The “we” in “When We Rise” is the most crucial part of the TV show’s title. It speaks to the idea that historically underrepresented groups are strongest when they join together and fight as a united coalition, said Dustin Lance Black, the show’s writer and creator. Read more...

Photo: UCLA alumnus and Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black wrote and directed “When We Rise,” an ABC docu-drama miniseries that follows a group of real-life members of the LGBTQ community from the 1970s onwards. (Eike Schroter/ABC)

The walls of Melnitz Hall, lined with Hollywood movie posters, foreshadow the potential of students at UCLA. After studying within the entertainment capital of the United States, some Bruin filmmakers go on to contribute to award-winning films. Read more...

Photo: UCLA alumna Josie Trinidad was co-head of storyboard for the movie “Zootopia,” which is nominated for best animated feature film at the 89th Academy Awards. (Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures)

Diversity in film and television came into the spotlight in 2016 with #OscarsSoWhite. A USC study in 2016 found only about a quarter of speaking characters belonged to nonwhite racial groups. Read more...