Marissa Hicks-Alcaraz is a PhD candidate in Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University with a focus on Latin American and Latin@ cinema. She received her MA in Cinema Studies from NYU and BA from UCLA. Her research examines representations of Latinx identities in horror films. She has published articles and presented her work at several conferences. Additionally, she has experience curating film programs and festivals focusing on Latin American and Middle Eastern films.

1. MARISSA HICKS-ALCARAZ
253 N Irving Blvd · Los Angeles, CA 90004 · (415) 518-6560 · marissa.hicks-alcaraz@cgu.edu
Education
Claremont Graduate University
Ph.D. in Cultural Studies Present
Emphasis in Latin American and Latin@ cinema Claremont, CA
New York University May, 2015
Master of Arts in Cinema Studies New York, NY
Emphasis in Latin American and Latin@ cinema
University of California, Los Angeles May, 2013
Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern and North African Studies Los Angeles, CA
Emphasis in Visual Studies and Performance
Peer Reviewed Publications
“The Muslims Are Coming! and The Axis of Evil: An Examination of Stereotype-based Jokes in American
Muslim Stand-up Comedy.” Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Journal, (2013): 81-85. Print.
Other Publications
“Noujaim's The Square: An exceptionally crafted documentary on the Egyptian uprising.” GalaTView, January
2014. Web.
“Bringing the Tiger Home: Interview with Director Lena Khan.” Al-Talib Student Magazine, June 2013. Print.
“Bassem Youssef: A Revolutionary Satirist.” Al-Talib Student Magazine, June 2013. Print and Web.
“The Use of Humor and Satire in Little Mosque on the Prairie.” Al-Talib Student Magazine, December 2012.
Print.
Selected Conference Presentations
“That Boy's Got the Devil in Him': Robert Rodriguez and the Birth of Mex-Am Horror,” Popular Culture
Association/American Culture Association National Conference, March 22-25, 2016
“Hybridity in the Horror Films of Robert Rodriguez,” SSRC-Mellon Mays Summer Conference, June 17-19,
2015
“Chicana/o Horror and Cultural Hybridity: Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and Planet Terror
(2007),” Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference, April 1-4, 2015
“Breaking Down Barriers One Laugh at a Time: An Examination of Political Satire in Muslim American Ethnic
Comedy.” Chicago Research Symposium, University of Chicago, August 9, 2012
Film Curating
Guest Curator, “¡Que Horror!,” Watsonville Film Festival, 2016 (forthcoming)
Curator, “Iranian Vampires, College Town Satanic Cults, and Babylonian Demons: A Middle Eastern American
Horror Film Series,” The Markaz Cultural Center, 2015
Curator of Guest Filmmaker Program and Symposium co-organizer, “Encrucijadas/Encruzilhadas Symposium
2015: Corpos/Corpus/Corpses DIALOGUES FOR LATIN AMERICAN CINEMAS,” Fordham University and
New York University, 2015

2. Co-curator,” Orphans at MoMA: A Cinema League of Nations,” New York Museum of Modern Art, 201 4
Curator, “Social Criticism and Cannibalism in Jorge Michel Grau's Somos lo que hay (We Are What We Are),”
New York University, 2014
Film Industry Experience
Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles, Program's Assistant 10/15 – present
 Collaborating with Program's Manager to research, identify, organize and promote screenings
 Write and disseminate press releases
 Maintain media list for program announcements
 Coordinate print traffic with film distributors
 Development and maintenance of new website
The Markaz Cultural Center, Film Curating Intern 8/15 – 11/15
 Collaborated with Director to organize the Center's film program, involving: identifying films to screen and
acquiring screening rights, organizing panel discussions, preparing budgets, writing press releases and
promotion, introducing films, and any other event planning duties as needed
Watsonville Film Festival, Programmer and Organizing Committee Member 1/15 – 3/15
 Collaborated with other Programming Committee members to select films for the 4th
Annual WFF
 Promoted WFF by creating event invitations and “email blasts” to local community leaders; educators; and
organizations, helping contribute to the Festival's highest turn-out to date
Higher Education and Research Experience
UCLAAleph Undergraduate Research Journal, Junior Editor 2/12 – 5/13
 Collaborated with other junior and senior editors weekly to discuss and select undergraduate research papers
to appear in Aleph's online and printed journal
 Edited accepted papers and provided suggestions for improvement
UCLA Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, Fellow and Mentor 11/12 – 5/13
 Conducted an independent research project, presented in several conferences, and published in the
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Journal
 Mentored MMUF's 5th
cohort by meeting with students frequently to discuss their research projects, review
their progress within the program, and any other aspects relevant to their success within and beyond the
program – many of whom are now graduate students at top research universities
 Participated in the Mellon Mays Summer Research Program at the University of Chicago, where I took
courses on critical theory and worked on an independent research project which I presented at the University
of Chicago's Mellon Mays Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium
Skyline Community College Honors Transfer Program, Representative 11/11 – 6/12
 Met with Skyline Community College HTP students to provide guidance on transition from community
college to UCLA
 Answered individual student questions related to successfully transferring to UCLA
Awards and Honors
Claremont Graduate University Fellowship 2016
 Merit based fellowship award reserved for incoming doctoral students
Tisch School of the Arts Travel Grant Award 2015
 Awarded to support students presenting an original research paper in an academic conference
Tisch School of the Arts Scholarship Award 2014
 Merit based scholarship reserved for the top 10% of second year students
Tisch School of the Arts Scholarship Award 2013
 Merit based scholarship reserved for the top 30% of incoming students
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellowship Award 2011
 Awarded to outstanding students who intend to pursue a PhD and a career in academia

3. Tau Sigma Honors Society 2011
 Recognizes outstanding scholastic achievement among university students
 Membership into the Society is by invitation only to the top 15% of university students
Languages
Fluent Spanish
Intermediate Conversational Arabic
Affiliations
NYU Alumni Association
UCLAAlumni Association
Popular Culture Association, Member
Society for Cinema and Media Studies, Member
Watsonville Film Festival, Committee Member