Stephen Ujlaki

Stephen Ujlaki
Born (1943-06-16) 16 June 1943
Education
Occupations
Years active1968–present
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1984; div. 2012)​
  • Jackie Clark Mancuso
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2014)​

Stephen Ujlaki (born 16 June 1943) is an American documentary filmmaker, producer, and professor, known for the documentary Bad Faith (2024). He served as Dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television from 2010 to 2018, and previously chaired the Cinema Department at San Francisco State University, where he founded the Doc Film Institute.

Early life and education

Stephen George Bela Vladimir Ujlaki was born on 16 June 1943, in Washington, D.C., to Marina de Staël and György Újlaki. His mother, born Baroness Marina Vladimirovna Staël von Holstein (Russian: Марина Владимировна Шталь фон Гольштейн), and her two younger siblings, the future painter Nicolas de Staël and Olga, were exiled from St. Petersburg and soon orphaned following the Russian Revolution.[1] His father György, a hyperpolyglot, emigrated from Budapest to the United States during the White Terror and later served in intelligence as a translator during World War II.[2]

Ujlaki grew up in Rochester, New York,[3][4] and graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts in French and English History and Literature.[5] While at Harvard, he participated in Timothy Leary's LSD experiments on multiple occasions as part of the Harvard Psilocybin Project.[5] He subsequently trained at the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC) in Paris, the French national film school later reorganized as La Fémis.[2][6]

Early career

While studying at IDHEC, Ujlaki landed an informal internship with director Jean-Luc Godard.[2][6] He produced Wheel of Ashes (1968), a feature directed by Peter Emanuel Goldman and starring Pierre Clémenti,[7][8] which premiered in competition at the 29th Venice International Film Festival in 1968,[9] and was later presented at the inaugural Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.[10] In the wake of the student uprisings of May 1968, Ujlaki was arrested and held at La Santé Prison before being deported from France.[2] He relocated to Stockholm, where he attended rehearsals of Ingmar Bergman's production of Woyzeck.[11][2] While working part-time as a dockworker, he directed Tunnelbana (1969), a 15-minute documentary about the Stockholm subway sponsored by the Swedish Film Institute.[2][12]

Returning to the United States, Ujlaki taught film for one term at Brandeis University[2] before being hired at the age of twenty-eight by president Leon Botstein to start the film program at the now-defunct Franconia College.[13] During this period he made a series of documentaries on prison reform, anti-war activism, and the environment.[14] These included Patriotism, Inc. (1971), an anti-Vietnam War film about patriotic indoctrination of youth through Revolutionary War reenactment,[15] and Three Thousand Years and Life (1973), filmed inside Walpole State Prison during the prisoner takeover.[16][17][18] Its companion film, With Intent to Harm (1973), shot inside four Massachusetts state prisons, was called "the best prison documentary ever made" by ABC News.[19] With Hands and Hearts (1975), a dramatized history of the Kentucky Shakers narrated by Helen Hayes, was called "the best local historical documentary in some time" by the critic Howard Rosenberg.[20] A Watersnake in Coney Valley (1974), a 15-minute animated satire on Nixon, his advisors, and the impeachment process, premiered in competition at the 10th Chicago International Film Festival in 1974,[21] and was later distributed to universities and community libraries by Carousel Films.[22][23][24] Ujlaki also organized a documentary film symposium at Brandeis that became the model for the later Doc Film Institute at SFSU.[2][25]

Hollywood career

Ujlaki began his Hollywood career as a writer before being hired as an executive at Mace Neufeld Productions in 1981.[2] He later joined HBO, where he served as Vice President of Development and Production (1983–88).[26] He subsequently became Head of European Feature and Television Production for The Stone Group (1988–1991), a production company founded by Michael Douglas.[2][6]

He has produced more than thirty feature films, television films, and documentaries.[27] His feature credits include Courage Mountain, The Hot Spot, Loch Ness, Ripley Under Ground, and The Cry of the Owl.

