UCLA

This dissertation discusses the methodological and empirical findings that emerged from a filmmaking-based study with Women and Femmes of Color in MFA film programs. This work opens with an autobiographical testimonio, in an act of reciprocity for my research collaborators and my community. Weaving together Critical Race Theory in Education, Film theory and production, and well as Chicana and Endarkened Feminist theories and praxis, this dissertation is designed to honor and protect the stories of recruited research collaborators. Together we explore the methodological, theoretical, epistemic, and pedagogical contributions born from this study. This dissertation also incorporates screenplays as representative of Cinematic Critical Race Composite Counterstories that illustrate key findings and contributions, including a reimagining of film school pedagogy through the reclamation of narrative agency.