By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22

Just because Black History Month is over does not mean people have to stop celebrating Black history. As a testament to that, the creators of the Black Love docuseries, Codie and Tommy Oliver, were invited to USC for a screening and discussion. In addition to having the creators visit, Hollywood stars, Michael White, Jillian White, and Jo-Ann Turnman were invited. The event was organized in collaboration between the USC School of Cinematic Arts, USC’s Black Alumni Association, and USC’s Black Student Association. Black Love has already aired two seasons on the Oprah Winfrey Network and features couples opening up about the joys, challenges, and realities of romance in the Black community. It is the most-viewed unscripted series debut in the network’s history and features couples (outside of the ones already mentioned) such as Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin, Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict and many more.

By: Ann Nguyen ‘22

Whether you’re having an Oscars Watch Party and want to impress your friends in SCA or you just want to be informed, here are my recommended picks and everything you need to know in making your own 2019 Oscars predictions! I have been keeping up with the current Oscars race for almost an entire year — basically since last year’s Oscars. Having always been a huge cinephile, I know everything about how the process works, what constitutes an Oscar-worthy display, and what indicators are most reliable in predicting the Academy Awards. So without further ado, let’s get this show started.

By: Ann Nguyen ‘22

A martial arts master, a ninja warrior, a mystical and wise old mentor, an annoying know-it-all, the main character’s shy friend, the second person to die in a horror movie… These are just some of the stereotypical representations of the Asian community in film. (You know what I’m talking about!) Though Hollywood definitely isn’t perfect in regards to representation and diversity, it has gotten much better for the Asian-American community with the great strides of improvement that were made thanks to the success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. Not to be forgotten in its shadow, however, are works like Japanese drama Shoplifters, which is nominated for an Academy Award, and Sundance-hit Searching, which was made, in part, by USC alumni. And let’s definitely not overlook the great works that Asian Pacific and Asian American filmmakers are continuing to produce about Asians that also feature Asian actors.

By: Terry Nguyen ‘20

On Friday, March 24, USC Visions and Voices hosted a panel discussion with four prominent Japanese American directors and producers called “Anarchy in Asian America: Sex, Punk and Transgressive Cinema.” The three directors whose works were featured are Gregg Araki, Roddy Bogawa, and Jon Moritsugu; the panel was lead by producer Marcus Hu, who dubbed the directors the “bad boys” of Asian American cinema. The three had met in the 1980’s and have been in contact since, but haven’t had a chance to host a full panel together due to their busy schedules.