UC Santa Barbara (Audio)

Director Darya Zhuk discusses making Crystal Swan, which is a vitriolic comedy set in Belarus circa 1996. The film follows a young female DJ who befriends a rural family in a scheme to obtain her U.S. visa so she can move to Chicago and pursue her house-music career. In her debut tragic comedy, director Darya Zhuk reveals a multilayered vision of time and place and paints a bright, kitschy, vibrant backdrop of familial dynamics and cultural traditions. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 36302]

The promise of science is great, but the application of new technologies often raises profound ethical questions. Answering those questions depends on both critical philosophical inquiry and good data. Unfortunately, the reliability of the science is in question. Theoretical and empirical investigations have caused many to believe that science now faces a reproducibility crisis: Much that is published by one team of scientists cannot be reproduced by another. Research ethicist Mike Kalichman, addresses the magnitude of this crisis, factors contributing to research findings that are not reproducible, and identifying strategies that will promote the rigor and reproducibility of science. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 35795]

Barry Scott Wimpfheimer specializes in the Talmud and other Rabbinic Literature. His work focuses on the Babylonian Talmud as a work of law and literature. Part scripture and part commentary, it is written in a hybrid of Hebrew and Aramaic and is an unlikely bestseller. The Talmud has remained in print for centuries and is more popular today than ever. Barry Scott Wimpfheimer discusses his book, The Talmud, A Biography, which tells the remarkable story of this ancient book and explains why it has endured for almost two millennia. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35805]

The two-part documentary series "And She Could Be Next" (2020) tells the story of a defiant movement of women of color who are transforming politics from the ground up. The series was filmed during 2018 and 2019. It centers on those at the heart of the movement behind the New American Majority. "And She Could Be Next" features an entirely women of color creative team. Director/producers Grace Lee and Marjan Safinia joined moderator Wendy Eley Jackson (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a Zoom discussion. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 36237]

Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick discuss the challenges of writing genre bending screenplay of Zombieland. In this video, Reese and Wernick talk with UCSB Pollock Theater Director Matt Ryan about how they approached balancing the comedy and horror. The screenwriters recounted stories of working with actors Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin and Bill Murray. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 36203]

Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber discuss the challenges of telling the true-life story of the making of one of the worst films ever made, The Room written and directed by the eccentric Tommy Wiseau. In this video, Neustadter and Weber talk with UCSB Pollock Theater Director, Matt Ryan, how they approached balancing the comedic elements of the chaotic production of the movie The Room with telling an emotionally compelling story.

Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 36063]

New film release models, cinemas in a post-COVID world, and opening night vibes at Magic Mike XXL all arise in this conversation about moviegoing during a pandemic between New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis, Art House Convergence managing director Alison Kozberg, and UC-Santa Barbara professor Ross Melnick. In this video, the three reminisce about favorite movie theater memories and find hope in the potential for revitalized public cinema going after the current health crisis. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 36064]

The cosmopolitan character of the Ottoman empire, the challenges of reimagining classical music and literary texts, and the difficulties of making an opera on a small budget all arise in this conversation between composer Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol and UC Santa Barbara professor Abdulhamit Arvas about Sanlıkol’s Turkish coffee house opera Othello in the Seraglio. In this video, Sanlıkol richly describes the complicated creative journey his opera made from its initial conception to completion. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 35774]

Costumes in Father Knows Best, workplace harassment in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and queer parenthood in Modern Family all arise in this conversation between professor Elana Levine (UW-Milwaukee) and Aleah Kiley (UCSB) about evolving representations of gender, work, and the sitcom family. In this video, Levine and Kiley discuss links between three iconic shows and the changing cultures in which they were broadcast. Series: "Carsey-Wolf Center" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35765]

Robert Alter discusses his new, complete translation of and commentary on the Hebrew Bible. For the UC Berkeley Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature, it represents nearly two and a half decades of work. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 35794]