Monday, May 4

TFT alum tells history seventeen years in the making

After seventeen years in the making, Migdia Chinea is finally telling a story of her native Cuba. Chinea, who received a graduate degree in screenwriting from the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA, has worked as a writer on multiple television shows, including “Superboy,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “The Facts of Life” and “Punky Brewster.” She has also directed a few of her own short films, “The Kninth Floor,” “Anonymous (Street Meat)” and her latest, “Old Havana and the Great Pimp of San Isidro.” “Old Havana and the Great Pimp of San Isidro” is a historical fiction story of 1910 Havana centering around a man named Alberto Yarini, the titular “Great Pimp of San Isidro.” At this time the U.S. Read more...

Photo: Migdia Chinea, an alumni of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, directs a shot for her short film “Prince of Old Havana,” which portrays the life of Alberto Yarini, otherwise known as “The Great Pimp of San Pedro.” The film was shot mainly in her home in Glendale, California. (Courtesy of Sian Chen)


‘Made in L.A.’ 2014 at Hammer Museum displays work by artists like Max Maslansky

The original version of this article contained an error and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for more information. At first glance it seems to be just another painting on canvas. Read more...

Photo: Currently on display until Sept. 7 as part of the Hammer Museum’s biennial “Made in L.A. 2014,” Max Maslansky’s abstract-like paintings were inspired by vintage pornography stills from the late ’70s and early ’80s. Maslansky’s works are interested in exposing the subject matter’s depiction of intimacy, or lack thereof, in a comical way. (Courtesy of Brian Forrest)


Experimental jazz band Beep to play JazzPOP series

Beep is a band so open-minded and fluid that even the members are unable to put a finger on what type of music they play. “We play experimental jazz of sorts,” said Sam Ospovat, the band’s drummer. Read more...

Photo: (From left to right) Michael Coleman, Nate Brenner and Sam Ospovat of the band Beep jam in the studio. Beep, an electro-contemporary-jazz trio, will perform for the Hammer Museum’s annual summer concert series “JazzPOP.” (Courtesy of Hamilton Boyce)



Emerging Voices literary fellows to present work at Hammer Museum

Margaret Spilman, a 2014 Emerging Voices literary fellow, had just met her mentor, author Melanie Thorne, for the first time at a coffee shop. They completely lost track of time and hit it off so well that Spilman received a parking ticket – the best one she had ever received, she said. Read more...

Photo: Offered by the PEN Center USA, the Emerging Voices Fellowship provides support for aspiring writers who lack formal training or financial backing to pursue their literary aspirations. The works of the 2014 fellows will be publicly presented at the UCLA Hammer Museum on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Casey Curry)


Q&A: ‘Hollywood Exiles in Europe’ unearths work by blacklisted filmmakers

The UCLA Film and Television Archive welcomes the once-banned voices of blacklisted American filmmakers to the Billy Wilder Theater in its current series, “Hollywood Exiles in Europe.” The series uncovers and showcases the rare works of these filmmakers during the Cold War era and attempts to inform the local community about the diverse American film culture that took place in a dark period of film history. Read more...

Photo: UCLA alumnus Paul Malcolm is the co-curator of “Hollywood Exiles in Europe,” a series of blacklisted films produced in the Cold War era. The film series will be showcased at the Billy Wilder Theater through August. (UCLA Film and Television Archive)


Keeping up with college fashion

College is scary – new buildings, new classes, new people. It’s daunting for incoming students to process all of that in addition to worrying about being fully clothed on a day-to-day basis. Read more...

Photo: (Madeleine Isaacs / Daily Bruin senior staff)