Uzo Aduba, the three-time Emmy-winning star of Orange Is the New Black and Mrs. America, has been named the 2024 Commencement speaker at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, the No. 4-ranked film school in the nation. The ceremony will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18 at Chapman University’s Wilson Field.
 A formidable and celebrated talent whose work spans television, film and theater, Aduba gained national prominence for her portrayal of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in Netflix’s critically acclaimed series Orange Is the New Black.  Her performance garnered a sweep of honors including SAG Awards as Best Actress in a Comedy in 2015 and 2016, a 2015 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and a 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy, joining Ed Asner to become only the second actor ever to win Emmys for the same role in the comedy and drama categories. She was also honored as part of the show’s Best Ensemble in a Comedy wins at the SAG Awards in 2015, 2016 and 2017. With her SAG and Emmy honors, she became the first Black actress to win the award in each category. 
“Uzo Aduba is one of the exceptional talents of our time,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Dodge College. “She represents everything we most cherish at Dodge College: a fierce intelligence, originality and the highest commitment to excellence. We are thrilled to have her as our Commencement speaker this year.”
Aduba also starred in the Emmy-winning HBO drama series In Treatment, and Amazon Studios’ anthology series, Solos. In 2020, Aduba earned her third Emmy and a Critics Choice Award for her portrayal of Shirley Chisholm in the limited series Mrs. America, opposite Cate Blanchett.
Currently, Aduba can be seen with Matthew Broderick in the Netflix limited series Painkiller, which dramatizes the origins of the opioid crisis.  She is in production on the upcoming Shondaland Netflix series The Residence, and she recently wrapped Searchlight’s The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can Eat, as well as the independent comedy/mystery Providence. 
On the big screen, Aduba’s credits include Disney Pixar’s Lightyear, National Champions, Miss Virginia, Beats, Candy Jar, My Little Pony: The Movie, American Pastoral and Tallulah.       
A Boston native, Aduba studied classical music at the Boston University School of Fine Arts. She began her professional career on the stage, making her Broadway debut in 2007 as Toby in Helen Edmundson’s adaptation of Coram Boy, followed by the hit musical revival of Godspell in 2011. She made her West End theater debut in The Jamie Lloyd Company’s contemporary adaptation of Jean Genet’s The Maids. Aduba was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for her work in the Kennedy Center/Olney Theater production of Translations of Xhosa. Other theater credits include Dessa Rose, Turnado: Rumble for the Ring and Abyssinia. In 2022, she received Tony Award and Drama League Award nominations for her performance in Second Stage Theater’s Broadway production of Lynn Nottage’s play Clyde’s, opposite Ron Cephas Jones.
Aduba recently launched her production company, Meynon Media, and signed a multi-year producing deal with CBS Studios where she is set to produce All Her Little Secrets as a limited series starring Aduba for Showtime from writer Aurin Squire, based upon the best-selling novel by Wanda M. Morris. With a growing Meynon feature slate as well, Aduba produced Marianne Farley’s live action short film Frimas, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Academy Awards. 
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About Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, the No. 4-ranked film school in the nation, is committed to empowering aspiring filmmakers and media artists by providing a transformative educational experience. We foster creativity, innovation and critical thinking, equipping our students with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in the dynamic world of film and media. Through comprehensive programs, cutting-edge facilities and industry partnerships, we cultivate a collaborative and inclusive community that nurtures artistic excellence, fosters cultural understanding and prepares our graduates to shape the future of the entertainment industry.
About Chapman University
Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a nationally ranked private university in Orange, California, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Chapman serves nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students can choose from 123 areas of study within 11 colleges for a personalized education. Chapman is categorized by the Carnegie Classification as an R2 “high research activity” institution. Students at Chapman learn directly from distinguished world-class faculty including Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur fellows, published authors and Academy Award winners. The campus has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. Chapman also includes the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine. The university features the No. 4 film school and No. 60 business school in the U.S. Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu.

