Although the Sundance Film Festival may now be known as well for gift baskets and celebutante appearances in the press as for underground film, it’s always comforting to know that the Institute behind the festival continues to serve the goal of nurturing aspiring filmmakers, including those from UCLA.
Author Archives: Jake Ayres
Performances disappoint at hip-hop awards show
After watching all of the hosts of BET’s “Rap City” get emotional about the end of their 20-year run as the premiere hip-hop music video show, BET decided to run a replay of the 2008 BET Hip-Hop Awards. I naturally took this opportunity to watch the whole thing, since I had missed the original broadcast.
Alumnae reunion yields quiet little film
Normally UCLA film students are eager to go their separate ways, but three recent UCLA graduate film program alumni have stuck together long enough to produce a feature film that won the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival and has been accepted as an official selection of the AFI FEST .
Music videos maintain popularity as countdown shows get axed
The best treat I got this Halloween wasn’t my very own cigarette holder, a fun size milky way or my abortive trip to West Hollywood. It was Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.’s video for his newest single “Mrs. Officer.”
You can’t stop the beat
Let me hand in my late pass in advance, because this topic has already been chewed to death out on the “Internets.”
Grad student honored for meaningful short film
It’s not every day that a current UCLA film student is handed a prize from the president of Black Entertainment Television, the creator of “NYPD Blue,” the director of “L.A. Confidential” and “8 Mile,” and … the executive vice president of the AARP?
Britney’s “˜Womanizer’ a bid for pop relevancy
She’s back.