UCLA PRESENTS THE BEST in arts and culture, community events, sports and entertainment. From film screenings to art exhibits, explore the unique and interesting experiences December offers. For more UCLA events, visit community.ucla.edu.

DECEMBER 1 | NOON 

Author Meets Critic: Suffer the Little Children

The UCLA Center for the Study of International Migration hosts an author meets critic session about author Anita Casavantes Bradford’s book Suffer the Little Children, a tale about youth migration and geopolitics in the United States. Bradford is joined by Professor Marjorie Faulstich Orellana from the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, who will join Bradford in discussing decades of child immigration. Starting with European children during WWII and ending with today’s Central American children, this hybrid event brings compassion, education and discussion to a pressing crisis in the United States. Register for the Zoom or come in person to Bunche Hall room 10383.


DECEMBER 6 | 6:00 P.M.

Sharing Authorship With AI: Collaborative Composing

MIT Media Lab’s Tod Machover brings his experience, imagination and innovation to this lecture at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Machover will discuss the future of artificial intelligence in music creation and ownership, as well as his own operatic and technological journey.  RSVP for this free evening event at Lani Hall in the Schoenberg Music Building to learn more about the intersection of music, technology and AI. 

THROUGH DECEMBER 

Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living

It’s your last chance to see the Hammer Museum at UCLA’s prolific artistic celebration featuring a range of diverse Angeleno creators. See how dozens of individual artists’ works depict culture in the midst of everyday life — embodying spirits of community, ethnic histories, queer affect and indigenous histories. Come and explore the elaborate exhibits yourself, or come to one of the many conversations, workshops, performances and programs that accompany them. Tickets to both the Hammer Museum and its Made in L.A. programs are free.


THROUGH DECEMBER 

MoMA Contenders Film Series

Come enjoy 10 nights of film celebration with filmmakers, cast, crew and post-screening Q&As as the Hammer Museum highlights some of the most significant visual works of 2023. Through 10 films, this series touches on everything from major blockbusters to indies, from Sundance to the Oscars. Take in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla on Dec. 6, with an exclusive Q&A with costume designer Stacey Battat and producer Youree Henley or the comedy romance ​​​​​​You Hurt My Feelings on Dec. 12, with special guest director and Academy Award nominee Nicole Holofcener. Whether you’re ready to binge or cherry-pick, catch for the first time or rewatch, this film series has something for every cinephile.


DECEMBER 2 | 8:00 P.M.

Alarm Will Sound

The Nimoy Theater invites you to the unique, innovative musical stylings from the group Alarm Will Sound. A dynamic ensemble known for combining classical music with modern showings, this new-age musical ensemble incorporates video, text, theater, and movement into their stylings. In this show, performers Nathalie Joachim, Alyssa Pyper and Eartheater will join the Alarm Will Sound ensemble on stage, adding violin, electro-acoustic elements and flute. Get your tickets to hear contemporary and experimental performances, ranging from arch-modernist to pop-influenced to new-age classical. 


DECEMBER 8–10 

Raphael Montañez Ortiz: Chopping Up the Classics

The UCLA Film & Television Archive presents a survey of film and ritual destructions by artist Raphael Montañez Ortiz, an instrumental figure in the “Destruction in Art” movement, guerrilla theater, and Latino art. With his work permanently featured in collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Ortiz’s work is considered critical in redefining modern art and experimental media in the post-WWII era. The UCLA Film & Television Archive will show many of Ortiz’s experimental works from the 1950s to 1970s, in which Ortiz destroys existing films — taking hole punchers or tomahawk axes to golf documentaries and newsreels. The program also exhibits Ortiz’s own creations shot in 8mm film, recording everything from his staged manifesto performances to his demolition of a piano. The Billy Wilder Theater will show Ortiz’s work in a two-night program surveying the full range of his avant garde media since the 50s; no reservation or tickets required. 


DECEMBER 16 | 7:30 P.M.

Archive Television: Carol for Another Christmas

A chilling 1964 predecessor to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the UCLA Film & Television Archive hosts a new 35mm preservation print of Rod Serling’s 1964 film Carol for Another Christmas. Reuniting Dr. Strangelove (1964) stars Sterling Hayden and Peter Sellers, the original — and controversial — teleplay was produced as one in a series of TV movies attempting to build support for the United Nations and emphasize the atrocities of war. Author Anne Serling will precede the film with a book signing and a conversation discussing her memoir and biography, As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling. Held in the Billy Wilder Theater, admission is free with no reservations required. 


