Cristián Mora is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Hispanic Languages & Literatures program at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he also got a Certificate in Gender Studies. He is from Santiago, Chile, where he received his B.A. in Journalism from the Pontificia Universidad Católica in 2012. In 2018, he obtained his Master’s degree in Film & Media Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. As a journalist, he has been published in the national Chilean newspaper El Mercurio and a few cultural magazines, and he has worked for cultural institutions and an NGO dedicated to children’s rights. In addition, he is the co-founder of the digital magazine entrance.cl, where he actively writes reviews and interviews with Latin American creators. His research interests are centered on Latin American culture, with a special emphasis on the representation of old age in contemporary Chilean cinema and literature.
Education
- Certificate, Gender Studies, University of California, Los Angeles (2024)
- M.A., Film & Media Studies, Washington University in St. Louis (2018)
- B.A., Journalism, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2012)
Research
I am interested in the relation between arts and politics, and in particular in the representation of contemporary social conflicts in the work of Latin American filmmakers and writers. In my dissertation, I focus on the depiction of old age in 21st-century Chilean film and literature.
Articles
“El papel del narrador y la autenticidad en la adaptación de Borges al cine.” INTI 101-102 (primavera-otoño, 2025).
Presentations
2026 “Destroying the Taboo: Sexuality in Old Age in La nave del olvido and Mamacruz.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA), Paris. May, 2026 (forthcoming).
2025 “La vejez en el cine chileno contemporáneo.” Homenaje a Fernando Alegría (1918-2005), Department of Spanish and Portuguese, UCLA. November 7, 2025.
2025 “Job Market Workshop.” Panel on the experience of the US Latino/a literature and cultures Assistant Professor Search Committee, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, UCLA. November 4, 2025.
2025 “Work, Aging, and Identity: The Dilemma of Retirement in El hombre del futuro, Vieja viejo, and Sara.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA), San Francisco. May 24, 2025.
2025 “The Chilean Conflict: From Allende and Pinochet to the Present.” Guest lecture for “Cultures and Civilizations of Latin America,” Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Alaska Fairbanks. April 1, 2025.
2024 “The Authoritarian Backlash: Military Regime and Neoliberalism in Chile (1973-2024).” Guest lecture for Spanish 44: “Latin American Cultures,” Department of Spanish and Portuguese, UCLA. November 20, 2024.
2024 “La Suprema: Reframing the Struggle for Justice in Colombia.” Panel on the Colombian film La Suprema, by Felipe Holguín, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, UCLA. October 16, 2024.
2024 “Alzheimer’s Disease in Contemporary Cinema: The Tough Path Towards Empathy in The Father, Vortex, and The Eternal Memory.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA), Bogota. June 12, 2024.
2023 “Harley Queen: The Provocative Cinema of Sepúlveda and Adriazola.” Panel on the Chilean documentary Harley Queen, by Carolina Adriazola and José Luis Sepúlveda, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, UCLA. November 1, 2023.
2022 “Baile, rabia y empoderamiento.” Panel on the Chilean film Ema, by Pablo Larraín, Center for Southern Cone Studies, Latin American Institute, UCLA. March 4, 2022.
2021 “Santiago 2019: La ciudad trastocada.” Panel “Chilean Revuelta and Representations: Drafts,” University of Southern California. November 11, 2021.