Dustin Lance Black promised LGBTQ children that they would soon have full, equal federal rights on the stage of the 2009 Academy Awards. After receiving the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his film, “Milk,” the UCLA alumnus stepped away from film to work as an activist, bringing cases of marriage equality to federal courts. Read more...

Photo: UCLA alumnus and Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black recently won the Writers Guild of America’s Valentine Davies Award, an honor he was presented with Feb. 11 for his work as an LGBTQ rights activist. Black said he will continue to produce works that raise awareness for social justice issues. (ABC/Phil Bray)

Dorothy Blyskal’s first job in the film industry was working as a production assistant on Clint Eastwood’s 2016 film “Sully.” Now, the UCLA Extension alumna is the screenwriter for Eastwood’s latest film, “The 15:17 to Paris,” which will be in wide release Friday. Read more...

Photo: Dorothy Blyskal, a UCLA Extension alumna, is the screenwriter for Clint Eastwood’s upcoming film, “The 15:17 to Paris.” Blyskal first began her film career as a production assistant on Eastwood’s 2016 film “Sully.” (Photo courtesy of Kevin Kielty)

The family of a woman’s dead partner attempts to steal more than just her dog in “A Fantastic Woman.” Directed by Sebastián Lelio, “A Fantastic Woman” is a Chilean Spanish-language film that tells the story of a transgender woman named Marina (Daniela Vega) whose partner, Orlando (Francisco Reyes), dies of an aneurysm. Read more...

Photo: (Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)