UCLA alumna Sheila Vand had few qualms when she quit the instruments and sports she played as a child. Ever since she started acting in middle school, however, she said she has never felt like quitting. Read more...
Photo: UCLA alumna Sheila Vand stars as an unnamed vampire in the Iranian-American film “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.” (Courtesy of Wes Klain)
Somewhere in the world there is a list of misunderstood historical figures that Benedict Cumberbatch should portray, and someone is slowly but surely crossing off each name. Read more...
Photo: (The Weinstein Company)
She frantically whispers into the dark, shakily choking out the facts: Her name is Katniss Everdeen. She was in the Hunger Games. She escaped. District 12 is gone. Read more...
Photo: (Lionsgate)
A troubled reverend has a question for God, but receives no response. Jay Weneta is out to find the answer in his senior thesis film, “Guest.” Weneta, a fourth-year film student, takes on issues of suffering and faith in his fictional dramatic thriller “Guest.” The short film will open with Reverend Thomas giving a sermon and asking the question: “Does suffering have meaning?” When met by silence from his congregation, Thomas must come to terms with the fact that he does not know the answer himself. Read more...
Photo: After playing on the UCLA football team as the long snapper, fourth-year film student Jay Weneta (above) said he decided to pursue a career in the film industry. Through a campaign on Indiegogo ending December, Weneta is raising funds to produce his thesis film “Guest,” a dramatic thriller that tackles issues of suffering and religion. (Jennifer Hu/Daily Bruin)
The rise of original online programming has revolutionized the way we consume television. But are any of these new shows actually worth watching? Up Next highlights noteworthy original content from Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Studios and examines how the flexible online format functions within each show. Read more...
Photo: “Video Game High School” is an action comedy web series independently produced by Freddie Wong’s RocketJump Studios and funded through Indiegogo and Kickstarter. Its series finale aired Monday on YouTube. (RocketJump Studios)
Bohemian artists and beatniks flocked to San Francisco in droves during the 1950s and 1960s. At the height of this wave of migration, legendary avant-garde filmmaker Bruce Conner made the city his home and began creating filmic assemblages that juxtaposed snippets of archived footage set to music. Read more...
Photo: “Crossroads,” a 1976 film directed by Bruce Conner, utilizes footage of nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. The film, scored by Patrick Gleeson and Terry Riley, will be screened Tuesday at the James Bridges Theater as part of Melnitz Movies. (Magnolia Editions)
AFI Fest, the longest-running international film festival in Los Angeles, took off at Hollywood Boulevard once more. Over the past week, directors from around the world, including new auteurs and renowned award-winners, made appearances at the TCL Chinese Theater, the Egyptian Theater and the Dolby Theatre to support their newest projects, with numerous awaiting fans in tow. Read more...
Photo: (American Film Institute)