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Molly Thrasher. Director of Public Relations | [email protected] | Mobile: 657-561-4359
Carly Murphy, Public Relations Coordinator | [email protected]| Desk: 714-289-3196 | Mobile: 714-497-968
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Warner Music Group has signed singer, dancer and actor Nora Fatehi. It is her first agreement with a major global record company.
The partnership is to promote Fatehi’s global music career, working with teams in the US and across the world. She will remain signed to T-Series, the Indian music label and movie studio, for her Bollywood projects.
Based in India, Fatehi was born in Toronto to a family of Moroccan heritage. She first made her name as a Bollywood actress, appearing in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. 
She has built a fanbase all around the world, with more than 46 million followers on Instagram and 21 million on Facebook. Her music has generated more than 1.2 billion streams and five billion-plus YouTube views on her featured videos.
In 2018, she appeared in the movie Satyameva Jayate, in which she performed a version of the classic Bollywood song Dilbar, which generated more than 20 million views on YouTube in the first 24 hours of its release. She then recorded and sang an Arabic version of the song, in collaboration with the Moroccan group Fnaïre, expanding her audience across the Arab world. She went on to become the first Arab-African artist to hit one billion views on a single music video on YouTube.
Fatehi’s other ventures into international music include collaborations with performers such as Tanzanian singer-songwriter Rayvanny for the track Pepeta, as well as British singer Zack Knight for Dirty Little Secret.
Her latest film, Crakk – Jeethegaa Toh Jiyegaa, was released on Friday (February 23). 
Nora Fatehi said: “I’ve enjoyed great success in my career so far, but this deal is a significant step forward in my musical journey, a new chapter in my international career. My ambition is to be a global music star and performer, connecting with fans all over the world. I want to use my diverse cultural background to create music and dance that brings everyone together! I’m excited to work with Warner Music to leverage their experience and expertise to help me fulfil this goal.”
Robert Kyncl, CEO, Warner Music Group, said: “Nora is an extraordinary talent, electric performer, and cross-cultural superstar whose music reflects the rich diversity of her background. Her passion and ambition are infectious and we’re excited to help her reach new audiences, places, and heights across the globe.”
Alfonso Perez-Soto, president, emerging markets, Warner Music, said: “I’ve been blown away by Nora’s starpower. She has the creative ability and sheer stamina you need to become one of the world’s biggest artists. We can’t wait to put the global resources of Warner Music at her disposal as she starts the next chapter of her music career.”
PHOTO: Apoorv Maurya Photography
 
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By Elly Mui
May 11, 2024 / 9:34 AM EDT / CBS News
Comanche chanting kicked off the Southwestern Association for Indian Art’s inaugural runway show, as singer Marla Nauni opened with a blessing song for Native people. Peshawn Bread, the designer behind House of Sutai, quickly followed the prayer by sending a model in bell bottoms and roller skates down the runway to set the tone for her colorful disco-influenced collection.  
It was the start of Native Fashion Week in Santa Fe, where dancers draped in reimagined indigenous looks twirled alongside models in nontraditional silks with Native motifs. They showed off creations that juxtaposed modernity and traditional Native ceremony.
Peshawn says she used elements of the 70s to represent a difficult time for indigenous people – when the American Indian Religious Freedom Act passed in 1978. The act protects Native American religious practices and customs, which had been illegal under previous laws.
“We were fighting for our practices and spirituality and didn’t have time to go to the disco.  Like you hardly saw any Natives in discos,” said Bread. “… So, I wanted to say, well, in the 70s what if we had pure Indigenous joy? What would it look like? Would we incorporate our materials or designs like weaving patterns in our fabric?”
One of the largest gatherings of Native American fashion, more than 17 of the hottest Indigenous designers from across dozens of tribes in North America came together starting last weekend to celebrate their achievements outside of major fashion houses.
