UCLA alumni made waves at the Creative Arts Emmys this year.
The 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony was held Sept. 5-6 at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, showcasing and celebrating the artistry that goes into television production. From cinematography to directing, two noteworthy UCLA alumni were nominated for their work.
Read on for Daily Bruin Arts contributors’ selection of UCLA alumni nominated this year.
[Related: Emmys 2026: Daily Bruin Arts predicts 78th Primetime Emmy Awards winners]
Mariska Hargitay (Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program – “My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay”)
Mariska Hargitay may be hosting the Emmys this year, but that isn’t stopping her from winning awards herself.
Hargitay, a UCLA alumnus who left the school before graduating to pursue acting, is best known for her role as Detective Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Hargitay’s performance in the successful series earned her Golden Globe and Emmy awards, along with becoming the highest-paid actress on television. The daughter of actors Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay, the Emmy-winning actress lost her mother at age 3 in a fatal car crash she and her two brothers survived. Growing up without her mother inspired Hargitay to uncover details about her mother’s private life, leading to the HBO Max documentary “My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay.”
“My Mom Jayne” seeks to uncover the buried details of Mansfield’s personal life and her bombshell persona as Hargitay attempts to connect with her late mother through art. The documentary was nominated for a total of three awards this year, including “Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program.” Ahead of the main ceremony, Hargitay won two out of three nominations for directing and producing the film at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys.
After taking home the gold for “My Mom Jayne,” Hargitay has certainly earned her spot as the host of TV’s biggest night.
– Kai Echeverria
Julie Dash (Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special – “Wanda Sykes: Legacy”)
This UCLA alumnus has spent decades spotlighting Black and female perspectives in her filmmaking.
Julie Dash, who received her master of fine arts from the School of Theater, Film and Television in 1985, was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special for her work on “Wanda Sykes: Legacy.” Sykes is an Emmy-winning comedian whose work spans television, film and screenwriting. She is also known for her decades of LGBTQ+ activism. Dash told the Daily Bruin in a recent interview that she appreciated the comedic talent and screen presence Sykes brought to the film.
[Related: Q&A: Emmy-nominated alumnus Julie Dash reflects on breaking barriers, building a legacy]
In 1991, Dash became the first African American woman to have a wide theatrical release in the United States for her film “Daughters of the Dust,” which portrays three generations of women descended from enslaved people attempting to migrate north. “Daughters of the Dust,” alongside Dash’s UCLA MFA senior thesis “Illusions,” is housed by the Library of Congress in the National Film Registry. Dash has also designed multiple museum exhibits for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is a professor at Spelman College.
While Dash sought to capture Wanda Sykes’ legacy in this project, she certainly has built an impressive one of her own.
– Julia Kinion
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