Category: Inclusive Teaching & Learning in HE

Social justice, intersectionality and representation in the film industry

One of the great gifts of film is its capacity to connect audiences to other people’s points of view, cultures and identities. Film’s ability to create these dialogues is incredibly powerful and allows an audience to gain an understanding of the world, of different intersectionality and of societal bias. 

Unfortunately, the film industry is still riddled with racist, misogynistic, ageing and ableist bias both onscreen and in its creative, production and institutional workforce. Indeed, in 2020 in the US, women comprised only 21% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the top 100 grossing films, up from 20% in 2019[1] and in the UK, people of colour (POC) represented only 23% of on-screen representation, themes and narratives and 24% of the creative leadership and project teams in 2020[2].

As a queer female filmmaker from a multi ethnic background, I have been the recipient of bias for most of my life.

 As a production tutor for BA film practice and MA Film at LCC, I teach film production to many international students with a vast array of different identities, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and religions. With this paper, I reflect on the process that lead me to decide to create a lecture that would approach the concepts of social justice and inclusivity and the lack of it in the film industry. I will also analyse the structure and pedagogies the lecture will use as well as the reactions of my peers and my students when I officially proposed to teach this lecture in the next academic year. It is entitled,’ Inclusivity in scriptwriting, casting, creative vision and film production: the bias of the film industry and the importance of representation’.

Encouraging the understanding and the awareness of inclusivity and representation in films and in the film industry seems paramount to ensure that the next generation of filmmakers is diverse and competent in their work ethic and in their creative vision and in the realisation of their projects. It is also important that as a place of education, the university is at the forefront of inclusive pedagogy and anti-discrimination policies when teaching.

In my couple of years teaching I have come to realise that the emphasis is on “how to make a film” creatively and technically. We also have lectures that discuss the ‘what to film’, and ‘which emphasis on the structure and technics of scriptwriting’, but there are no lectures that approach bias in scriptwriting, casting, creative vision and film production. Similarly, the lack of diversity in the workforce and the importance of onscreen representation of different intersectionality in the film industry and in students’ films are not addressed. 

I remember vividly an occasion in class where I had to point out to my students that all the characters that they had created in their scripts were young, beautiful, able bodied and mainly white. This specific incident sparked my interest in inclusive teaching & learning pedagogy and, working my way through the inclusive teaching & learning unit, made me realised that I could create an intervention, a lecture, that would tackle the problem and hopefully create allies and activists in the next generation of filmmakers.

Thinking further, I established the structure of the lecture and the different pedagogies and concepts that it will use and teach. 

To insure a respectful and safe session, the lecture will start with an inclusive ‘Teaching & learning’[3] pedagogy through SoN’s Netiquette[4] that  it will be adapted if the lecture is not online. The concept of intersectionality and inclusivity will be developed using the object-based learning[5] pedagogy which will help us scrutinise different examples of bias in the film industry using extracts of films, surveys and games. For example, an anonymous survey of the students’ identities would be an engaging way to introduce concepts of diversity and intersectionality. An emphasis will be put on the richness that inclusivity can bring into the University experience, the film industry and society. Initiatives such as the Bechdel-Wallace test[6] will be highlighted as well as the BFI’s ‘Race and Ethnicity in the UK Film Industry’[7] report which highlights the under-representation of women and POC both on screen and in the creative workforce. 

Another interaction could be the introduction of POC film professional who would lecture about his/her/their journey in the film industry as an ethnic minority/woman/disabled person. The lecture will be at all times respectful, safe and deep in terms of the themes approached but fun and light in terms of how these concepts will be studied.

Finally, once bias is demonstrated and different concepts are clarified, we would engage in critical pedagogy[8]through group discussions. Questioning the normative narrative in films, the representation of POC in the film industry, discussing the filmmaker’s moral responsibility, the need for education and self-growth and finding ways of combating and exposing injustices. These would be some of the topics approached.

The learning outcomes would be multiple and encompass an understanding of the concept of inclusivity, social justice, intersectionality, diversity, awareness of film industry bias and the importance of self-growth, and activism. The success of the lecture would be measured in the diversity of the themes approached in the students’ films and characters, their work ethic and in a follow up, feedback and a survey that will also be used to improve the lecture if/when necessary. 

I foresee that this lecture will be three hours long, split in two equal parts: half put to the inclusive learning & teaching concepts and the second half for the discussion with a break in between to assimilate the concepts previously approached.

