UC Santa Barbara (Audio)

Filmmakers Joyce García and Alvaro Parra join moderator Alexandra Lippman to discuss their two documentaries on cumbia sonidera, or Colombia-inspired dance music, in Mexico City and Los Angeles, "Yo No Soy Guapo" and “Sonidero Metropolis.” They explore the cultural significance of the sonidero in shaping regional music scenes and tastes, as well as the impacts of migration patterns, diasporic experiences, and technological and generational changes in transforming cumbia culture. They also share their insights on the experiences and difficulties in documenting the protagonists of their films, and the surprising lives those figures lead both professionally and personally. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38944]

Doris Berger, co-curator of Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898-1971 at the Academy Museum, joins moderator Peter Bloom to discuss the film Carmen Jones and the legacy of actress Dorothy Dandridge. Berger explains the backstory of how the Regeneration exhibition was originally conceived and developed, detailing her experiences digging through archival materials and discovering materials from films with all-Black casts in the 1920s and 30s. She also discusses her perspective on Carmen Jones and its significance to film history, as well as on the career of Dorothy Dandridge, from early soundies like Cow Cow Boogie to late career works like Porgy and Bess. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38894]

Writer/director Maysoon Pachachi joins moderator Mona Damluji for a discussion of her film "Our River...Our Sky," which tells the story of ordinary people living in Baghdad under occupation. Pachachi details the origin of the project and the film’s early development, including casting considerations and lessons learned from her documentary work. She also discusses the political contexts of the film and how life in Iraq changed as a result of civil war and occupation, and how real-world stories inspired the film. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38945]

Director Julia Mintz and executive producer Eva Haller engage in a post-screening discussion of their film Four Winters, where they provide insights into the making of the documentary. Mintz details the process of collecting and editing footage of countless interview subjects to tell the heroic story of Jewish partisans during the Second World War, and Haller emphasizes the importance of sharing those stories for posterity. They recount personal stories of loved ones and their experiences during the war, and reflect on the challenges and significance of revisiting and preserving history. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38895]

Roman Koropeckyj, Professor in the Department of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Languages & Cultures at UCLA, joins moderator Sasha Razor for a discussion of Sergei Parajanov’s film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, sharing insight into Ukrainian culture and history. Koropeckyj discusses the making of the film and details the complexities of Ukrainian culture and history, including the Hutsul ethnic group around which the film revolves. They contextualize the political volatility during the film’s production and broaden discussion to a longer history of Ukrainian oppression, all the way to contemporary struggles. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38876]

Ray Santisteban, director and producer, joined Ben Olguin, the director of the global Latinidades project of UCSB, in the Carsey Wolf center to talk about his documentary Time of the Phoenix: The First Rainbow Coalition. In their discussion, Ray Santisteban mentions how he came to make this documentary and how he started his film making career. He also talks about how documentary film-making enables him to do what Hollywood film making does not. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38821]

Production designer Akin McKenzie joined moderator Mireille Miller-Young (Feminist Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of his work in visualizing the world of The Woman King. The discussion revolved around McKenzie’s extensive research from out-of-print books, photos, and other archival materials to disentangle complex historical events from colonial revisionism. McKenzie also detailed his collaboration process with director Gina Prince-Bythewood and shared thoughts on Black representation in Hollywood and the future of Black cinema. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38875]

Writer/director Antonio Dikele Distefano and scholar/filmmaker Fred Kuwornu discuss the film Autumn Beat with Claudio Fogu. Distefano details his experiences writing books and magazines and his transition to cinematic work, as well as his experiences growing up as a young Black man in Italy. Kuwornu elaborates on the evolving Black cultural renaissance in Italy and the struggles involved with it. They reflect on the themes of the film, including disability, parenthood, self-expression, and legacies of colonialism, all of which center on a story about the Italian rap scene. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38820]

Moderator Peter Bloom is joined by Kim Knowles and Carrie Noland for a discussion of how contemporary experimental film represents multi-species relationships and dependencies. Together, they consider how experimental cinema can animate alternative understandings of the relations between human and non-human animals. Addressing questions of genre, style, narration, and performance, Knowles, Noland and Bloom highlight the political and aesthetic complexity of the cinematic representation of animals. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38777]

Patrice Petro and E. Ann Kaplan discuss Irving Rapper’s classic 1942 melodrama, Now, Voyager. Together, Petro and Kaplan situate the film historically in the context of the Second World War and the changing dynamics of the domestic and public spheres. They also address the film’s unique depiction of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, and consider its complex representation of mother-daughter relationships. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38776]

