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“Short Film Is Where Innovative Storytelling Is Born” Using the Science Fiction Short Film in the Religious Studies and Sociology Classroom

Ornella, Alexander Darius

Authors

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Dr Alexander Ornella A.Ornella@hull.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Religion, Director for Education and Student Experience



Abstract

“Short film is where innovative storytelling is born”, the website shortoftheweek.com, a curated short film website, boldly and proudly declares. Short films often lead a Cinderella existence but engaging with them can be immensely rewarding and, due to their length, they can be ideal conversation partners in the religious studies and sociology classroom. The speculative fiction short film, the science fiction short film, and the documentary short film are particularly able to document, address, visualize – and thus render visible – structures and hierarchies of power, financial and economic interests, gender, or resource distribution, and the fears and anxieties about what it means to be human. This contribution demonstrates that short films, in particular science fiction short films, can act as conversation partners in the religious studies and sociology class-room, even if the student-audience might not be particularly avid science fiction film fans. I make reference to three short films, Rise (David Karlak, US 2016, 5′), Code 8 (Jeff Chan, US/CA 2016, 10′), and Black Sheep (Ed Perkins, UK 2018, 26′), and provide a more in-depth discussion of the use of Rise in the classroom.

Citation

Ornella, A. D. (2022). “Short Film Is Where Innovative Storytelling Is Born” Using the Science Fiction Short Film in the Religious Studies and Sociology Classroom. Journal for Religion, Film and Media, 8(2), 49-64. https://doi.org/10.25364/05.8%3A2022.2.4

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 1, 2022
Online Publication Date Nov 15, 2022
Publication Date Nov 15, 2022
Deposit Date Dec 4, 2022
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal for Religion, Film and Media
Print ISSN 2414-0201
Electronic ISSN 2617-3697
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 8
Issue 2
Pages 49-64
DOI https://doi.org/10.25364/05.8%3A2022.2.4
Keywords religious studies, sociology, teaching, short film
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4135945
Publisher URL https://www.jrfm.eu/index.php/ojs_jrfm/article/view/305

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