 It will be delivered in the first term of the academic year, before the students start writing their scripts so that their diversity competency has a maximum impact on their creative vision and their interaction with each other’s work. 

Once I had formulated more clearly my proposed lecture I suggested it to the MA Film course leader who was both enthusiastic and apologetic for not thinking about it before (see Appendix 1). This reaction suggested to me that this lecture would also be beneficial to the tutors and the staff as 2/3 of my colleagues in MA Film are white males. I will also make sure I’ll invite all tutors to the lecture. 

I understand that white fragility is a potential backlash of the lecture and I have researched how to have courageous conversations in the workshop setting through SoN’s website[9] and its’ courageous conversation toolkit[10].

I am very grateful that I have received the enthusiastic support of our Dean Zey Suka-Bill who has asked to identify the needed resources in order for the lecture to go forward and is interested in its possible integration into all BAs & MAs being delivered by LCC Screen department (see Appendix 2). I am also grateful for the support of my colleagues and Course Leader who has planned extra hours for the lecture next year and will participate.

Encouraged by the enthusiasm of my peers, I contacted the MA Film students and asked them for their feedback and ideas on the lecture. I received enthusiastic emails from my students who are all very interested in the subject matter and would be eager to have a lecture that addresses these issues (see below for extract and in the Appendix 3 for full email).

Quote, “I actually would have loved to have this module in this year. I think it’s super interesting and I definitely think you should introduce it. The film industry is so dominated by white men and I think it’d be incredibly insightful to get a view of other directors/producers/writers or anything like that from a minorities perspective’, “These lectures for the following cohort sound great. I would have been interested in receiving this lecture as anything it seems like essential learning for the new generation of filmmakers, sounds really good. Questioning difference and inclusivity in film from educational stage is important as this is one of the lectures that may stay with students for the rest of their careers.”

It is clear that there is a real need for a lecture that will approach concepts of diversity, inclusivity, representation and intersectionality in the film industry. Both students and staff realise the importance of studying these concepts in order to applying them to their creative visions in their work environment and hopefully in their lives too. 

Creating allies and increasing the awareness of individual, moral responsibilities as well as the ones of the filmmakers is the goal of this lecture.

I very much look forward to teaching this lecture. I am delighted to finally have a tool that allows me to educate a new generation of filmmakers to bias so that we will have a chance to make the societal changes that we aspire to.

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[1] M. M. Lauzen, PhD. 2021. The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top U.S. Films of 2020. Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film. P1

[2] Dr C. j. Nwonka (2020) Race and Ethnicity in the UK Film Industry: an analysis of the BFI Diversity Standards. The London School of Economics and Political Science. P7

[3] Shades of Noir (2020), Inclusive Practice: Alchemy – Transformation in Social Justice Teaching

[4] Shades of Noir (2020), Netiquette.  https://www.shadesofnoir.org.uk/education/digital-learning/

[5] Dr K. Hardie. 2015 Wow: The power of Objects in Object-Based Learning and Teaching. HEA.

[6] The Bechdel-Wallace Test: http://bechdeltestfest.com/about/

[7] Dr C. j. Nwonka (2020) Race and Ethnicity in the UK Film Industry: an Analysis of the BFI Diversity Standards. The London School of Economics and Political Science

[8] Freire P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Myra Ramos ed. New York: Continuum

[9] Shade of Noir (2020). Dr G. Singh. How To Facilitate Open Discussions About Racism, Implicit Bias And Stereotypes In The Workshop Setting. 

[10] Shade of Noir (2020), Courageous Conversation Toolkit. https://atctools.org/toolkit_tool/courageous-conversations-toolkit/

Bibliography:

Dr C. j. Nwonka (2020) Race and Ethnicity in the UK Film Industry: an analysis of the BFI Diversity Standards. The London School of Economics and Political Science

https://www.bfi.org.uk/industry-data-insights/reports/diversity-reports

M. M. Lauzen, PhD. 2021. The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top U.S. Films of 2020. Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film

https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2020_Celluloid_Ceiling_Report.pdf

Bechdel-Wallace test: http://bechdeltestfest.com/about/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test

Crenshaw, K. (1994) ‘Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics’Living with Contradictions. 1st edn. Routledge,

Freire P. (2013) Paulo Freire’s Blunt Challenge to Anthropology: Create a Pedagogy of the Opressed for Your Times

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian-Mckenna-5/publication/259583801_paulo_freire%27s_blunt/links/53ff87b50cf24c81027dad3e/paulo-freires-blunt.pdf

Freire P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Myra Ramos ed. New York: Continuum.

