Four students from MCS — Elias Martigon, Gelila Zeray, Meerae Lee, Zihan Zeng — and four from TFDP — Daniella Escobar, Jiahui Liu, Lance Mack, Natalie Guido — were selected from a pool of applicants to attend the Palm Springs ShortFest 2026. The Palm Springs International ShortFest is one of North America’s largest, uniting innovative...

Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Noah Amir Arjomand ‘25 has brought to life a short film that feels both timely and timeless. A dark comedy about theatre faculty sparring over outlandish financial schemes to keep their department afloat under the duress of budget constraints, “THE CUTS” will premiere at the LA Shorts International Film Festival. This...

Theatre, Film, and Digital Production graduates Saul Guardado (2024), Mary Gutierrez (2025), and Gianna Cosenza (2025) hit the ground running following graduation last spring, launching a production company called Camphor Pictures, targeting smaller, independent filmmakers. Guardado directed Camphor Pictures’ first short film, “Bienvenido.” “It's fully in Spanish, and I wrote it in the beginning of...

Bella Merlin, Distinguished Professor of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production, has been working on her passion project, a one-woman show called “Tilly No-Body” since 2009. The show follows Tilly Wedekind, wife and muse of German playwright Frank Wedekind, and her emotional journey from youth to old age. “‘Tilly No-Body’ is a one-person show with five...

Chistopher Murillo, assistant professor of teaching in theatre, film, and digital production, was selected for the award by Steven Stanley of StageSceneLA. Murillo also serves as the department’s scenic designer — a role he also plays for theatre productions outside of UC Riverside. The award was a category of the Scenies, an annual celebration of...

Christophe Katrib, assistant professor of teaching in Theatre, Film, and Digital Production, is one of two recipients of the 2024-25 CHASS Teaching Award. The award recognizes outstanding teaching achievements and honors faculty members for their exceptional teaching quality and their ability to positively influence, motivate, and inspire students, often through innovative techniques, effective assessment, or...

Theatre, Film, and Digital Production assistant professor of teaching Christophe Katrib has seen recent success for his work on his short film, “This Dissonance.” Its list of recent honors are as follows: The film was awarded Best Experimental Award at the University Film and Video Association (UFVA) conference in July, but also acquired a list...

Fourth-year theatre, film, and digital production (TFDP) major Josiah Alpher has been driven by his passion for acting since middle school. Alpher spent his teenage years committed to a career in the theater/cinema industry, supported by his parents who would regularly drive him over 300 miles down to Los Angeles from Northern California. “When college...

Senior theatre, film, and digital production (TFDP) major Mckenna Bridgewater is graduating after only two years at UC Riverside. This was possible only through her perseverance and hard work, allowing her to work through freshman year. “Before coming to UCR, I had done dual enrollment in high school with my local community college, as well...

CHASS Dean Daryle Williams is sponsoring the CHASS Night Out series, an opportunity for performing arts students to view live, professional shows. On March 4, students from the Departments of Music and Theatre, Film, and Digital Production (TFDP) traveled to the LA Opera to watch a tech rehearsal of Mozart's “Così Fan Tutte.” Music professor...