Sunday, June 7, 2026
James Bridges Theater, Melnitz Hall, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Celebrate the boldest new voices in storytelling at the 2026 Undergraduate Senior Showcase!
Join us on Sunday, June 7 as the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television rolls out the red carpet for our graduating undergraduate students—visionary directors, sharp-witted screenwriters, inventive producers, fearless animators, dynamic cinematographers, boundary-pushing editors, and digital media artists who are redefining what’s possible.
This unforgettable event is your front-row seat to a vibrant collection of senior projects that are daring, imaginative, and unapologetically original. Whether it’s a short film, an animated piece, a visual experiment, or a multi-platform media experience, every project represents the future of storytelling.
Come cheer on this incredible class of emerging creatives and be part of a night full of inspiration, celebration, and serious talent.
Hosts: Rachana Aithal & Natalie Ruiz Varela
Faculty Speaker: Associate Professor Rory Kelly
Program 1 | INT. SOLIPSISM | 5:00pm
A collection of introspective projects
Ko Carlos – Return-to-Sender (Animation) – A postman writes a letter about his adventures to his little siblings.
Caleb Gabrielson – Crossroads (Narrative) – In the few hours before traveling to opposite sides of the world, two brothers share an afternoon of loss, laughter, and the thought of never seeing each other again.
Lana Tania – GET WOK’D (Narrative) – In a shabby Chinese restaurant that secretly hosts an underground boxing ring, a young fighter suffers a humiliating loss and contemplates quitting. Seeking advice from the restaurant’s no-nonsense owner, he finds himself in an unexpected heart-to-heart over post-fight takeout noodles.
Vivian Sun – 归子空间 Returner’s Square (Animation) – Leah, with social phobia, wakes up on a subway, and has a full panic attack before getting off.
Kate Mathews – Impulsion (Pitch) – A young equestrian athlete believes her dreams are coming true when she’s scouted by an olympian. As the sport’s darker undercurrent of exploitation becomes clear, she must decide whether to play the game… or risk losing it all.
Aaron Vu – STUDENT BODIES (Narrative) – An academic loser and his best friend do what it takes to be the last surviving runner of the student body president election as candidates are being murdered off.
Lhiannan Sidhe – Freaks (Narrative) – Two teens haunted by broken homes seek escape by chasing highs while seeking refuge in each other, until a violent night pushes them to risk everything for a way out.
Jade Stankowski – No One’s Laughing (Pitch) – After an up-and-coming stand-up comedian nearly attempts suicide, she’s forced to stay in a crisis stabilization unit for seventy-two hours with three other depressed-as-fuck inpatients. In her moment of need, she must decide whether she wants to call her estranged mom.
Aaron Zhu – With a Whisper (Narrative) – With the world ending by morning, three friends cling to each other for a final night of laughter, grief, and quiet confessions.
Matthew Margulies – Cinematography Reel
Carlos Roman – Bruin Walk (Narrative) – Twenty-one year-old Santiago Reyes decides to go on a pensive walk across campus. All the while, being followed by the Department of Homeland Security.
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Program 2 | EXT. RESONANCE | 7:00pm
A series of films examining the world around us
Bibi Sediqi – Two Worlds (Documentary) – During a phone call from Afghanistan, a mother warns her UCLA film student daughter about the serious conditions of Afghan women and worries about her daughter’s career and their safety.
Nina Rosette Baeza – Cultured Baking (Narrative) – In East LA, a blaxican girl has to prove she can take over her family’s panadaría to her very traditional Mexican grandmother – by having to fulfill the complex order of a mysterious Mexican immigrant whilst battling her internal identity issues.
Mohamad Hassouna – Cinematography Reel
Maggie Konecky – Coast-Live (Documentary) – A gnarled, spiny tree vital to California. Coast live oaks often don’t lose leaves until new ones have started growing in, creating the appearance of a pseudo-evergreen.
Jasmine Gaynier – Good Girl (Narrative) – Katriya’s mom gets married.
Talia Balogun – Control 4c (Animation) – A rushed Lagos woman tests a revolutionary hair-styling machine—only to be launched through time to the origin of her hairstyle.
Rachana Aithal – Mouth to God (Narrative) – A ten year-old Indian-American girl tries to stage a divine intervention to get her dad to stop smoking.
Seungyeop Lee – Cinematography Reel
Amber Payne – Shadows on the Frontier (Narrative) – In 1881 Texas, Thomas Smith is a young Black American cowboy working on his family’s ranch with his stoic father, Luther. When an unseen force begins eating their livestock, Thomas is forced to grow up and protect the symbol of his family’s legacy.
Cruz Carratala – Cinematography Reel
Natalie Ruiz Varela – Sea Legs (Narrative) – The revelation of a late father’s second family forces his grieving daughter to acknowledge the skeletons in her own closet.
Emily Karlsson – Fiat Lux: Let There Be Light (Documentary) – As political pressure around transgender rights grows in 2026, Fiat Lux: Let There Be Light follows five people connected to University of California, Los Angeles reflecting on what it means to be transgender right now, weaving together personal stories with UCLA’s history of queer activism and inclusion.
Maya Abdallah – Lena (Narrative) – A grieving Palestinian boy embarks on a daring, comic-book-inspired mission behind settlement walls to rescue the lamb that was stolen from his family’s farm.