Two student films from the University of Hawaii-Manoa's Academy for Creative Media will be screened at the Riverside International Film Festival in California, April 11 through 20.

The films are "Atonement" by Seong Kyu Whang and "My Brother's Keeper" by Russell Blanchard. Both were shown at the 2007 Hawaii International Film Festival.

Films from the U.S., Spain, Lebanon, Australia and the Philippines will also be screened.

The Riverside Festival, now 6 years old, accepts only the top student films, said academy chairman Tom Brislin, in a written statement.

ACM student films have now been accepted by the festival for a second year.

According to Brislin, festival programmers enjoy the unique perspective on local life that academy student films present, stripped away of stereotypes and tropical cliches.

Both films explore darker themes of poverty, crime and addiction but are balanced by redemption through character relationships. "These are dynamic stories," Brislin said.