Cerritos College film student, Peter Catania, has been moving closer to becoming a filmmaker, which he expressed to be his “ultimate goal.”

His short film, “Writer’s Block,” received an honorable mention at 3C Media Solutions Fifth Annual Student Film & Video Festival and was chosen as an official selection at the Action On Film International Film Festival 2010.

The film is about an author, who, in an attempt to rid his “writer’s block,” travels to the middle of a park to write his story.

As the author begins to type, he hears musical notes with the tap of each key of his typewriter.  Soon thereafter, a song emerges.

As creative as “Writer’s Block” may be, Catania had no initial intent to pursue a career in filmmaking, yet his film is now entering its third film festival.

“Writer’s Block” was recently accepted into the SoCal Film Festival in Huntington Beach, which will be held from September 26 to October 3.

“I have to tell you, it’s pretty surreal.  I feel like I’m living in a fantasy,” Catania said of his film’s success.

Catania graduated from Cerritos College in 2009 as a liberal arts major planning to become a screenwriter.

“I took screenwriting with Roger Ernest and he suggested I take Hirohama’s production class if I was serious about film,” he said.

Under the instruction of film professor Steven Hirohama, an experience Catania described as being “phenomenal,” is where he said he “fell in love with the art form of filmmaking.”

“The film program at Cerritos is amazing,” he continued, “I had nothing but great experiences.”

Hirohama recognized Catania’s talent and potential, explaining that he possesses the “passion, focus and ‘stick-to-it-ness'” required to go far in any industry.

“He’s building on his success,” Hirohama continued, sure that his student is on his way to “bigger and more ambitious projects.”

Catania is currently in pre-production of another short film as he awaits the SoCal Film Festival, in which “Writer’s Block” will screen at 2:15 p.m. on October 1.

“The award nominees have not been announced as of right now,” Catania said, urging his fellow Cerritos College students to “keep those fingers crossed!”