this true excitement about the work and a hint of little-kid giddiness that comes out,” Carrea said. “That’s kind of contagious. It makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger, like we’re all part of that vision.”

Currently, Townes’ career has taken her to post-production of the popular drama series “True Blood.” She said the experience is a good time, but her passion lies in writing and directing. For now, she said she is writing a lot and hopes to get into feature films in the future.

Nemcek said she could see Townes going in any number of directions from here, but believes that her future lies in directing and writing.

“She’s really got a hand in everything,” Nemcek said. “The opportunity with HBO is going to open tons of doors for her, especially with her writing and directing. I think that’s where I really see her going, first in the small stages, but then quickly moving forward.”