Hooks, B. (2014) Teaching to Transgress. Taylor & Francis.

Dr K. Hardie. 2015 Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching. HEA.

Richards, A. and Finnigan, T. (2015) Embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum: An art and Design practitioner’s guide . York: Higher Education Academy.

Ferlazzo L (2020). Responding to a Colleague Who Makes a Racist Comment. Education Week

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-responding-to-a-colleague-who-makes-a-racist-comment/2020/09?fbclid=IwAR1MvmEXSdH3XKhRyFSyRmmF2ceGqKmoD04Tt7wJHTuFhmgi4Kjq0WspyDY

Shades of Noir (2020), Courageous Conversation Toolkit.

https://atctools.org/toolkit_tool/courageous-conversations-toolkit/

Shades of Noir (2019), How To Facilitate Open Discussions About Racism, Implicit Bias and Stereotypes in the Workshop Setting by Dr. Singh G. CBE.

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/how-to-facilitate-open-discussions-about-racism-implicit-bias-and-stereotypes-in-the-workshop-setting-by-dr-gurnam-singh-cbe/

Shades of Noir (2020), Inclusive Practice: Alchemy – Transformation in Social Justice Teaching

Shade of Noir (2018) Discourse: The Power of Language and Communication

Shade of Noir (2017) Safe Spaces: What Are They, and Why They Matter?

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/safe-spaces-what-are-they-and-why-they-matter/

Shade of Noir (2016) Intersectional Safety In The Classroom

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/intersectional-safety-in-the-classroom/

Shade of Noir (2017) Intersectional Film

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/intersectional-film/

Shade of Noir (2020) The Inclusive Practice Unit

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/the-inclusive-practice-unit/

Shade of Noir (2019) Reflecting on Inclusive Teaching and Learning Unit in Higher Education

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/reflecting-on-inclusive-teaching-and-learning-unit/

Appendix 1:

Appendix 2: 

Appendix 3:

Race

Shade of Noir: Shades of Noir

How could you apply the resources to your own teaching practice?

This site has everything to support staff and students with an array of resources to dig into from pedagogy to case studies, a creative database and programs such as “Teaching Within”. The aim of the site is to develop an awareness of the existence of injustice in our society and to develop social justice theory and pedagogy. It also gives clear framework, guidance and support for staff and students. 

I will use SoN’s resources as a source of information to facilitate critical conversation with students and staff and to refer a student if/when necessary. I will also do my own research (cultural & references) in order to better engaged with social justice in my class and to expand the diversity of the films references I give in my lectures. 

I am also planning on doing a lecture about inclusivity in the film industry. I will use SoN’s as my main source of information and approach concepts such as netiquette, identity, intersectionality and representation. I will also include the pedagogy of ‘teaching people how to think not what to think’[1] and critical pedagogy.[2]

How could you integrate the research/work your students do on this subject into your teaching/professional practice?

As our students write their own script I will strongly encouraged them to develop their identity in order to find their own voice and creativity. I will also encourage responsible conversations about the issues highlighted in their work and give guidance and feedback that are honest, fair, respectful and empathic.

I will create a safe place to discuss these issues where conversations will be respectful and constructive. I am acutely aware of the importance of the language used in a conversation and I will make sure to speak slowly and clearly with uncomplicated language. 

The aim of these conversations will be to encourage self-growth, open-mildness and awareness. 

Can you cite examples?

Many of my students write script dealing with different themes encompassing racism, homophobia, mental health, religion and disability. These themes are discussed during script writing session with the relevant tutor and I now include in my lectures space to discuss further these issues with the students.

Representation is also an important aspect that I promote. I will highlight the importance of having actors that have a diverse ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, faith, economic and social background.

I will also integrate the notion of individual responsibility and the need for the next generation of filmmaker to be aware of and to denounce the lack of social justice in their industry, their craft and potentially in the film they create. 

Hahn Tapper (2013) ‘A pedagogy of social justice education: social identity, theory and intersectionality’, Pp. 411- 417

This journal examines the different aspects of social justice education. It highlights the importance of including social identity in all implementation of education as discussed by P. Freire[3]. It shows the importance of students and teachers engaging in critical reflexion, living a communal experience where the students are leading and the teachers are guiding.

The journal also explores power dynamic in social groups in HE.

Social Identity Theory (SIT) argues that social identity underpins intergroup behavior (as oppose to interpersonal behaviour). It focuses on social context as the key determinant of self-definition and behaviour. It is said that people are the product of their environment and will behave as such reproducing status quos such as the fear of the other.