Co-writer and co-director Jessica Woodworth joined moderator Stephen N. Borunda (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of her film Altiplano and the process of developing a film about environmental and indigenous exploitation in Peru. Woodworth reflected on the role of music in shaping the emotional experience of the film. She also shared details of how current ecological issues and the culture of the region contributed to the narrative. Moreover, she discussed the real-life mercury spill and locally produced photography under the TAFOS project in Peru from 1986 to 1998 as key elements that contributed to the development of the film and its ideas. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38775]

Moderator Cristina Venegas joined Chicano and Chicana Studies Professors Gerardo Aldana, Giovanni Batz, and Daina Sanchez to discuss Wakanda Forever and Indigenous Worldbuilding. Professor Gerardo Aldana served as a consultant on the film’s representation of Mesoamerican cultures and played the role of UN assembly chairperson in the film. The panel discussed the politics of representation and the film’s themes of displacement and diaspora. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38744]

Guests Elizabeth Gabler (President, 3000 Pictures) and Marisa Paiva (Executive Vice President, 3000 Pictures) join moderator Emily Zinn (Associate Director, Carsey-Wolf Center) for a post-screening discussion of their 2022 adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s classic, Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Together, Gabler and Paiva discuss how they came to adapt D.H. Lawrence’s classic novel for through a feminist lens for a contemporary audience. They also address the challenges of bringing classic works to the screen through creative collaboration, and the key role of screenwriter David Magee in bringing Lawrence’s language and voice to life. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38719]

Composer and filmmaker Clarence Barlow joined moderator Peter Bloom (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Barlow’s pioneering work on composition and experimental film, including: Uccelli Ungheresi (1988), Kuri Suti Bekar (1998), Estudio Siete (1995/2015), )ertur( (2015), Evanescent Evidence (2021), and Zero Crossing (2001). Barlow shared insights on the development of his films and the importance and use of sound, particularly his unique approach to tonality and metricism. He also reflected on his long career and his fascination with mapping sound to visual media. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38717]

Guests Trinankur Banerjee (Film & Media Studies, UCSB) and Bishnupriya Ghosh (Global Studies & English, UCSB) join moderator Bhaskar Sarkar (Film & Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Satyajit Ray’s The Hero (1966). Together, Ghosh, Sarkar and Banerjee discuss how The Hero became one of Ray’s most iconic films thanks in part to the star power of beloved screen couple Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore. They also consider how Ray deftly explores themes of stardom and celebrity in the contest of the Indian film industry. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38716]

Guests Pujita Guha (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) and Bishnupriya Ghosh (Global Studies & English, UCSB) join moderator Bhaskar Sarkar (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Satyajit Ray’s The Golden Fortress (1974). Together, Guha, Ghosh, and Sarkar discuss the literary origins of Ray’s film, its popular appeal in the 1970s in India, and how it helps us to better understand Ray as a maker of popular genre film. They also discuss how Ray channeled influences from science fiction, detective fiction, travelogues, and other popular genres to create a distinctive and iconic body of cinematic work. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38715]

Director James Hayman joins moderator Patrice Petro, (Dick Wolf Director of the Carsey-Wolf Center) for a post-screening discussion of episode 51 of The Sopranos. Together, they explore how Hayman created a riveting, nuanced portrait of mafia and family life. Hayman offers insights into matching the darkly comedic style of the series, and how his education in film and media studies has shaped his work. He also addresses the relationship between cinematography, direction, and storytelling, and how these elements work together in the penultimate conclusion to season four. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38734]

Moderator Ben Olguín joined filmmaker Ellie Walton and poet Sami Miranda for a post-screening discussion of the documentary La Manplesa: An Uprising Remembered. Together, they discussed the importance of artistic collaboration and community, the relationship between art and activism, and current events that echo the story of injustice in DC’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Walton reflected on the experiences that compelled her to create this documentary, and Miranda shared his personal discovery of his grandfather’s old photographs, which helped him better understand his own artistic practice. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38621]

Moderator Bhaskar Sakar joined Professor Moinak Biswas, Professor Emerita Supriya Chaudhuri, and graphic illustrator-designer Pinaki De for a post-screening discussion of two films by Satyajit Ray, The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) and The Kingdom of Diamonds (Hirak Rajar Deshe). Together, they addressed the personal background of Satyajit Ray, his contributions to Indian cinema, the historical and political contexts of the films, and their artistic significance. Pinaki De elaborated on the significant detail and craftsmanship of Ray’s set design, while Supriya Chaudhuri and Moinak Biswas weighed in on the political and literary influences of the films. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38564]

Lei Li is an assistant professor in Computer Science Department at University of California Santa Barbara. His research interest lies in natural language processing, machine translation, and AI-powered drug discovery. He received his B.S. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 38476]