UC Santa Barbara (Audio)

Moderator Cristina Venegas joined Chicano and Chicana Studies Professors Gerardo Aldana, Giovanni Batz, and Daina Sanchez to discuss Wakanda Forever and Indigenous Worldbuilding. Professor Gerardo Aldana served as a consultant on the film’s representation of Mesoamerican cultures and played the role of UN assembly chairperson in the film. The panel discussed the politics of representation and the film’s themes of displacement and diaspora. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38744]

Guests Elizabeth Gabler (President, 3000 Pictures) and Marisa Paiva (Executive Vice President, 3000 Pictures) join moderator Emily Zinn (Associate Director, Carsey-Wolf Center) for a post-screening discussion of their 2022 adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s classic, Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Together, Gabler and Paiva discuss how they came to adapt D.H. Lawrence’s classic novel for through a feminist lens for a contemporary audience. They also address the challenges of bringing classic works to the screen through creative collaboration, and the key role of screenwriter David Magee in bringing Lawrence’s language and voice to life. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38719]

Composer and filmmaker Clarence Barlow joined moderator Peter Bloom (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Barlow’s pioneering work on composition and experimental film, including: Uccelli Ungheresi (1988), Kuri Suti Bekar (1998), Estudio Siete (1995/2015), )ertur( (2015), Evanescent Evidence (2021), and Zero Crossing (2001). Barlow shared insights on the development of his films and the importance and use of sound, particularly his unique approach to tonality and metricism. He also reflected on his long career and his fascination with mapping sound to visual media. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38717]

Guests Trinankur Banerjee (Film & Media Studies, UCSB) and Bishnupriya Ghosh (Global Studies & English, UCSB) join moderator Bhaskar Sarkar (Film & Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Satyajit Ray’s The Hero (1966). Together, Ghosh, Sarkar and Banerjee discuss how The Hero became one of Ray’s most iconic films thanks in part to the star power of beloved screen couple Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore. They also consider how Ray deftly explores themes of stardom and celebrity in the contest of the Indian film industry. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38716]

Guests Pujita Guha (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) and Bishnupriya Ghosh (Global Studies & English, UCSB) join moderator Bhaskar Sarkar (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Satyajit Ray’s The Golden Fortress (1974). Together, Guha, Ghosh, and Sarkar discuss the literary origins of Ray’s film, its popular appeal in the 1970s in India, and how it helps us to better understand Ray as a maker of popular genre film. They also discuss how Ray channeled influences from science fiction, detective fiction, travelogues, and other popular genres to create a distinctive and iconic body of cinematic work. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38715]

Director James Hayman joins moderator Patrice Petro, (Dick Wolf Director of the Carsey-Wolf Center) for a post-screening discussion of episode 51 of The Sopranos. Together, they explore how Hayman created a riveting, nuanced portrait of mafia and family life. Hayman offers insights into matching the darkly comedic style of the series, and how his education in film and media studies has shaped his work. He also addresses the relationship between cinematography, direction, and storytelling, and how these elements work together in the penultimate conclusion to season four. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38734]

Moderator Ben Olguín joined filmmaker Ellie Walton and poet Sami Miranda for a post-screening discussion of the documentary La Manplesa: An Uprising Remembered. Together, they discussed the importance of artistic collaboration and community, the relationship between art and activism, and current events that echo the story of injustice in DC’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Walton reflected on the experiences that compelled her to create this documentary, and Miranda shared his personal discovery of his grandfather’s old photographs, which helped him better understand his own artistic practice. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38621]

Moderator Bhaskar Sakar joined Professor Moinak Biswas, Professor Emerita Supriya Chaudhuri, and graphic illustrator-designer Pinaki De for a post-screening discussion of two films by Satyajit Ray, The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) and The Kingdom of Diamonds (Hirak Rajar Deshe). Together, they addressed the personal background of Satyajit Ray, his contributions to Indian cinema, the historical and political contexts of the films, and their artistic significance. Pinaki De elaborated on the significant detail and craftsmanship of Ray’s set design, while Supriya Chaudhuri and Moinak Biswas weighed in on the political and literary influences of the films. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 38564]

Lei Li is an assistant professor in Computer Science Department at University of California Santa Barbara. His research interest lies in natural language processing, machine translation, and AI-powered drug discovery. He received his B.S. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 38476]

Rob Ober is Chief Platform Architect of NVIDIA’s data center products, and works with global Hyperscales to architect AI and Deep Learning clusters, develop systems and platform architecture, and influence NVIDIA hardware and software platform roadmaps. His background is in processor and system architecture, with experience in networking, storage, memories, and wireless. Rob has over 40 international patents in processor architecture, low power design, storage, networks, wireless, and mobile devices. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 38472]