This post was updated July 23 at 5:27 p.m. Charlotte Oxley is forging a new outlook on divorce in her thesis film. Winning the UCLA Dean’s Prize for Excellence in Research and Creativity, the alumnus’ short film “Purple and Green” strives to portray divorce through a child’s perspective, she said. Read more...

Photo: Alumnus Charlotte Oxley directs actors Carrie Lynn Certa and Mackenzie Grace Gilligan for her thesis film, “Purple and Green.” The short film portrays divorce through a child’s perspective, Oxley said. (Courtesy of Claudia Hoag/Charlotte Oxley)

Santana Aguirre’s thesis film is not a dream, but an unmistakeable reality. The fourth-year film, television and digital media student wrote and directed “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” a film about family tragedy and visions. Read more...

Photo: The team behind “I’ll See You In Dreams” smiles in a group photo. Fourth-year film, television and digital media student Santana Aguirre said her thesis film was made possible because of her supportive cast and crew. (Photo by Kyla Rain. Courtesy of Santana Aguirre)

Sruchi Patel is lacing together nostalgia and on-screen representation in her newest short film. The fourth-year film and television student recently directed her thesis film, “Ladke,” which follows the musically talented, yet insecure, Saloni, who spots an eye-catching pair of sneakers on campus. Read more...

Photo: Shubhra Dubey plays Saloni in “Ladke,” a short film directed by fourth-year film and television student Sruchi Patel. In the short, Saloni seeks out the owner of the most eye-catching shoes on campus. (Photo courtesy of Sruchi Patel. Photo illustration by Isabella Lee/Illustrations Director)

This post was updated July 16 at 7:28 p.m. A queer 20-something becomes a baby again in the alumni-created short film “Baby Gay.” The coming-of-age comedy follows Stevie Lee, a Chinese American bisexual woman in her 20s, as she branches out in response to her struggle with her queer identity. Read more...

Photo: Alumnus Arielle Frances Bagood directs Valerie Yu, the lead actress in “Baby Gay.” The short film follows a bisexual woman who branches out in response to her struggles with her queer identity.(Courtesy of Arielle Bagood)