Part-time screenwriting professor Joshua Losben was selected in the 2019 FilmHouse Residency with his screenplay “The Unbabymoon”. The residency program is part of a non-profit Bay Area parent organization called the San Francisco International Film Festival.

“I’m excited to collaborate with other Bay Area filmmakers,” Losben said in an email interview with La Voz. “And I’m especially grateful to SFFILM for giving me the space and mentorship to help bring my own story to life.”

Losben teaches various levels of screenwriting classes in De Anza College and taught at College of San Mateo and CSU Northridge.

Prior to being a screenwriter, Losben was a touring singer/songwriter under the name Shwa Losben, independently releasing four albums and won the ASCAP Robert Allen Songwriting Award for his original song “Chop Chop.”

“Storytelling has been a passion for as long as I can remember,” said Losben. “As an undergraduate at American University, I hosted a Daily Show style news program and regularly taped comic segments.”

After earning bachelors in international politics at American University, Losben also attended sketch and improvisation classes at UCB Theatre before pursuing screenwriting.

Losben said improvisation classes inspired him to pursue other forms of storytelling. “I knew I wanted to dive deeper into my stories and applied to the USC Screenwriting MFA program.”

Losben said his screenplay, “The Unbabymoon”, is still in the screenwriting phase. “It’s a comedy feature told over a long weekend in San Francisco, and it centers around a family struggling to come together after personal tragedy.”

Apart from being a music artist or professor, Losben co-authored and directed several award-winning short films and webisodes.

“I’ve co-written a few screenplays and love the process of working with someone else,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to get real-time feedback and a little company!”

Losben credits his father as his inspiration and main influence for his sense of humor. “He was the funniest guy I knew, and he was a true believer in my work.”

Losben encourages students to try screenwriting and storytelling.

“You’ll learn the building blocks of visual storytelling, while discovering your authentic voice,” said Losben. “You have some incredible resources available to bring your stories to life, and it all starts with a script!”