FOR MOST VIEWERS , going to a student film festival is like shopping for jeans at a thrift store – something awesome could turn up for cheap, but you can never be sure. Fortunately, San Francisco State University implements a handy screening process for its annual "Film Finals" show, which features this year's cream of the student-film crop.

Many of the works submitted for the event are projects by students in SFSU's graduate cinema program. Students work toward a master of fine arts degree for three years, though many take much longer to finish their final thesis film. Sixth- or seventh-year MFA candidates, capitalizing on those low-interest student loans, are not uncommon. Out of 150 to 160 people who apply for the MFA program each year, only 12 to 16 get the green light. Many of the accepted students come from other countries or have backgrounds in other academic disciplines. In fact, applicants fresh out of undergrad with a film studies degree rarely get considered for admission.

"It's not a policy of ours, but it is a general practice," offers Karen Holmes, an SFSU film professor and MFA coordinator. "I would advise an undergraduate to go work with a different set of people, for a broader experience. Then they can come back."

Students often put their careers on hold to pick up cameras and light meters. Second-year student Alka Raghuram, for example, studied economics in India and has experience in painting, photography, and fashion. Her classmate Emer Martin emigrated from Ireland, earned a bachelor's degree in English, and wrote two novels before arriving at SFSU.

"The arts are very connected," Martin muses, in a charming Irish accent. "It's all the same obsession really."

Far past college's party-till-it-hurts phase, Martin and Raghuram also have children to take care of; most mornings the last thing on their minds is getting ready for class. Holmes notes that her students are, for the most part, self-supporting. "Many of them have other jobs or families – and they're extremely hard-working. They're not privileged in any way."

The working environment is motivating for the filmmakers, but it also creates some stiff competition. Martin notices the occasional tenseness among her classmates. "There are no slackers. Everyone in the program is bursting with ambition and talent [so] there's a bit of tension and backbiting." Viewing an exceptional work by a colleague can be as painful as it is inspiring, especially if the work finds its way to prestigious film festivals or public distribution.

Still, collaborations on class assignments are common. It takes a lot of people to make even the shortest, simplest film, and there are always plenty of hands available to set up lights, hold microphones, or make coffee. MFA students recruit undergraduates, who are often itching for production experience, to serve as crew members and actors.

Martin and Raghuram are working together on a "shoot something and edit it" assignment, a short documentary profiling local artist Arthur Krakower. To film an interview for their project, the students team up with their friend Niall McKay, a freelance journalist cum filmmaker, and visit Krakower at his Atherton home. Working with minimal funding and technical support, the three of them have surprisingly little equipment: one high-end camcorder, an extra lens, and a medium-range microphone. They opt to shoot on digital video rather than put up with the pains of 16mm film, which can be cumbersome and insanely expensive.

Up until a few years ago, the program only accepted work in film formats. But with the advent of pro-quality video cameras and software, SFSU eventually added courses in digital editing and cinematography. Though some students remain loyal to the hands-on nature of celluloid, many have turned to their D.V. camcorders and iMacs. "I have no video snobbery," Martin cracks, grateful for the cheaper alternative.

Accepting video formats wasn't the only thing the cinema program changed in the last few years. In the past students were encouraged to "go beyond film" and experiment with installation work. The program placed a strong emphasis on film's conceptual aspects, saturating its courses with cinema theory and history. But after numerous protests from students, administrators added advanced production courses in cinematography, directing, and writing.

The curriculum still requires courses on film theory, which many MFA students see as "something to get past." Busy enough with writing, shooting, and editing, Martin and Raghuram aren't huge fans of the program's academic component.

"The word for it is repulsion," says Martin, who's irked that her thesis proposal requires a sizable theoretical portion. "We have to interpret our films before we even make them. It's unnatural."

But some students, like fourth-year senior Hannah Guggenheim, believe academic perspectives are important to understanding film's practical aspects. Influenced by several filmmakers featured in her classes, Guggenheim is at work on her thesis film, a documentary she hopes will be used for educational purposes.

"Film is an extension of working in the classroom," she says. "It exposes people to things they wouldn't normally have access to."

Guggenheim's documentary follows a set of 17-year-old twins with spina bifida, a condition resulting from incomplete development of the spinal cord during pregnancy. The wheelchair-riding teens, Benji and Judah, are frequently hospitalized for surgery and intensive care, yet both are animated naturals on camera. Guggenheim obviously shares a tight bond with the boys, but her film maintains a distanced ("but not objective") mode.

"I can't possibly tell their story – I don't have that right. I'm just guiding it along," the director explains.

Though documentary is the medium of choice for several students, rarely do the films fit neatly into a definitive category. "There's a tremendous amount of originality in films made at S.F. State," Holmes stresses. "And that's across the board for experimental, documentary, and narrative works. Students are not afraid to try something new."

Unlike many other cinema programs, SFSU's doesn't require its students to specialize in any one aspect of filmmaking. Everyone has access to the same resources, which allows students to explore writing, directing, cinematography, and animation throughout their graduate careers.

Still, SFSU's film school isn't for everybody. Those interested in industry filmmaking, though never flat-out shunned, rarely find what they're looking for. "Most State students aren't interested in the trappings of L.A.," Guggenheim observes. It's not necessary to spend three years and thousands of dollars, if all you're looking for is film experience. Raghuram, who started out in the community college system, argues that trade schools offer industry training that's just as good as SFSU's.

But while it's entirely possible to make original movies without a graduate degree, most students are attracted to the university's supportive (and competitive) academic environment. Professors who make films, a talented group of peers, and a challenging scholastic curriculum are what compel students to stick around.

"The only thing film school has done for me," Raghuram remarks, "is put me where everyone has the same tunnel vision."

Dave Kim