Knowing that race is a social construction, with significant social consequences[4], it seems that education and the awareness of one’s interpersonal behaviour are key to challenge the perception of people of colour’s social identity. For a real societal change, intergroup relation needs to evolve to a fair and just power dynamic.

Ted talk video “Witness Unconscious Bias”. Josephine Kwhali

Quite few reflexions spark from watching Josephine Kwhali’s Ted Talk video “Witness Unconscious Bias”. The first one is the importance of being aware of the nurtured aspect of racism. Nobody is born racist. There is also no such thing as unconscious bias. Today everybody is aware of racism and unconscious bias cannot be the feel-good medicine for a bruise white fragility. 

Institutional racism in High Education is linked to white privilege and therefore conscious decisions were/ are made in order to maintain a power dynamic that is to their benefit. It is the responsibility of each of us to be conscious of the injustice and to act upon it when confronted to us. 

Another reflection that emerge from Kwali’s words is the white fragility and the white denial that allows the status quo. A look at today ‘s American politics and the debate around critical race theory is enough to show us a flagrant example of white anxiety and white denial. 

‘Retention and attainment in the disciplines: Art and Design’ Finnigan and Richards 2016.

The attainment gap between black students who gain an upper degree and white students is of 33%. This journal explores how curricula, culture, pedagogy and practice influence and affect the learning and success of people of colour in High Education.

For example, it shows that the process of selection not only need to take in consideration how class works as a barrier, but also how socioeconomic privilege works to thicken and complicate the barriers of age, disability, gender, race and sexuality[5].

It highlights how Art & Design pedagogies are paramount for the engagement and retention of students of colour. Indeed, students should be encouraged to explore their own identity in their work and should be supported creatively and emotionally. Art and Design educators need to be aware of the power of their feedback and should be encouraging and knowledgeable of other cultural background.

The journal also shows that Art education has been described as Eurocentric, racist and imperialist and a curriculum reform and a social change are now necessary for an Inclusive Teaching & Learning in HE.[6]

Finally, it points out that ethnic diversity among staff is important for both Black and White students, as it provides positive role models, as well as a range of perspectives that enrich learning and demonstrates an institution’s commitment to diversity.

“That racist measures are not only retained, but actually extended, suggests that policy makers have decided (tacitly, if not explicitly) to place race equity at the margins – thereby retaining race injustice at the centre.”[7]

Additional Resources

‘Room of Silence’ from Rhode Island School of Design

The very first impression I have when watching this documentary is that students of different ethnicity are craving talking about race, racism and relationship between different races in their arts.  

Instead of meeting this need with support, guidance and feedback it is disregarded by a white normative curriculum and teachers that do not want to approach these issues either because they do not know how to or do not want to. 

White fragility, white denial and white guilt, all play a part in the way the issues are dealt with. From a student words: “I don’t think that responsible analysis and criticism and discussion on the issues of identities and so forth should be something that you can opt out of.”[8] Indeed, it is an individual responsibility that needs to be addressed and educated.

Bibliography: 

Shades of Noir website. Shades of Noir

Freire P. (2006) Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

Hahn Tapper (2013) ‘A pedagogy of social justice education: social identity,

Theory, intersectionality and empowerment’

Ted talk video “Witness Unconscious Bias”. Josephine Kwhali

‘Room of Silence’ from Rhode Island School of Design

‘Retention and attainment in the disciplines: Art and Design’ Finnigan and

Richards 2016.

Privilege and Oppression in Counselor Education: An Intersectionality Framework

C. D. Chan, D. Cor, M. P. Band. 2018. Counselor Education Faculty Publications and

Presentations Counselor Education

Students’ Experience of Identity and Attainment at UAL 

Final year 4 report of a longitudinal study for the University of the Arts London. 2017

Education Policy as an Act of White Supremacy: Whiteness, Critical Race Theory and Education Reform. D. Gillborn. Educational Foundations & Policy Studies – Institute of Education

[1] Shades of Noir website. Teaching Within 1:2016 – 17. Carole Morrison.

[2] Freire P. (2006) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. 

