The Star Wars universe is populated with puffinlike aliens and weapons powered by crystals but in some ways, the fictional galaxy far, far away has come to resemble the world we live in – alien creatures aside, of course. Female protagonists have starred in the most recent three films and numerous characters of color round […]
Author Archives: Olivia Mazzucato
Alumnus helps direct play that aims to normalize transgender identity
Shen Heckel didn’t get the lead in “Rotterdam,” but the opportunity to work on a play about transgender identity made him determined to join the production. Heckel became the assistant director for the play, which tells the story of two women in a relationship as one struggles to come out to her parents, while her […]
Q&A: Alumnus describes working on “Coco,” seeing self represented on film
Jesus Martinez knew instantly that he wanted to work on “Coco” – it was one of the first times he saw a character on the big screen who looked like him when he was a kid. The UCLA alumnus had just finished working on “The Good Dinosaur” as a lighting manager when Pixar began putting […]
Album review: ‘reputation’
Taylor Swift’s “reputation” is more than just an album – it’s a story, and not the one listeners might expect. In what may be her most deliberate album yet, Swift interweaves two stories: her fall from grace in the public eye and a complex, difficult love story. Each individual track serves as a piece of […]
Second Take: “Crazy Rich Asians” casting raises questions on Asian identity, representation
“Crazy Rich Asians” is one of the few recent Hollywood films about Asians that doesn’t feature Matt Damon or Scarlett Johansson as the lead. Jokes aside, it is incredibly rare to see an American-studio produced, ensemble film about Asians that doesn’t feature a white actor – a feat that hasn’t happened since the 1993 film, […]
Students produce thriller focusing on online dating, avoid overused themes
“Bad Match” crams every fear that comes with online dating into one movie. The film, produced by fourth-year film and television students Keaton Heinrichs and Akiva Nemetsky, tells the story of a playboy who finally meets his match in a mysterious woman he meets online. However, her sweet facade fades as she slowly derails his […]
Student develops TV pilot based on grandfather’s post-WWII experience
Liz Buda’s grandfather survived the concentration camps of Dachau, Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Kaufering, only to face the difficult conditions of the black market in a postwar displaced persons camp. His story of survival and hardship inspired the MFA screenwriting student’s TV pilot script, “Zero Hour.” “Zero Hour” challenged Buda to craft a script that accurately […]