Sorry to bother you, but director @bootsriley was on campus and we can’t stop talking about it. Boots spent the day with @fdm.ucsc undergrads discussing his career, creative resistance, radical storytelling, and his upcoming film starring @Keke Palmer @iloveboostersmovie .
This was an incredible opportunity for film students to connect with a modern auteur and true visionary. We can’t wait to see the art Banana Slugs create after this inspiring conversation. 🎥🕺
📸 Image descriptions:
1- Boots Riley enthusiastically posing with several smiling UCSC students.
2- Boots sitting on a chair, holding a microphone while being interviewed.
3- Boots talking with two students.
4- Boots smiling while a student interviews him before an audience.
5- Faculty, staff, and students pose for a photo with Boots.
6- Large audience of students listening to Boots.
A delightful weekend at the legendary CAAMfest with fellow UC Santa Cruz Film and Digital Media co-conspirator @eileenzzzzzzzz ! What a treat to get to attend the 44th edition ran by a generation defining institution —Center for Asian American Media @caamedia and pioneering film festival that’s such an important pillar of Asian American media and culture to see incredible films and meet amazing people. Got to share more and get feedback about our upcoming project @makinghome.film that we’re co-authoring with the grassroots social justice collective of Asian migrant massage worker, SW and allies in Flushing NY @redcanarysong that we hope to share with the community very soon. We got to catch up with fellow banana slug @melodygao an alumnus of our beloved socdoc program at UC Santa Cruz @fdm.ucsc screened her amazing new short animated film “Ramen Western”!
Thanks @aadocnetwork for inviting us to celebrate their 10th anniversary alongside a dazzling a group of filmmakers, creatives, activists and visionaries as a member of the Asian American documentary network! Also met lovely folx at @asiancinevision@bostonaafilm@phillyaaff and others in the AAPI film festival world!
First 📷: @thejustinchu
Join us for a screening of Gabes Labess (All is well in Gabes) by Habib Ayeb on Tuesday, April 30th at 5:30 PM in Communications Studio C, and a panel discussion with Jennifer Derr (UCSC) and Hossein Ayazi (UCB). A reception will be held after the event.
This documentary film shares the tragedy of Tunisia’s Oasis of Gabes. Once considered "The Paradise of the World,” Gabes the 1970s construction of an industrial chemical complex devastated the natural oasis, depriving local farmers of water, arable land, economic well-being, and personal dignity.
Derr and Ayazi will explore how local populations adapt to climate change-altered landscapes around the world, and how models of development influence the lived environment, public health, and political contestation from California to North Africa.
🎬🔥 SANTA CRUZ — MARK YOUR CALENDERS 🔥🎬
Join us for a once-in-a-generation night as the Santa Cruz Film Festival, UCSC Arts Division, and The MAH present an ADVANCED SCREENING of one of the most talked-about films of the year—I Love Boosters by the one-and-only Boots Riley—with the filmmaker in-person for a Q&A, celebrating with us.
Fresh off SXSW and the centerpiece of the San Francisco International Film Festival, this is your chance to catch Riley’s long-awaited feature before the rest of the world.
Critics are already calling it:
“Wildly original, politically electric, and laugh-out-loud surreal.”
“A bold, genre-bending swing that only Boots Riley could pull off.”
🎥 THE EVENING:
• Screening in the Grand Auditorium at the Del Mar Theatre
📅 Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 6PM
• Doors open at 5:30pm. Screening at 6PM sharp.
• 🎤 LIVE Q&A with Boots Riley immediately after.
• 🎉 After Party at The MAH (9–11PM) — Boots WILL be there, mixing, celebrating, and connecting with the community
🚨 SEATS ARE LIMITED 🚨
🎟️ Tickets are moving — and prices may increase as we get closer to the date!
👉 Get your tickets NOW (link in bio)
🎓 UCSC students & faculty: please contact [email protected] for details on accessing your RSVP ticket allocation—advance RSVP is required to attend.
Bring your friends. Bring your crew. Let's go Santa Cruz.
KEEP SANTA CRUZ CINEMATIC. 🎬🌊
#BootsRiley #ILoveBoosters #SantaCruzFilmFestival #DelMarTheatre #SXSW #SFIFF #FilmCommunity #IndieFilm #SantaCruzEvents
Check out FILM 197 for Spring 2026! 💐 If you’re interested and do not meet prereqs (but have relevant experience), email instructor directly to discuss enrollment.
