Sounding Joy: La Raza + Short Films
- This is a past program
This program is presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive screening series Toward a More Perfect Rebellion: Multiracial Student Activism at UCLA. Learn more at cinema.ucla.edu.
In-person: Associate Professor Josslyn Luckett, NYU Cinema Studies, author of Toward a More Perfect Rebellion: Multiracial Media Activism Made in L.A.
Four Women (1975)
Four Women transforms Nina Simone’s ballad into an experimental dance film that explores identity and survival. Dancer Linda Martina Young embodies Aunt Sarah, Saffronia, Sweet Thing and Peaches, shifting costume and movement to reflect each archetype. Filmmaker Julie Dash’s editing mirrors Simone’s vocals, pausing moments of motion before dissolving into the next image. One of the first experimental films by a Black woman filmmaker, it fuses music, dance and cinema into a bold statement of Black feminist artistry.
DCP, b&w, 10 min. Director: Julie Dash. With: Linda Martina Young.
La Raza: “Celebration” (1974)
“For la raza, we live to celebrate life,” declares host Ricardo Montalbán at the start of this episode, which captures the vibrancy of Mexican American celebrations and cultural traditions. Part of the six-episode McGraw Hill public affairs series La Raza that aired in 1974, it is directed by husband-and-wife UCLA Ethno-Communications alumni Moctesuma Esparza and Esperanza Vasquez. Blending Montalbán’s classic charm with intimate footage of community gatherings and dazzling musical performances, the episode foregrounds the richness of la vida and delivers an affirming portrait of a people too often overlooked or stereotyped on screen.
DCP, color, 53 min. Directors: Moctesuma Esparza, Esperanza Vasquez. With: Ricardo Montalbán.
Cruisin’ J Town (1975)
Directed by Duane Kubo, who earned a UCLA bachelor’s degree in astronomy and astrophysics in 1974, this short documentary explores the roots of the popular jazz fusion band Hiroshima in Los Angeles’ pre-redevelopment Little Tokyo. The group members discuss the sociological, political and cultural pulse of the early 1970s while reflecting on influences in Asian American music.
DCP, color, 26 min. Director: Duane Kubo.
Cycles (1989)
This exuberant experimental drama follows Rasheeda Allen as she anxiously awaits her overdue period. Blending live action with animation, filmmaker Zeinabu irene Davis draws on Caribbean folklore to craft a film language rooted in African American women’s experiences. As Rasheeda cleans her home and performs purification rituals, a layered soundtrack of African and diasporic music, including artists like Miriam Makeba and Clora Bryant, deepens the film’s sensory world. Hailed as “a brilliantly innovative reflection on Black womanhood” by the Los Angeles Times, Davis’ bold imagination shines.
DCP, b&w, 17 min. Director/Screenwriter: Zeinabu irene Davis.
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a division of UCLA Library, and presents its public programs in the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer, among other venues. For more information about the Archive, visit cinema.ucla.edu.
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