Nyswaner, Algrant set for student pic fest

By GREG EVANS

Scripter Ron Nyswaner ("Philadelphia") and helmer Dan Algrant ("Naked in New York") will introduce pix at Columbia University's eighth annual showcase of student short films. Eleven films will be screened at the April 23 event.

Also lined up to intro pix are director Stacy Cochran ("My New Gun"), actor-director Bob Balaban, editor-director Ralph Rosenblum and fest chair Annette Insdorf.

New Line Cinema will present awards to the three top films, and Laurel Entertainment will honor three feature-length screenplays. Other awards also are planned.

Pix to be screened, starting at 7 p.m. at Symphony Space, are "Althea Faught" directed by Courtney Hunt; "Exchange Rate," Shipherd Reed; "Full Cycle," Shira-Lee Shalit; "If Only," John Daschback; "My Daughter's Son," Andrew Lund; "Orgasm of Hot Blood," Chris Dumas; "The Pissing Rain," Marco Martinez-Galarce; "Roig," Teresa De Pelegri; "Souvenir," Lisa Cholodenko; "Temptation," Darryl McCane; "Waiting for the General Decline," Jason Lucero.