Experience the
Art of Change
Welcome
Film and digital media are key technologies of our age and central engines of California’s economy. By studying their global cultural impact and by producing a new generation of media-literate media-makers, our program provides the critical and artistic vision vital to 21st-century citizenship.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
UC Santa Cruz is located on the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of Indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.
Featured Works
News
Associate Professor Susana Ruiz Honored with 2023 Innovator of the Year Award
UC Santa Cruz announced the recipients of the 2023 Chancellor’s Innovation Impact awards, recognizing the outstanding research and creativity taking place across the university. Susana Ruiz, associate professor of film and digital media, Huy Truong, Emmy Award-nominated director of photography and media artist, and Professor Emerita of Literature Karen Tei Yamashita, received the 2023 Innovator of the Year award for The Last Chinatown, a public memorial experience bringing light to the historical erasure of Santa Cruz’s last Chinatown, which was destroyed by a flood in 1955, through photography, augmented reality (AR), and holographic filmmaking.
Advising
The department has a team of advisors that can help current students understand major or minor requirements, prerequisites, and how to plan courses. They work closely with the faculty in our program, and can recommend both appropriate faculty mentors and educational opportunities within and related to your major or minor.