The UCSB Current recently profiled the work of Gerardo Aldana, professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UCSB, as consultant for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). The article discusses Aldana's work with director Ryan Coogler in refining the script and representing indigeneity and Mesoamerican culture onscreen. Aldana will share his knowledge for our continuing Big Screen series this winter with a sold-out screening and discussion of Wakanda Forever and indigenous worldbuilding.

The UCSB Current recently published an article detailing the return of contemporary experimental composer and Music Professor Emeritus Clarence Barlow to campus with The Films of Clarence Barlow event this Fall. Barlow and event moderator Peter Bloom briefly shared their perspectives on the films and their significance.

Florence Ayisi—Professor of International Documentary Film (University of South Wales, UK) and award-winning filmmaker, scholar, and activist—will visit UC Santa Barbara to discuss her documentary practice. This event is free and open to all, and will take place at the McCune Conference Room, HSSB 6020, on October 17 (Monday) from 6:00-8:00PM. Organized by Jude Akudinobi, PhD (Black Studies Department) and Elizabeth Ayuk-Etang, PhD (IIE-SRF Fellow, UCSB). Sponsored by The Africa Center, the Black Studies Department, the Film and Media Studies

The UCSB Current recently published an article profiling the Fall 2022 "Big Screen" series featuring four films by Satyajit Ray, presented in conjunction with the "Satyajit Ray and the Sense of Wonder" conference. Speaking with Film and Media Studies professor Bhaskar Sarkar—moderator of two upcoming events and co-organizer of the conference with English and Global Studies professor Bishnupriya Ghosh—The Current details upcoming screenings of The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha, The Kingdom of Diamonds, The Golden Fortress, and The Hero.

The UCSB Department of Art Visiting Artist Colloquium features nine synchronous Artist Talks that are scheduled each Thursday evening from 5:00-6:50 (September 22nd through December 1st) in UCSB’s Embarcadero Hall in Isla Vista (unless on Zoom). All lectures are free and open to the public. Nao Bustamante | October 13th This talk is co-sponsored but the Department of Art, the Carsey-Wolf Center, and the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies. Nao Bustamante is an internationally known artist from the San Joaquin Valley in California. She