He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[28]

Academic career

San Francisco State University (2001–2010)

Ujlaki joined San Francisco State University in 2001 as Chair of the Cinema Department. During his nine-year tenure, he founded the Doc Film Institute, which sponsors documentary film festivals and honors leading documentary filmmakers, with advisory board members including Martin Scorsese and Errol Morris.[2][6] He also established a California State University-wide internship program for film students and launched a Visiting Fellows Program bringing industry professionals into the classroom.[2][27]

Cachao: Uno Más (2008)

Ujlaki produced the Doc Film Institute's inaugural film, the bilingual documentary Cachao: Uno Más (2008), with actor Andy García and Tom Luddy. The film profiles Cuban musician Israel "Cachao" López and aired on PBS's American Masters series.[6][14]

Loyola Marymount University (2010–present)

In 2010, Ujlaki was appointed Dean of the School of Film and Television (SFTV) at Loyola Marymount University.[6][29] While dean, SFTV rose to rank among the top film schools in the United States,[6] placing fifth on USA Today's list of America's top film schools[30] and eighth in The Hollywood Reporter.[31]

In 2013, he launched The Hollywood Masters, a student interview series produced in partnership with Stephen Galloway of The Hollywood Reporter,[6][32][33] The student interviews were subsequently produced as a Netflix series.[34] Guests have included Alfonso Cuarón, Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn,[6] Helen Mirren,[35] Amy Adams, Michael Caine,[36] Pedro Almodóvar,[37] Willem Dafoe,[38] Jordan Peele, and Ava DuVernay.[39]

He also organized international film series at SFTV, including Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour, an annual festival of restored films from the Cineteca di Bologna,[6][40][41] and Caméras d'Afrique: The Films of West Africa, a series of 21 West African films co-presented with Film Independent at LACMA and curated by Elvis Mitchell.[42] Caméras d'Afrique was the first film festival in the United States dedicated solely to African films by African directors.[42] As dean, he developed diversity initiatives through partnerships with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Ghetto Film School,[43] for which LMU received the Big Brothers Big Sisters Innovator Award in 2016.[44] He also established SFTV exchange programs in Bologna, with the University of Bologna,[40] and in Budapest, with Eötvös Loránd University.[45][46]

After stepping down as Dean of SFTV in 2018, he has continued at LMU as a Professor of Film.[47]

Bad Faith (2024)

Ujlaki wrote, produced, and directed Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism's Unholy War on Democracy (2024). The film traces the history of the Christian nationalist movement in the United States from the Moral Majority through the 2021 United States Capitol attack and Project 2025.[48] It premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where it was named an audience favorite.[49][50] Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns called it a "powerful and timely film, filled with the dread this moment engenders; the cynical misuse of religion to advance aims diametrically the opposite of Christianity's mission,"[51] and Variety's Owen Gleiberman named it among the best films of 2024.[48][52] Writing for The Christian Post, columnist Jerry Newcombe criticized the film as propaganda from the religious left and defended Christian involvement in politics.[53]

Ujlaki has continued to screen and promote the film through an ongoing national tour of university and community screenings.[51][54]

Personal life

Ujlaki has three children from his first marriage to Silvia Formenti.[5] He lives in France with his second wife, artist Jackie Clark Mancuso.[6]

Selected filmography

Year Title Role
2024 Bad Faith Director, Producer, Writer
2017 The Hollywood Masters Executive Producer
2009 The Cry of the Owl Executive Producer
2008 Cachao: Uno Más Producer
2005 Ripley Under Ground Producer
1996 Loch Ness Producer
1990 The Hot Spot Executive Producer
1989 Courage Mountain Producer
1974 A Watersnake in Coney Valley Director, Producer, Writer
1973 Three Thousand Years and Life Director, Producer, Writer
1973 With Intent to Harm Director, Producer, Writer
1971 Patriotism, Inc. Director, Producer, Writer
1968 Wheel of Ashes Producer

