MFA, Social Documentation
Applications due: January 12, 2023
— The UC’s only MFA committed to socially engaged documentary production
— Two-year program with summer production/field work
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Soc Doc Honors & Awards
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 - 12:00am to Thursday, November 26, 2026 - 12:00am
Monday, June 13, 2022 - 12:00am
SocDoc had a strong showing at this year's Webby awards. Alum and current PhD student Mahshid Modares's MFA thesis project,Sanctions in the Sky, was nominated for a 2022 Webby Award in the Best St
Thursday, March 24, 2022 - 12:00am
SocDoc alum (2020) and current PhD student Mahshid Modares's interactive documentary, Sanctions on the Sky, has won three awards so far in 2022: Silver Medal, Anthem Awards, Human a
Tuesday, December 14, 2021 - 12:00am to Monday, December 15, 2031 - 12:00am
Congratulations to our Class of 2021! This group persevered through natural disasters, labor actions and uncertainty, and a global pandemic to complete their M.F.A. work.
Wednesday, June 16, 2021 - 12:00am to Monday, June 16, 2031 - 12:00am
Great job to our Class of 2022 cohort on four successful qualifying exams! We are proud to congratulate:
Sunday, September 20, 2020 - 12:00am
"People Like Me," the Social Documentation MFA thesis film directed by Marrok Sedgwick and co-edited by Sedgwick and Jackson Patrick-Sternin, was just awarded Best Short by the American Anthropology Association's film festival.
Thursday, October 3, 2019 - 12:00am
In Mong Kok First Aid, filmmaker and SocDoc alum Mavis Siu documents the experiences of voluntary frontline first aiders during 2014’s violent Mong Kok street protests.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - 12:00am
Social Documentation alum Juan Mejia's film, Death By A Thousand Cuts, is now out on iTunes. In Death by a Thousand Cuts, the murder investigation of a Dominican park ranger by a Haitian charcoal producer reveals the complex, growing conflict between the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the battl
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - 12:00am
From the beginning, Melinda James wanted to put women and underrepresented communities at the forefront of her filmmaking.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - 12:00am
The Santa Cruz Film Festival takes place on October 3-7 at various locations around downtown Santa Cruz. This year, we have two films that will be screened at the festival that were produced by FDM and SocDoc students:
Friday, July 20, 2018 - 12:00am
Social Documentation professor Jennifer Maytorena Taylor has a new documentary available to watch on PBS. Redneck Muslim follows the life and work of Shane Atkinson, the first Muslim chaplain in-training at North Carolina’s biggest trauma center and founder of the "Society of Islamic Re
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 12:00am
Social Documentation Professor and Editor of Film Quarterly, B.
Monday, June 11, 2018 - 12:00am
The annual M.F.A graduate exhibition for the Social Documentation graduation class of 2018 will take place on Wednesday, June 13th at the Del Mar Theater in downtown Santa Cruz. Continuing this long tradition, the SocDoc cohort will premiere their thesis films that are two years in the making:
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 - 12:00am
Social Documentation Professor Jennifer Maytorena Taylor has received a fellowship for a summer residency at one of the nation's leading contemporary arts organizations, the MacDowell Colony. Professor Taylor is one of 85 artists that have been awarded the fellowship for 2018. Professor Taylor
Sunday, April 15, 2018 - 12:00am
ANNOUNCING A MASTER CLASS WITH LUCRECIA MARTEL, LEGENDARY ARGENTINE FILMMAKER
MONDAY, APRIL 23; 1-4 PM
PLEASE RSVP by Monday, April 16
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - 12:00am
UC Santa Cruz as been ranked by College Factual as one of the best colleges in the nation for Film, Video and Photographic Arts. Coming in at #6, UCSC is ranked with NYU, UCLA and USC, recognizing programs in film studies. In particular, UCSC was noted for our graduate programs in film studies
Thursday, February 1, 2018 - 12:00am
The Society for Cinema and Media Studies will be holding their annual conference in Toronto on March 14-18. This year, we will have a strong mix of faculty and graduate students present at the conference. We are proud to have these members of our community represent our department and UC Santa
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 - 12:00am
The Santa Cruz Film Festival takes place on October 11-15 and we will have many slugs participating, including FDM and SocDoc alums!
Wednesday, October 4, 2017 - 12:00am
Social Documentation Alumni Juan C. Dávila (MA 2013) is currently a correspondent for Democracy Now! and is in Puerto Rico covering the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Please view the links below for his latest reports.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017 - 12:00am
The Wastsonville Film Festival takes place on October 5-8th, and we will have many SocDoc and FDM alums that will be participating:
Friday, June 23, 2017 - 12:00am
Social Documentation Professor Jennifer Maytorena Taylor is one of two UCSC Arts factulty and 107 recipients nationwide to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Prof. Taylor has also recieved a grant from production company, Fork Films.
Monday, June 12, 2017 - 12:00am
Social Documentation Professor B. Ruby Rich will be honored with a festival at the Barbican Center in London at the end of June.
Thursday, April 13, 2017 - 12:00am
Social Documentation Professor John Jota Leaños is the recipient of a 2017 California Documetnary Project grant from California Humanites.