UC SANTA BARBARA

Author: Dana Welch

Congratulations to James McNamara for the success of Cooper.

Congratulations to James McNamara for the success of Cooper, which is a television series that he created and serves as the show runner. See this recent review in Variety: https://variety.com/2023/global/global/series-mania-forum-co-pro-pitching-sessions-1235526262/  “Cooper,” (8 x 45 minutes, Australia, South Africa)Genre : Crime drama Produced by Kylie du Fresne for Goalpost Pictures and Nimrod Geva for Quizzical Pictures Written by … Continued

Stranger at the Gate

Mona Damluji served as consulting producer for the Oscar nominated short film Stranger at the Gate is distributed by the New Yorker and available to watch for free online.

Casting Announced for Disney+ Australian Original Series, The Artful Dodger, co-created by James McNamara

Dr. James McNamara, our esteemed colleague and lecturer in the department, just shared with us that casting was just announced for his show The Artful Dodger. Dr. McNamara is the showrunner for this production which is currently in Production with Disney+ in Sydney, Australia. We look forward to his return to teaching in Spring Quarter … Continued

Lisa Mierke ’10 named one of “The Hollywood Reporter’s 35 Rising Executives 35 and Under”

Meet The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen Class of 2022, a group of agents, managers, lawyers, and executives blazing their own paths while navigating an entertainment industry in a state of constant flux. See the article in the Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

Film and Media Studies Faculty Statement in Support of Graduate Student Workers

The Faculty in the UCSB Department of Film and Media Studies would like to voice our strong support for our teaching assistants and associates, currently on strike. In addition, we also want to express our solidarity with lecturers whose contract disallows more active involvement in the strike. We base our support on the dual recognition … Continued

Moon awarded Audience Choice Short at the San Diego International Film Festival.

UCSB film students Noah Hecht, Jon Peter Lewis, Kate Bellantoni, Joo Yeon Yoo, Jake Marone, and Luke Todd are returning from a weekend of celebration after their recent short film Moon was awarded Audience Choice Short at the San Diego International Film Festival. Created through FAMST’s 106 Crew Production program, the film follows a young … Continued

Unsettling California

Unsettling California

Ben Feigin ’97: In Memoriam

Ben Feigin ’97: In Memoriam The Department of Film and Media Studies is deeply saddened by the passing of Ben Feigin, 1997 UCSB alumni, who, amongst many other accolades and credits, was Executive Producer of “Schitt’s Creek.” The final season received an Emmy for outstanding comedy series, a Golden Globe for best musical or comedy … Continued

Congratulations to Pujita Guha on the 2022 Bikubenfonden Vision Exhibition Award

Pujita Guha, a PhD student in our program, has received one of Europe’s most prestigious and generous arts awards, the Bikubenfonden Vision Exhibition Award.  As one of the founders of The Forest Curriculum, she will be collaborating with the Laboratory for Aesthetics and Ecology and Tunisian curator Aziza Harmel through 2025 on the project Hosting … Continued

Disney+ just announced that James McNamara’s TV show, “The Artful Dodger,” is slated for production.

McNamara is the co-creator and will serve as showrunner. The department offers their congratulations on this marvelous accomplishment. For more information see: https://variety.com/2022/global/asia/disney-largest-australia-production-slate-1235269682/ “The Artful Dodger” is an international premium character drama set in 1850s Australia. It is a well-known and much-loved story, with a twist. Across eight episodes, the scripted series explores the adult … Continued