Accolades

Year Festival Category Work Result
1968 Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion Wheel of Ashes In competition[9]
1974 Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo A Watersnake in Coney Valley In competition[55]
1996 Oulu International Children's Film Festival Best Film Loch Ness Won[56]
2024 Palm Springs International Film Festival Best Documentary Bad Faith In competition[49]
2024 Rhode Island International Film Festival Best Documentary Won[57]
2024 Washington, DC International Film Festival Justice Matters Award Won[58]

References

  1. ↑ Greilsamer, Laurent (2001). Le Prince foudroyé: la vie de Nicolas de Staël (in French). Paris: Fayard. pp. 37–38, 40, 375, 383. ISBN 2-213-59552-6. deux sœurs de Nicolas de Staël, Marina Ujlaki de Staël et Olga de Staël
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Howard, Rachel (Fall 2006). "The Director's Chair: Steve Ujlaki". SF State Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  3. ↑ "McQuaid Student Wins Debate Meet Trophy". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. 15 March 1959. p. 8. Retrieved 8 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "McQuaid Wins Math Honors". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. 28 September 1961. p. 23. Retrieved 8 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 Harvard and Radcliffe Class of 1965 Fiftieth Anniversary Report. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard College Class Report Office. 2015. p. 846.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Aushenker, Michael (25 February 2016). "Palisadian Stephen Ujlaki is Reinventing the Reel at LMU's School of Film and Television". Palisadian-Post. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  7. ↑ "Roue de cendres (Wheel of Ashes). 1968. Directed by Peter Emmanuel Goldman". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Roue de cendres". Encyclociné (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 "29. Mostra Internazionale del Cinema". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Quinzaine 1969". Quinzaine des cinéastes (Directors' Fortnight). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Woyzeck, Dramaten, 1969". ingmarbergman.se. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Ujlaki, Stephen (1969). Tunnelbana (Documentary short) (in Swedish). Svenska Filminstitutet prod. nr 8935.
  13. ↑ Kahn, E.J. (27 May 1972). "The Place on the Hill". The New Yorker. p. 88. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Cachao: Uno Más – Interview with Producer Steve Ujlaki". American Masters. PBS. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "Movies". The Boston Globe. 15 October 1971. p. 35. Retrieved 8 August 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Burgin, Richard (5 May 1974). "Walpole films anger and resonate". The Boston Globe. p. 168. Retrieved 8 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ DeSmith, Christy (3 April 2023). "Can prisons be abolished? Look at 1973 Walpole takeover". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Berk, Christopher D. (Winter 2018). "On Prison Democracy: The Politics of Participation in a Maximum Security Prison". Critical Inquiry. 44 (2): 275–302. JSTOR 26547792.
  19. ↑ "STAND to Probe Prisons in Talks Open to Public". Bridgeport Sunday Post. Bridgeport, Connecticut. 25 February 1973. p. 76. Retrieved 25 August 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Rosenberg, Howard (26 December 1975). "Film on Shakers is first-rate". The Louisville Times. Louisville, Kentucky. p. 30. Retrieved 8 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Chicago International Film Festival: Tenth Anniversary (Festival program). Chicago: Cinema/Chicago. 1974. p. 46.
  22. ↑ Index to 16mm Educational Films. Vol. 4 (6th ed.). Los Angeles: National Information Center for Educational Media, University of Southern California. 1977. p. 392. ISBN 978-0-89320-000-8.
  23. ↑ Hellman, Mary (1977). Sourcebook for Crime and Justice in America. Courses by Newspaper. Del Mar, California: Publisher's Inc. ERIC ED147207.
  24. ↑ "On the Town". San Francisco Chronicle. 11 August 1974. p. 118. Retrieved 6 August 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ "Film Study Center Sets Documentary Confab". The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. 20 January 1972. p. 15. Retrieved 8 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ Caulfield, Deborah (6 November 1983). "Hollywood: Not All That Glitters". Los Angeles Times. p. Calendar 40. Retrieved 21 August 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. 1 2 "Veteran Film Producer Named Dean of LMU's School of Film and Television" (Press release). Loyola Marymount University. 6 May 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2026 – via PR Newswire.
