Marissa Kitazawa |

Returning to the Land of Slugs!

admin — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 04:41:14 +0000

I’m excited to announce, Lil Miss Hot Mess, is an official selection of the Santa Cruz Film Festival! I’ll be heading back to the Land of Banana Slugs on Sunday Nov 16. Little Miss Hot Mess will be playing at 4:45PM.

Come check out the film and the festival!

South Bay Stories: A Nikkei LGBTQ Forum For Everybody

admin — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 04:02:32 +0000

I have always enjoyed listening to people’s stories. This is probably why I’ve fallen in love with documentaries, the ability to share a heart felt real life story is always better than anything I could ever make up in the a fictional world. I was asked by the wonderful folks at the Japanese American Citizens League – Pacific Southwest District and the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute to design a flyer for one of their upcoming events. This event will highlight the stories of incredible individuals in the South Bay area and open a dialogue about the LGBTQ community.

When designing this flyer, I wanted to create a design that reflected the multifaceted stories of being apart of the LGBTQ community, while visually celebrating this event’s vibrant strength in sharing these stories.

If you’re free, please support and check out this historic event on October 4th, 1:30-3:30PM at the Gardena JCI.

Learn more about the Nikkei LGBTQ Initiative

VOTE for ‘Lil Miss Hot Mess’ Now Competiting in the Audience Awards’ LGBTQ Contest

admin — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 17:13:30 +0000

http://theaudienceawards.com/film/lil-miss-hot-mess11337

Social Documentation Grad Exhibition 2014

admin — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 03:42:39 +0000

Social Documentation Grad Exhibition 2014 – Wed. June 11, 6PM

An evening of documentary films from students of the Social Documentation program. Free and open to the public.

http://news.ucsc.edu/2014/05/soc-doc-screenings.html

Bread or Blood by Jack Chapman
Crenshaw by Lena Jackson
Legacy of Resilience by Marissa Kitazawa
Flatlands by Alex Melhuish
After the Crossfire: Memories of Violence and Displacement on the Northern Pacific Coast of Colombia by Ricardo A. Velasco

UCSC’s SocDoc program is a one-of-a-kind program designed for future documentarians committed to social change and to documenting communities, cultures, issues, and individuals. With training from professionals outstanding in their fields, students gain the skills and confidence to enter the increasingly sophisticated world of documentary production.

The event is co-sponsored by City of Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency and Nickelodeon Theaters, Inc.

Contact socdoc@ucsc.edu or (831) 459-3445 for more information

When:

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 – 6:00pm – 10:00pm

Location:

Del Mar Theater – Downtown Santa Cruz

8th annual screening of Soc Doc graduate films at Del Mar Theatre

admin — Thu, 29 May 2014 03:43:37 +0000

8th annual screening of Soc Doc graduate films at Del Mar Theatre

By Scott Rappaport

UC Santa Cruz presents the eighth annual exhibition of thesis films from the Film and Digital Media Department’s masters program inSocial Documentation on Wednesday, June 11, at the Del Mar Theater in downtown Santa Cruz.

Five engaging documentary films will be presented, beginning at 6 p.m. The student filmmakers will each be in attendance and available after the screenings to discuss their films.Amission is free, and the public is invited.This year’s Soc Doc cohort has created documentaries dealing with neglected and forgotten histories, such as Jack Chapman’s photographic and video work unearthing a journey of a radical American worker’s “army” in Bread or Blood, and Ricardo Velasco’s film, After the Crossfire, about memory, massacre and displacement in the remote village of Juradó, Colombia.Marissa Kitazawa’s Legacy of Resiliencetraces the legacy of Japanese-American social engagement across generations, while Lena Jackson’s Crenshawquestions the cost of public school “reconstitution” to local community members in South Los Angeles.Flatlands, Alex Melhuish’s bold documentary, follows the story of gun violence and survival in the Flatlands of East Oakland. “The work you will see is the culmination of an intense two years of immersion on the part of our students in documentary traditions and craft, scholarly research and analysis, aesthetic style, and fearless storytelling,” noted John Jota Leaños, Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor of Social Documentation.Since its inception in 2005, UCSC’sSocial Documentation Program has paired film students with faculty in a wide variety of departments, enabling deep research into film subjects and the roots of complex issues and cultures.Students in the program have earned grants and awards, distribution of their films, and festival exposure.”These social documentaries demonstrate the work of engaged scholarship and represent a new generation of media makers,” said Leaños.For more information, e-mailsocdoc@ucsc.edu or call (831) 459-3445.

Flatlands by Alex Melhuish

Legacy of Resilience by Marissa Kitazawa

Crenshaw by Lena Jackson

After the Crossfire by Ricardo A. Velasco