Nonlinear Happiness

Laurie Tsou studied the fine arts at the University of California, Santa Barbara and received a B.A. in Art Studio and a B.A. in Art History. In her last semester, she wrote her very first screenplay on Microsoft Word and submitted it to the 2006 Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 10-10-10 Screenwriting competition. To her astonishment, she won first prize.||The following year, Laurie was accepted into the Cinematic Arts Graduate Production Program at the University of Southern California to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts degree. However, after completing her first year of film school, she left the program to write and direct two short films independent from USC. During her leave of absence, Laurie enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy and eventually wrote, directed, and shot a low-budget independent film there. She returned to USC soon thereafter and finished her M.F.A. degree in 2011.|