Amid pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses and in front of the Met Gala, Navajo nation designer Carrie Wood pointedly addressed disparity in indigenous culture in America as well as expressed solidarity with the pro-Palestinian protesters in her collection. Wood sees the conflict Palestinians are facing as akin to the struggles of Native Americans. Her final piece to hit the runway and close out the first day of Native Fashion Week combined elements of Palestinian traditional garments juxtaposed against Native American dress. The model wore a Navajo-style tiered skirt made out of the Palestinian keffiyeh.  Wood connected the similar use of accessories such as scarves and jewelry in both cultures to unify the style.
Many designers noted the difficult history, expressing fears that Native peoples are seen as a monolith, relegated to history — a lack of nuance that drives many Native artists to be protective of their work.
Amber-Dawn Bear Rope, who is part of the Siksika nation in Alberta, Canada, and the director of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, which put on the four-day event, started the organization on a shoestring budget in 2014. She hopes the show is the launching pad for many within the indigenous community to create their own unique brand after generations of being forced to fit a cultural mold.
“This is creating our own space for us to meet and have an experience within our own worldview of fashion and indigenous design,” she said. “Native American artists were the original courtiers of fashion in North America.”
Events like the fashion week, she said, are a way for Native American creatives to take back the narrative on what it means to be indigenous. 
Kayla Lookinghorse-Smith, an up-and-coming Lakota-Dakota Sioux designer, hopes to bridge the gap between history and modern design, “[my work] doesn’t take away from our protective ceremonial garment or our stories.  It speaks to two worlds. We have to walk in today’s society, and we have to remember who we are,” Lookinghorse-Smith said.
Mainstream interest in Indigenous dress and culture in the wake of the award-winning film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” based on the bestselling book of the same name, TV series “Reservation Dogs” and other Native-focused entertainment is driving designers and attention to their work.
Celebrities such as Lily Gladstone and Quannah Chasinghorse are drawing attention to indigenous pieces on the red carpet and award ceremonies. At this year’s Met Gala, Chasinghorse wore jewelry from beadwork artist Heather Dickson to pair with her custom H&M dress. Meanwhile, Gladstone’s Met Gala gown incorporated embroidered star-shaped jewelry from renowned Great Plains artist Keri Ataumbi.
Bread’s mother, Jhane Myers, a producer and Native consultant on Hollywood productions including 2022’s “Prey” and Showtime’s “The Curse,”  sees the renewed attention on Native culture as a cyclical trend. She said she’s seen support build every 25 years, but it dissipates before Natives reach true success. Myers, who has also collaborated with major fashion labels such as Ralph Lauren as part of her work with the Indigenous fashion community,  believes that this moment will be different — because Indigenous creatives are working within Hollywood as directors, writers and producers, so the wider narrative can be influenced by those who understand it.
Comanche and Cherokee designer Bread hopes with Hollywood interest and events like SWAIA’s Native Fashion Week, Indigenous dress and designers can catch the eyes of larger fashion houses and brands.
Already, her close friend, Diné weaver Naomi Glasses, has gone from a fellowship with former Chloe creative director Gabriela Hearst as part of Creative Futures, which provides opportunities for creatives, to now working on a major collaboration with Ralph Lauren.  Bread said that these opportunities allow Native designers and brands to work together ethically instead of facing potential struggles with appropriation.
Designer Heather Bouchier from Beardyʼs & Okemasis’ Cree Nation in Saskatchewan Treaty Six Territory in Canada says that Native celebrities have given her the chance to walk her dresses down red carpets. One of her dresses, fitted for a high-profile Native American actor at the Canadian Screen Awards, will feature pieces made out of 3D printed dentalium shells, an Inuit or First Nations tusk-like jewelry often used in commerce.  She says because the material is rare, she takes a sustainable approach to design by 3D-printing the shells. 
Actor Wes Studi, who has received an Academy Honorary Award for his roles in acclaimed films such as “Dances with Wolves” and “Last of the Mohicans,” attended the SWAIA fashion show to watch his granddaughter’s debut appearance as a runway model. Over the past several decades, acting roles for Native Americans have been inconsistent. But watching his granddaughter blossom in her modeling career is a moment of generational impact.
First published on May 11, 2024 / 9:34 AM EDT
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