Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world and the film industry remains our region's heritage industry and the source of tens of thousands of good jobs. Throughout my years of work in public service, keeping this industry thriving in our backyard has been one of my top priorities.While I've spent much of my career fighting for greater film tax credits that benefit hardworking people and incentivize the industry to keep production local, preventing talent scammers from taking advantage of Hollywood dreamers, and working to make filming in Los Angeles an easy process, I've also remained dedicated to supporting and launching the budding careers of young filmmakers through my annual high school student film festival, the Los Angeles Student Film Festival.This year, the Los Angeles Student Film Festival is graduating to become something even bigger and better than before. I am proud to announce that LASFF has now joined forces with another established local film festival, North Hollywood Cinefest! This is a step forward for LASFF and will solidify North Hollywood Cinefest as the Valley's premiere film festival for professional and student filmmakers alike. In 2017, the festival received more than 100 short film submissions from high school students across LA County, and the student films selected by the festival as finalists will be screened on March 28 through March 30 in Council District 2. The screenings of the LASFF films are free and open to the public. I encourage you to attend them and to check out all the great films at North Hollywood Cinefest. This year's North Hollywood Cinefest will run from March 24 through March 30, with screenings in the heart of the NoHo Arts District at the Laemmle NoHo 7 theater. The fantastic line-up of films includes new work from established filmmakers and fresh talent. Support our local film festival by heading to North Hollywood Cinefest tonight and throughout the week. For more information about the film festival and a complete schedule, visit: www.nohocinefest.com.