UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

09/02/2026

Take a closer look at the L.A. Rebellion and contemporary filmmaking at UCLA!

📅 October 2–3, 2026
📍 James Bridges Theater

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and UCLA Law’s Doc Film Legal Clinic, in association with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, will come together to celebrate the social movement that transformed American cinema and honor the filmmakers who continue to center their communities, challenge dominant representations and create new and needed forms of storytelling.

Join us for:
🎥 Film screenings + director conversations
💬 Panels with filmmakers, impact strategists + scholars
🤝 Networking opportunities
🥂 Refreshments + more

RSVP to attend: tinyurl.com/uclaimpactsummit

08/25/2026

Have you seen the news? TFT’s Professional Programs was listed in MovieMaker’s Best Film Schools list!

Thanks for listing the Professional Programs, MovieMaker! https://www.moviemaker.com/best-film-schools-us-and-canada-2026/

08/19/2026

You may have heard that a new professor is on her way to TFT this coming academic year. Welcome to our newest artist-in-residence: Lauren (Keke) Palmer!

The residency, titled “Know Yourself, Own Yourself, Free Yourself to Build New Frameworks for Change,” will cover Palmer’s perspective on her career as a multihyphenate while examining the intellectual frameworks that have informed it.

Taught in three sessions, the residency is curated by Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu, who has designed a program of assigned readings for students in collaboration with Palmer that draw on critical theory, philosophy, and Black feminist thought. Each session will be open to TFT students, with more information to be announced soon.

Read more on the Daily Bruin 🔗 https://bit.ly/4qrTRO0

08/12/2026

Kinda chic to be at TFT. 🎭🎬🌟

08/12/2026

🎬 BEHIND THE SCENES: What does it take to make it in the “new Hollywood”?

TFT Director of Development Christy Colburn joined the 2026 John H. Mitchell Scholars Summit last week at Warner Bros. Discovery. Colburn sat down with Dan Dark, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Studio Operations, for a conversation and Q&A about navigating and building a career in today’s evolving entertainment industry. Scholars also got an inside look at the studio with a lot tour.

The John H. Mitchell Scholars program is designed to facilitate learning in the business of the cinematic arts with scholarships provided by the Patricia W. Mitchell Trust, named in honor of television programming pioneer John H. Mitchell. The program supports students from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, USC and the University of Michigan, providing opportunities for learning and collaboration beyond the individual campuses.

07/28/2026

Congratulations to Department of Theater Professor Jennifer Chang on winning the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for Live Special Events – Programming!

Professor Chang was honored for her work as a writer on the 66th Annual LA County Holiday Celebration on PBS SoCal. The award was presented on Saturday at the Skirball Cultural Center.

We're also proud to celebrate the members of the UCLA TFT community who contributed to this award-winning production, including Jonathan Burke as sound designer, alumnus Pablo Santiago (’13) as lighting designer, and former lecturer Jason Thompson as projection designer.

Congratulations to all on this well-deserved recognition! 💙💛


[Image descriptions: Three individuals stand holding Emmy awards at the Los Angeles Area Emmys event. They are smiling in front of a backdrop featuring the Emmy logo and branding.]

07/22/2026

From a collection of more than 1,300 puppets at the Fowler to TFT's own curriculum, the art of puppetry has roots that run deep at UCLA.

In the latest issue of UCLA Magazine, meet TFT alum Kelsey Kato ('19) and Department of Theater faculty member Perry Daniel, whose work celebrates the ways in which puppetry can spark imagination, preserve cultural traditions and connect with audiences of all ages.

Read how they're carrying this vibrant art form into the future. 🔗 https://newsroom.ucla.edu/magazine/puppets-fowler-museum-theater-performing-arts

07/17/2026

Today, we proudly celebrate Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu Celine Parreñas Shimizu on receiving The Diamond Award: Crown Jewel Excellence in Cultural Scholarship, Film & Transformative Storytelling from the Not Alone Foundation.

A testament to her career, this honor celebrates Dean Celine’s dedication to scholarship, artistic innovation, and amplifying stories that shape culture and community. Through her work, she has challenged dominant narratives, elevated underrepresented voices, and inspired generations of artists to reimagine whose stories are told.

In her acceptance remarks at today’s ceremony in Atlanta, Dean Celine reflected on the transformative power of education in the arts. “The university emancipated me[...] I want that power for everyone,” she said. She reaffirmed her commitment to leading with integrity and courage, championing the next generation of creatives and scholars.

Congratulations, Dean Celine, on this well-deserved recognition. Your vision, leadership, and dedication continue to shape TFT and remind our community that scholarship and art have the power to transform the world around us.

07/14/2026

We are proud to announce that the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and the Sundance Institute are joining forces in a landmark multi-year collaboration to empower the next generation of filmmakers, storytellers, scholars, and creative innovators.

Launching this fall and building over the next five years, the joint effort will connect TFT's world-renowned film education with the Sundance Institute's unparalleled artist development programs and the global Sundance Collab community. Together, the partnership will create new pathways for students through a Digital Hub, immersive professional development experiences with UCLA at Sundance, summer programming with Sundance at UCLA, annual summits, and an innovative certificate program opportunities to explore the future of storytelling.

By bridging the classroom with the independent film industry, TFT and Sundance Institute celebrate and uplift what makes these institutions so powerful: innovative voices, independent perspectives, and impactful storytelling.

“This is what it looks like when the premier institution for independent film comes to the premier public film school and says, ‘Let's build something together.’ Sundance has always been the place where independent voices are found and championed. TFT has always been the place where those voices are forged — in craft, in method, in authorship,” Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu said in today’s announcement.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/iPPq50ZnwjK

06/19/2026

This , we're celebrating storytelling, history, and trailblazing artistry.

Department of Theater playwriting alumna Angelica Chéri ('09) is making Broadway history as the first Black woman to write both the book and lyrics of an entirely original Broadway musical. Her new musical, WANTED, tells the mostly true story of Mary and Martha Clarke—two sisters who went from farm girls to outlaws to legends.

With music by Ross Baum and direction by Tony Award nominee Stevie Walker-Webb, WANTED begins previews October 15 and opens November 8 at the James Earl Jones Theatre. The New York Times called it “a thrillingly original new musical” with “a powerhouse score.”

Congratulations to Angelica on this remarkable achievement and on bringing a previously untold piece of American history to the Broadway stage.