|
The Carsey-Wolf Center welcomes you to Spring quarter! We’re delighted to have you back at the Pollock Theater as our Connectivity series continues with an exciting lineup of screenings, conversations, and special events. This quarter’s programming explores themes of social connection and collective engagement, highlighting how media bring us together in new and unexpected ways. Join us for screenings of Network, Riceboy Sleeps, and Only in Theaters—with more to be announced!
Want to keep up with all the latest CWC news? Check us out on Instagram, Facebook, and Letterboxd for timely event announcements and more.
| | Upcoming Pollock Theater Events | |
| | |
Connectivity: Network
Saturday, April 4 / 2:00 PM
Network (1976) offers a satirical look at the corporate and media forces shaping modern life in the 1970s. The film’s portrait of media spectacle, corporate control, and audience complicity remains remarkably prescient; its anxieties about television’s role in shaping public consciousness resonate powerfully in today’s digital era of intensified media conglomeration and political fragmentation.
The Carsey-Wolf Center is proud to present the new 4K restoration of Network for this 50th anniversary screening. Our screening will be accompanied by a critical and historical introduction by Jason Ludwig (Film and Media Studies, UCSB).
| | | |
| | |
CWC Global: The Burning: The Untold Story of Africa's Refugee Crisis
Tuesday, April 7 / 7:00 PM
The Burning takes audiences across the world’s deadliest migration route: the Mediterranean Sea. Filmed undercover over the course of ten years and across twelve countries, The Burning brings the untold story of Africa’s refugee crisis to light.
Filmmaker Isabella Alexander-Nathani will join moderator Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky (Global Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of The Burning. This event is presented as part of the UNAFF Traveling Film Festival Santa Barbara.
| | | |
| | |
CWC Docs: The Other Roe
Thursday, April 9 / 7:00 PM
The Other Roe (2026) uncovers the story of Doe v. Bolton, a historic Supreme Court case that was decided on the same day as Roe v. Wade, yet has largely been erased from public memory. The film centers on Margie Pitts Hames, a trailblazing civil rights attorney whose courage and brilliance were essential to the modern fight for bodily autonomy. As the nation revisits battles over reproductive freedom, The Other Roe brings forward a missing element of this landmark moment.
Director Wendy Eley Jackson (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) will join moderator Laury Oaks (Feminist Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of The Other Roe.
| | | |
| | |
Connectivity: Riceboy Sleeps
Thursday, April 16 / 7:00 PM
Riceboy Sleeps (2022) is a tender and deeply personal work written, produced, edited, and directed by Anthony Shim. The film traces the bond between a Korean single mother and her son as they build a life in the suburbs of Canada in the 1990s. Anchored by delicate performances and graceful long takes, Riceboy Sleeps is a moving portrait of diasporic working-class identity and the connections between parents and children.
Filmmaker Anthony Shim will join moderator Miguel Penabella (Carsey-Wolf Center, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Riceboy Sleeps.
This event is presented in conjunction with UCSB Reads. The program’s 2026 selection is Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. For tickets to Zauner’s free public lecture on Thursday, May 7, please visit this page.
| | | |
| | |
Connectivity: Only in Theaters
Tuesday, April 21 / 7:00 PM
Only in Theaters (2022), a film by actor/director Raphael Sbarge, is an intimate and moving journey taken with the Laemmle family, spanning nearly three years of challenges, losses, and personal triumphs. Laemmle Theatres, the beloved 84-year-old arthouse cinema chain in Los Angeles, is facing seismic change and financial pressure. Yet the family behind this multigenerational business—whose sole mission has been to support the art of film—is determined to survive.
Documentary participant Greg Laemmle and filmmaker Raphael Sbarge will join Ross Melnick (interim Dick Wolf Director of the Carsey-Wolf Center) for a post-screening discussion of Only in Theaters and the future of arthouse cinema.
| | | |
| | |
Connectivity: Grand Theft Hamlet
Saturday, April 25 / 2:00 PM
In Grand Theft Hamlet (2024), actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen find themselves out of work when theaters shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Uncertain about their futures, they turn to the virtual space of Grand Theft Auto Online, embarking on the improbable project of casting and producing a live staging of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet within the game’s chaotic landscape.
This event will not feature a screening of the documentary. The format for this event will be a live discussion between filmmakers Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls, and moderator Miguel Penabella (Carsey-Wolf Center, UCSB). They will discuss the making of Grand Theft Hamlet, and the process of casting, producing, rehearsing, and staging a live production of Hamlet in Grand Theft Auto Online.
