UCLA, LA Film Festival Partner to Support Socially Aware Filmmaking (Exclusive)

UCLA will sponsor a pair of panels about advocacy filmmaking

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television has partnered with the Los Angeles Film Festival to support filmmaking on subjects of social importance, they announced on Tuesday.

UCLA dean Teri Schwartz will host two panels during the upcoming festival, one on films made by immigrants and one about a broader array of issue-driven films.

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The first of those panels, set for June 15, is titled “Border Crossings: Migrant Storytellers.” Schwartz will talk with director Rodrigo Reyes, whose “Purgatorio” will unspool before the event, along with “I Was Born in Mexico, But…” director Corey Ohama and "Workers” director Pepe Valle.

The conversation will focus on immigration and the conflicting identities of someone who moves from one country to another. 

Two days later, Schwartz will host a conversation with a troika of individuals about supporting filmmakers who tackle sensitive subjects in their films. The panelists will be Brian Gott, program director for the Burkle Global Impact Initiative, and Jeffrey Z. Brez and Danielle Zapotoczny, both of the United Nations.

“Story can be an extraordinary force for good; for transformation; for positive social change,” Schwartz said in a statement. “Story has the infinite power to connect us across time and space, and frame the human narrative by transcending borders, cultures, boundaries and barriers. We are honored to partner this year with LAFF and Film Independent in support of this very important topic around social impact filmmaking.”

The Los Angeles Film Festival begins Thursday.

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