  28. ↑ "Academy Invites 928 to Membership" (Press release). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  29. ↑ Cieply, Michael (5 July 2011). "For Film Graduates, an Altered Job Picture". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  30. ↑ "America's best colleges for a major in film". USA Today College. 29 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  31. ↑ "The Best Film Schools". The Hollywood Reporter. 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  32. ↑ "THR's Stephen Galloway to Moderate LMU Filmmaker Interview Series". The Hollywood Reporter. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  33. ↑ "THR's Stephen Galloway to Moderate New Season of LMU Filmmaker Interview Series". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  34. ↑ "The Hollywood Masters". Netflix. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  35. ↑ "'Hollywood Masters' Series Sets Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, More for Season 8". The Hollywood Reporter. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  36. ↑ "LMU School of Film and Television Presents a Fourth Season of The Hollywood Masters" (Press release). Loyola Marymount University. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2026 – via PR Newswire.
  37. ↑ "New 'Hollywood Masters' Season to Feature Interviews With Annette Bening, Ewan McGregor, Brian Grazer, Others". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  38. ↑ "Willem Dafoe on 'The Florida Project,' Fallout From Playing Jesus". The Hollywood Reporter. 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  39. ↑ "'Hollywood Masters' Series Sets Jordan Peele, Ava DuVernay, Gary Oldman, More for Season 9". The Hollywood Reporter. February 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  40. 1 2 Hutchinson, Cory (17 March 2018). "SFTV hosts Il Cinema Ritrovato On Tour". Los Angeles Loyolan. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  41. ↑ "Il Cinema Ritrovato: Eighth Edition". LMU School of Film and Television. 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  42. 1 2 "Four Reasons Film Geeks Should Catch Caméras D'Afrique". Film Independent. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  43. ↑ "Teens Try Out College, Entertainment Worlds in Ghetto Film School-LMU Program". Los Angeles Times. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  44. ↑ "Big Brothers Big Sisters Scholarship Luncheon Honors ABC's Rebecca Campbell, Loyola Marymount University". The Hollywood Reporter. 18 April 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  45. ↑ "Budapestre helyezi a székhelyét egy hollywoodi egyetem". filmhu (in Hungarian). 22 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  46. ↑ "Our Partners". Budapest Film Academy. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  47. ↑ "Stephen Ujlaki – Faculty". LMU School of Film and Television. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  48. 1 2 Gleiberman, Owen (11 April 2024). "Bad Faith Review". Variety. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  49. 1 2 "Bad Faith". Palm Springs International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 23 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  50. ↑ "Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces 2024 Award Winners". Palm Springs International Film Festival. January 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  51. 1 2 Ehrlick, Darrell (18 October 2024). "Documentary 'Bad Faith' will tour Montana next week, describing the threat of Christian nationalism". Daily Montanan. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  52. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (10 December 2024). "The Best Movies of 2024". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  53. ↑ Newcombe, Jerry (7 June 2024). "Why 'Bad Faith' is a bad movie". The Christian Post. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  54. ↑ Edwards, Sarah (17 May 2024). "Things Have Gotten Very Bad: An Interview With "Bad Faith" Director Stephen Ujlaki". IndyWeek (Interview). Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  55. ↑ Chicago International Film Festival: Tenth Anniversary (Festival program). Chicago: Cinema/Chicago. 1974. p. 46.
  56. ↑ "Oulun kansainvälinen lastenelokuvien festivaali 1982–2006" (PDF) (in Finnish). Oulun Elokuvakeskus. p. 14. Retrieved 27 July 2026. Oulun lapsiraati valitsi kilpasarjasta suosikikseen englantilaisen John Hendersonin ohjaaman elokuvan Loch Nessin salaisuus.
  57. ↑ Coates, Tyler (6 September 2024). "How the Rhode Island Film Festival Is "Writing a New Narrative"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  58. ↑ "Filmfest DC Awards". Washington, DC International Film Festival. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
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