Presented in conjunction with the UCSB Library exhibition Infinite Variety: The Many Lives of Shakespeare’s Texts.
| | | |
| | |
Connectivity: Storming Caesars Palace
Tuesday, April 28 / 7:00 PM
Directed by Hazel Gurland-Pooler, Storming Caesars Palace (2022) chronicles the life of Ruby Duncan, who rose from hotel maid to prominent protester, movement organizer, and White House advisor while fighting to defend and expand welfare rights in Las Vegas. To combat unjust accusations of fraud, Duncan organized a feminist civil rights movement led by low-income mothers demanding dignity, democratic participation, and a guaranteed basic income.
Following the screening, director Hazel Gurland-Pooler will join moderator Chelsea Kai Roesch (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a discussion of Storming Caesars Palace and its enduring relevance today.
| | | |
| | |
Connectivity: Star Wars:
A New Hope
Monday, May 4 / 7:00 PM
Luke Skywalker begins a journey that will change the galaxy in Star Wars: A New Hope. Nineteen years after the formation of the evil Galactic Empire, Luke is thrust into the struggle of the Rebel Alliance when he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has lived for years in seclusion on the desert planet of Tatooine. Obi-Wan begins Luke’s Jedi training as Luke joins him on a daring mission to rescue Rebel leader Princess Leia from the clutches of Darth Vader and the evil Empire.
The Carsey-Wolf Center is proud to present a special May the Fourth screening of Star Wars: A New Hope, accompanied by a critical and historical introduction by Ross Melnick (interim director of the Carsey-Wolf Center), who will discuss the film’s relationship to our yearlong programming series Connectivity.
© & TM Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.
| | | | News from the Carsey-Wolf Center | |
| | |
How to Get In: A Workshop with Director/Producer Paris Barclay
Applications due by midnight on Wednesday, April 1, 2026!
On Saturday, April 11, explore your filmmaking aspirations with a specialized workshop designed exclusively for UCSB students, led by Emmy Award-winning director/producer Paris Barclay. This unique opportunity offers insights into breaking into the industry through a practical curriculum encompassing resume building, effective self-pitching, and realistic interview scenarios with Barclay.
We welcome students from all disciplines, but require evidence of experience in media production.
| | | |
| | |
UCSB Alum and Editor Andy Jurgensen wins Academy Award
Congratulations to Andy Jurgensen for winning Best Editing at the 98th Academy Awards! The UCSB Film and Media Studies alum cut Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film, One Battle After Another, which also took home Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Best Casting. In October, Andy joined our own Miguel Penabella for an insightful post-screening discussion of the film. Revisit their conversation and check out KEYT's coverage of Andy's amazing achievement here.
| | | |
| | |
Storytelling for the Screen Summer Institute: Advanced Television Writing Workshop
Deadline to apply: Wednesday, April 15 (for primary consideration)
The Carsey-Wolf Center’s Storytelling for the Screen summer institute is a six-week, eight-credit intensive capstone TV writing workshop. The program will teach students how to develop and write a show bible for an original scripted series and how to plan and write a pilot script. It will also strongly emphasize story and model the industry-standard TV development process, with pitches, simulated writers’ rooms, and weekly talks from distinguished industry guests.
| | | |
| | |
Now Hiring! 2026-27 Student Staff Positions
Applications due by midnight on Sunday, April 19, 2026!
If you're passionate about film and television and eager to build skills in theater management and digital video production, a staff position at the Carsey-Wolf Center could be a great fit for you! Student staff at the CWC play a key role in supporting the Center's work helping create a memorable moviegoing experience for Pollock Theater patrons. Staff gain hands-on experience in a wide range of tasks, from pre-event promotion and live event production to multi-cam shooting, editing, and publishing event videos.
Prior production experience is not required, though it is welcome.
| | | |
| | |
CWC Internship Scholarship Program
Summer internships: applications due May 15
The Carsey-Wolf Center’s Internship Scholarship Program provides UCSB students with funding to pursue internships in media. Internships may be hosted by traditional media companies or nonprofit organizations. This highly competitive program is designed to provide talented and motivated students with financial assistance in exploring careers in media. Up to $2500 in funding is available during the summer or the academic year to help defray living expenses for interns who are taking part in paid or unpaid internships.
| | | | | | |