DECEMBER 16 | 8:00 P.M.

UnCabaret: The UnHoliday Show!

Hosted by Beth Lapides, UnCabaret is a legendary forum for wildly fun, idiosyncratic, intimate and conversational comedy. An inclusive space for the most exciting figures in comedy, UnCabaret performers tell stories that will make you laugh, applaud and reflect; their December show, while providing the same beloved skits and bits, will feature additional holiday-themed comedic stylings. Purchase tickets to see the classic show that The New York Times calls “a revelation” with added holiday twists this season. 


DECEMBER 17 | 7:00 P.M.

Natural Machines

Pianist and composer Dan Tepfer brings his individuality, technique, and harmonic sensibility to the Nimoy Theater. Though trained in jazz and classical music, he combines his traditional musical education with a slew of contrasting sounds. With the staunch belief that music brings people together, Tepfar’s musical collaborations feature symphonic wind bands, string quartets, algorithms, and visual aids that elevate the traditional jazz and classical pieces he loves to perform. Purchase tickets to hear Tepfar’s most recent work — his video album Natural Machines — explores the intersection between science and art, coding and improvisation, digital algorithms and the rhythms of the heart. 

DECEMBER 2 - 3

Men’s Water Polo Championship

The UCLA men’s water polo squad takes to the water at the NCAA Championships. After going 23-0 in the regular season, winning this tournament would give the Bruins an officially perfect season a year after losing to the University of Southern California in the semifinals. Get your tickets and head to the Uytengsu Aquatics Center at USC to see the Bruins bring home another championship trophy. 


DECEMBER 15 | 7:00 P.M.

Gymnastics: Meet the Bruins

Bruin gymnastics is back! Bring the energy to Pauley Pavilion and welcome UCLA gymnastics back to the floor, beam, bars and vault. After a top five national finish and a Pac-12 co-championship in 2023, UCLA returns with a star-studded lineup that includes All-Americans Chae Campbell and Emma Malabuyo, along with All-American and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Selena Harris. This event is free; no RSVP is required.


DECEMBER 22 | 6:00 P.M.

Men’s Basketball vs. Maryland

Spend your Friday night in Pauley Pavilion watching the Bruins and the Terps of the University of Maryland go head-to-head in this holiday season matchup. Come early to enjoy an onslaught of delicious food trucks before heading into the arena, and dress appropriately for the one and only “white out” game of the season. Get your tickets here


DECEMBER 30 | 5:00 P.M.

Women’s Basketball vs. USC

The crosstown basketball rivalry game against the University of Southern California is sure to be a New Year’s Eve treat. Bring your friends, family and school spirit to cheer on the blue and the gold against the Trojans. Get your tickets here and make sure to ‘fight off!’ 

DECEMBER 1 | 7:30 P.M.

UCLA Student Film Restorations: Present Preserving the Past

Under the supervision of Film and Television Archive staff, the Present Preserving the Past: Student Film Initiative

’s inaugural group of graduate student interns have worked tirelessly for 10 weeks to inspect, prepare, digitally restore and preserve three UCLA student films from the 1970s and 1980s. Ranging from documentary to animation to narrative production, these select student projects feature histories of political activism, Chinese American influence and the L.A. Rebellion. Funded by the Myra Reinhard Family Foundation, this program at the Billy Wilder Theater will include a screening, followed by a conversation with the filmmakers and graduate students. This event is free and no reservation is required. Seats are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.


DECEMBER 6 | NOON

Experience Made in L.A. with Co-Curator and Featured Artists

Enjoy an exclusive panel discussion about Made in L.A. with co-curator Diana Nawi ’06, featured artist Roksana Pirouzmand M.A. ’22 and members of the Los Angeles Contemporary Archive. Get your tickets to this alumni exclusive event here.  


DECEMBER 9 | 11:30 A.M.

University of California Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association Statewide Meeting

The University of California Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association summit presents a unique opportunity to connect with Chicanx Latinx alumni from all 10 UC campuses and get up to speed on the latest alumni and UC developments in areas such as binational entrepreneurship, climate change, health equity and alumni engagement. Held at the James West Alumni Center, this program begins with lunch and ends with a networking reception at the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame. RSVP now to explore opportunities for new or expanded binational collaborations.