This practice/theory module examines films that can be considered activist - a body of work that deals with issues of social and political significance to the filmmakers, to the protagonists in their films, or through the off-screen lives of films through their reception and consumption. We will look at theories of politics, activism, and film and the complex intersections between them, with historical and contemporary examples from around the world.
Exploring the variety of considerations that go into the making and distribution of an activist film, from artistic, ideological, socio-cultural, historical, technological, and practical questions, this course will consider how film and activism cross over and influence each other through a variety of filmmaking approaches, although predominantly focussing on documentary. We will also question whether films are ‘tools’ for activism or are also creators and reproducers of relations of power in and of themselves.
Exploring the variety of considerations that go into the making and distribution of an activist film, from artistic, ideological, socio-cultural, historical, technological, and practical questions, this course will consider how film and activism cross over and influence each other through a variety of filmmaking approaches, although predominantly focussing on documentary. We will also question whether films are ‘tools’ for activism or are also creators and reproducers of relations of power in and of themselves.
