Film & Digital Media
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Alumna Reyna Grande named to Kirkus Reviews’ list of best books of the 21st century
Grande’s memoir, ‘A Dream Called Home’, chronicles Grande’s journey to UC Santa Cruz and becoming a best-selling author
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John Jota Leaños selected as new Interim Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division
The University of California, Santa Cruz brought on a new Interim Assistant Dean of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for the Arts Division. John Jota Leaños, a professor of Film and Digital Media (FDM) and Guggenheim Fellow, is a Mexican/Italian-American and Chumash-award winning interdisciplinary artist, documentarian, animator, and social art practitioner whose work engages the intersections…
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Dean of Arts Celine Parreñas Shimizu’s newest work addresses sexuality and the importance of higher education and relationships between women in forging one’s power
Renowned filmmaker, film scholar, distinguished professor, and Dean of the Arts Division at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Celine Parreñas Shimizu will premiere her latest film at the 27th San Francisco’s Independent Film Festival on Friday, February 7, 2025 at the Roxie Theater.
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Award-winning independent filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-ha visits UC Santa Cruz
On Friday December 6th, 2024, University of California, Santa Cruz welcomed to campus the internationally acclaimed independent filmmaker, music composer and scholar Trinh T. Minh-ha for a screening of her 2022 documentary, What About China?.
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Professor Elliot Anderson named the inaugural director of the new AI lab for the Arts Division
The Arts Division’s new AI lab on campus, A4, has an inaugural director. Professor Elliot Anderson, who is also the chair of the Art Department, is using his years of experience bridging art and technology to run the new lab.
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UC Santa Cruz professor Anna Friz wins international prize in radio
Anna Friz, an associate professor of Film and Digital Media, has been raking in awards and honors. The multi-disciplinary artist who took a sabbatical last winter after receiving a Guggenheim fellowship, recently received the Karl Sczuka Prize for radio from SWR Germany.
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New AI-driven multimedia lab bridges art and technology
This year the UC Santa Cruz Art Division is introducing a state-of-the-art AI multimedia lab. The Ai Art Augmentation and Acceleration Lab, also known as A4, is aimed at assisting students across the Arts Division and includes $50,000 dollars worth of state-of-the-art equipment.
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Welcome the new faculty in the Arts Division
As a new quarter starts, the Arts Division is welcoming eight new faculty members who represent the creativity, diversity, and thoughtfulness that are key pieces of the division’s identity.
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UC Santa Cruz alumnus named semi-finalist in Student Academy Awards
Despite having only graduated last June, John Ortiz (M.F.A. ‘24, Social Documentation) is already finding success in the film industry. His documentary, Jerhy, is in the running for a Student Academy Award. He and his film currently rank as semi-finalists in the documentary category.
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Iconic concert film ‘Stop Making Sense’ playing at the Quarry Amphitheater
Of the many iconic figures who’ve come to Kresge Hall, none seem to be remembered as widely or as fondly as Talking Heads. Their 1977 performance and its history is what, in-part, led Jose Reyes-Olivas, the events and facilities general manager of the Quarry Amphitheater, to host a showing of the bands 1984 concert film…
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UC Santa Cruz alumna receives prestigious Sundance Fellowship
Brenda Avila-Hanna, who finished her MFA in Social Documentary in 2013, has won a prestigious fellowship at Sundance as part of their Producer Program. Her new film which combines fiction and documentary is her second ever feature film.
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The UC Santa Cruz Film and Digital Media Department celebrates 25 years
The Film and Digital Media Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz proudly marks 25 years, celebrating a legacy of success and innovation.