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

Ornella, Alexander Darius

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: Dec 8, 2022
• 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