Alumni News

NEWS

Publisher Gives $6 Million to the School of Theater, Film and Television

      • An unprecedented gift of $6 million from newspaper publisher and philanthropist David C. Copley will endow a chair and an innovative new center for costume design at the School of TFT. The center will be the first of its kind in the world.

Festival of New Creative Work Lives On

      • Relive TFT’s Festival 2008 online where you can view all the film trailers and festival blog, which includes the latest posts, photos and videos interviews with filmmakers.

Award Recipients Honored at Festival 2008

Justin Lerner M.F.A. ’07 Wins Festroia Festival

      • Lerner's 2007 Director's Spotlight-winning film The Replacement Child won the top prize at Festroia Festival in Setubal, Portugal, a leading showcase for world cinema.

Check Out the UCLA Film and Theater Channels on YouTube

      • Video fans of the school can now view official school videos on YouTube. You can also view all videos at www.tft.ucla.edu/videos/all.

Alumnus Named One of Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch

      • Dan Mazeau credits his successes to the supportive, collaborative atmosphere fostered by his professors at the Professional Program in Screenwriting. His script for the family fantasy epic The Land of Lost Things won the Professional Program's Joie de Vivre Award.

Screenwriting Alumnus Put Words in Indiana Jones’ Mouth

      • David Koepp '90 has been instrumental in helping George Lucas and Steven Spielberg bring their iconic hero Indiana Jones to the big screen for the fourth time.

Arneson-Scripted Peck Wraps

      • Marc Arneson’s M.F.A. '06 script Peck nears filming completion. It’s about a high school student who lives under parental scrutiny and develops an unlikely friendship with the school's golden girl.

Alumnus Stars in The Who’s Tommy

      • Aleks Pevec ’07, fresh from a successful run in the L.A. production of Wicked, took on the title role in The Who's Tommy. The show ran from June 18-29 at the Ricardo Montalbán Theater in Hollywood.

Curt Beech M.F.A. ’03 Gets Smart

      • From Collateral (2004) to War of the Worlds (2006), Beech earns the latest in a string of illustrious credits as an assistant art director on the film remake of Get Smart.

ARTICLES

Hollywood Is Burning

By Jonathan Kuntz (June 7, New York Times)

UCLA visiting associate professor of film and television, Jonathan Kuntz, calls on major Hollywood studios to increase their efforts to preserve historic films following the destruction of several classic films prints in the recent Universal Studios fire.

Theater Companies Provide Bright Futures for Graduates

By Jenae Cohn (June 9, Daily Bruin)

Whether it’s joining an already-established theater company or starting one’s own, attempts to break into the business don’t have to end with donning a McDonald’s uniform.

On the Classroom Stage, He’s the Star

By Kristin Aoun (June 9, Daily Bruin)

Theater Professor Gary Gardner is beloved among past and current students for his kindness and teaching style.

Young Actor Takes the Stage as Children's Hero

By Herman Fuselier (June 20, theadvertiser.com)

Jesse Carrion ’05 used to play Paul in the national tour of Rent. Now he stars on stage on the children’s popular show Go, Diego, Go Live! The Great Jaguar Rescue.

Historic UCLA Student Film Released in U.K.

By Sukhdev Sandhu (June 20, Telegraph)

Charles Burnett’s ’69, M.F.A. ’77 film The Killer of Sheep, a ’70s black cinema classic and American masterpiece, was rereleased in London.

Caucus Will Honor Dean Rosen

By N'neka Hite (June 23, Variety)

TFT’s Dean Robert Rosen will be honored this month by the Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors for fostering creative talent and expanding the school’s efforts to incorporate new technologies.

Westwood Screens Welcome Bruin Movies

By Jake Ayres (June 23, Daily Bruin)

The Los Angeles Film Festival featured summer blockbusters alongside new independent films, Oscar winners alongside young guns, with more than a handful of Bruins involved.

Alumnus Teaches Value of Education

By Michelle Castillo (June 23, Daily Bruin)

Rickerby Hinds M.F.A. ’96 uses krump dancing, originating in South Central Los Angeles, to tell the story of the streets through performance.

Q & A with Andy Sacks ’87, Producer of The Closer

By Kim Wong (June 23, Daily Bruin)

From traveling to exploring jobs, discovering interests and extracurriculars to producing, Sacks tells all of his transition, from Westwood to Hollywood.

UCLA Pines for Film School Donations Comparable to USC's

By Lynn Smith (July 1, LA Times)

While millions of dollars have been funneling into USC's cinematic arts program from the likes of Spielberg, Lucas, Zemeckis and Howard, donations by UCLA alumni tend to finance worthy projects in other fields.

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