UCLA Film & Television Archive welcomes 2026 with eclectic program

The UCLA Film & Television Archive brings a dynamic mix of programming to the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum in Westwood this winter. This season spotlights deep dives into forgotten local histories, rarely seen television episodes and global features, as well as world premieres, discussion-driving documentaries, antifascist classics from Hollywood's Golden Age and more.

"This season is a time for gathering. We invite you to join us as we bring stories often relegated in the shadows to the light of the screen," said May Hong HaDuong, director of the Archive. "From incredible contemporary artists to rare archival 35mm prints, this winter's offerings continue our 60th anniversary celebration by bringing the best and most unique in moving images."

All screenings, presented at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum, are free thanks to a gift from an anonymous donor; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit the Archive website for the full schedule and program details.

Archive restorations and film and television collections

Jan. 16-March 22
Echoes From Spring Street: The World of Sing Lee and Chinese-Language Cinema in L.A.
LA's Sing Lee Theater was a cornerstone of Chinatown's cultural life and a hub for Chinese-language cinema from 1962 to 2001. This series features films from 1960-1988 and marks the Archive's first public presentation of rare prints from its Sing Lee Print Collection, one of the few surviving collections from a Chinese-language theater outside the Sinophone world. Guest programmed by Janet Louie, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University, with in-person Q&As with Kurt Wong, a UCLA alumnus and grandson of Sing Lee Theater owners Tony Quon and Margaret Lew; Michael Berry, director of the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies; and others.

Jan. 24
Rod Serling's Existential TV Western: 'The Loner'
The Archive presents a trio of powerhouse episodes from Rod Serling's humanist, existential Western television series "The Loner" (1965-66). Cancelled after only one season, the character-driven series tackled moral issues like non-violent resistance and racism.

Jan. 25-March 20
From John Doe to Lonesome Rhoades: Antifascism From the Archive
This six-night series of American films primarily preserved and restored by the Archive reflects the mid-20th-century rise of fascism and demonstrates the use of cinema as a tool for resistance. Featuring the world restoration premiere of the "Burning Cross" (1947), plus "Meet John Doe" (1941), "The Mortal Storm" (1940), "Red Hollywood" (1996), "Cloak and Dagger" (1946) and other films.

Feb. 15
Archive Talks: Hitchcock and Herrmann With Steven C. Smith
Between 1955 and 1964, Alfred Hitchcock and composer Bernard Herrmann created eight groundbreaking films together, reshaping American cinema. Award-winning filmmaker and historian Steven C. Smith, author of "Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores That Changed Cinema," will discuss their creative collaboration, followed by a screening of "Psycho" (1960), a Q&A and a book signing.

Feb. 28
Hollywood Television Theatre: Wakako Yamauchi's 'And the Soul Shall Dance'
Originally produced by LA's historic East West Players theater, Wakako Yamauchi's 1978 KCET adaptation of her award-winning play reveals the hardships Japanese Americans faced during the Great Depression. Co-presented with the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, the event will also feature a display of archival East West Players materials preserved by UCLA Library Special Collections and a panel with actor Denice Kumagai-Hoy, actor and director Lily Tung Crystal (East West Players), and Brian Niiya, director of the nonprofit Densho, moderated by Karen Umemoto, UCLA professor of urban planning and Asian American studies.

March 8
Tribute to Gene Hackman: CBS Playhouse's 'My Father and My Mother'
Virtually unseen since its original broadcast in 1968, this rare television special, preserved by the Archive and including original commercials, is an overlooked gem in the career of Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman, who died in February 2025.

Series: Society, culture and politics

Jan. 17-Feb. 20
'(Dis)placement: Fluctuations of Home, Part II'
This series continues the Archive's summer 2025 exploration of what it means to be housed - and to truly feel at home - in an age of ongoing displacement. The series' second part expands the inquiry to a global scale, presenting independent, experimental, documentary and narrative works from four continents, along with in-person Q&As with several of the directors.

March 13-14
Debra Granik Presents: 'Conbody vs Everybody'
Director Debra Granik's five-part docuseries, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, traces the journey of former drug dealer-turned-fitness entrepreneur Coss Marte from 2014 to 2021 as he builds ConBody, a gym on New York's Lower East Side that hires and empowers formerly incarcerated people. Q&As with Granik and Marte will follow the screening.

One-night only

Jan. 23
Cinema's First Nasty Women: Breaking Plates and Smashing the Patriarchy
Filmmaker Karen Pearlman's ongoing project celebrates the anarchic spirit of early women comedians who brought rebellious energy to the silent screen from 1903 to 1913. In-person guests include Pearlman and Lilya Kaganovsky, professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Languages and Cultures.

Jan. 31
'The Stringer'
Premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, "The Stringer" sparked controversy in the photojournalism world, raising questions about editorial power structures. Filmmaker Bao Nguyen investigates a potential secret behind the iconic Vietnam War photo of a young girl fleeing a napalm attack - an image that earned photographer Nick Út a Pulitzer Prize and helped shift global opinion about the conflict. A discussion with Nguyen and line producer Jenni Trang Le will follow the screening, moderated by Thuy Vo Dang, UCLA assistant professor of information studies and Asian American studies.

Feb. 7
'Numbskull Revolution'
Filmmaker Jon Moritsugu, known as the godfather of punk cinema, will present the world theatrical premiere of his first feature in a decade, "Numbskull Revolution" and will participate in a Q&A. The event, co-presented with Giant Robot Store and Gallery, also features a punk/DIY filmmaking lecture at UCLA Library before the screening.

Feb. 22
'Giannis in the Cities'
Writer-director Eleni Alexandrakis' film adaptation of author Giannis Atzakas' memoir explores Atzakas' displacement into a harsh system of "childcare cities" during the Greek Civil War (1946-49). Alexandrakis will appear in person.

March 21
'THE DREAM & THE LIE'
Granted rare access to Albania's national film archive, filmmaker Elena Dorfman's experimental documentary explores how, between 1944 and 1991, Albania's repressive regime used state-produced films to shape a national mythology and control daily life. The screening will be followed by an in-person conversation with Dorfman and Ariel West, the UCLA Film & Television Archive's current artist-in-residence.

Additional programs

Feb. 1-March 22
Family Flicks
In collaboration with the Hammer Museum, the Archive continues its popular Family Flicks matinee series with "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016) on Feb. 1 and "Inside Out" (2015) on March 22.

Feb. 6
Food and Film
Co-presented with the Hammer Museum, documentary filmmaker Les Blank's "Always for Pleasure" (1978) and "Yum, Yum, Yum! A Taste of the Cajun and Creole Cooking of Louisiana" (1990) will be paired with a curated dinner at Lulu restaurant at the Hammer, co-founded by legendary chef and restaurateur Alice Waters.