[3] Freire P. (2006) Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

[4] Dhruvarajan 2000

[5] Bhagat and O’Neil 2011a

[6] Hatton 2015

[7] D. Gillborn. Education Policy as an Act of White Supremacy: Whiteness, Critical Race Theory and Education Reform. Institute of Education

[8] ‘Room of Silence’ from Rhode Island School of Design 12:48 – 12:59

Artefact

Lecture: Inclusivity in scriptwriting, casting, creative vision and film production: the bias of the film industry and the importance of representation

One of the great gifts of film is its capacity to connect audiences to other people’s point of view, culture and identities. Film’s ability to create these dialogues is incredibly powerful and allows an audience to gain an understanding of the world, of different intersectionality and of societal bias. 

Teaching film production to students from all over the world and with a vast array of different identities requires a good understanding of inclusive learning and teaching from staff and students.

Thinking of inclusivity in the curriculum made me realise that the emphasis of our teaching is on the “how to make a film” creatively and technically but there is no lecture that approach bias in scriptwriting, casting, creative vision and film production or that highlight the importance of the representation of different intersectionality in students’ films. 

I want to create this lecture by using different pedagogies such as:

  • inclusive teaching & learning[1] (Netiquette, concept of intersectionality & identity)
  • object based learning[2] through extract of films, games and survey, 
  • critical pedagogy[3] through questioning the normative narrative in films,
  • students centred through group discussions.

This lecture would be delivered in the first term, before the students start writing their scripts in order to have a maximum impact on their creative vision and so that they become diversity competent. 

I have suggested this new workshop to Ray Kilby the course leader of MA Film who was enthusiastic and has planned extra hours for this lecture next year. I have also received the support of our Dean Zey Suka-Bill for a possible integration in the Screen department (see Appendix).

Appendix:

Bibliographie:

Crenshaw, K. (1994) ‘Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics’Living with Contradictions. 1st edn. Routledge,

Freire P. (2013) Paulo Freire’s Blunt Challenge to Anthropology: Create a Pedagogy of the Opressed for Your Times

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian-Mckenna-5/publication/259583801_paulo_freire%27s_blunt/links/53ff87b50cf24c81027dad3e/paulo-freires-blunt.pdf

Freire P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Myra Ramos ed. New York: Continuum.

Hooks, B. (2014) Teaching to Transgress. Taylor & Francis.

Dr K. Hardie. 2015 Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching. HEA.

Richards, A. and Finnigan, T. (2015) Embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum: An art and design practitioner’s guide . York: Higher Education Academy.

Ferlazzo L (2020). Responding to a Colleague Who Makes a Racist Comment. Education Week

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-responding-to-a-colleague-who-makes-a-racist-comment/2020/09?fbclid=IwAR1MvmEXSdH3XKhRyFSyRmmF2ceGqKmoD04Tt7wJHTuFhmgi4Kjq0WspyDY

Shades of Noir (2020), Inclusive Practice: Alchemy – Transformation in Social Justice Teaching

https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/inclusivepractice

Shades of Noir (2019), How To Facilitate Open Discussions About Racism, Implicit Bias and Stereotypes in the Workshop Setting by Dr. Singh G. CBE.

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/how-to-facilitate-open-discussions-about-racism-implicit-bias-and-stereotypes-in-the-workshop-setting-by-dr-gurnam-singh-cbe/

Shade of Noir (2018) Discourse: The Power of Language and Communication

https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/discourse-_the_power_of_language_an

Shade of Noir (2017) Safe Spaces: What Are They, and Why They Matter?

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/safe-spaces-what-are-they-and-why-they-matter/

Shade of Noir (2016) Intersectional Safety In The Classroom

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/intersectional-safety-in-the-classroom/

Shade of Noir (2017) Intersectional Film

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/intersectional-film/

Shade of Noir (2020) The Inclusive Practice Unit

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/the-inclusive-practice-unit/

Shade of Noir (2019) Reflecting on Inclusive Teaching and Learning Unit in Higher Education

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/reflecting-on-inclusive-teaching-and-learning-unit/

[1] Shades of Noir (2020), Inclusive Practice: Alchemy – Transformation in Social Justice Teaching

[2] Dr K. Hardie. 2015 Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching. HEA.

[3] Freire P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Myra Ramos ed. New York: Continuum

Faith

Religion, Belief and Faith Identities in Learning and Teaching – UAL website

I had never seen the UAL website Religion, belief and faith identities in learning and teaching before. I wasn’t aware that it existed and to be honest I had never thought of religion as an important matter for Higher Education.

This UAL website enlightened me and I now realise that if religion is not an important factor in my life it is not true for a fair percentage of the population and therefor for a good proportion of my students. Indeed, UAL chaplain Mark Dean reveals in the Shade of Noir’s interview[1] that a UAL survey shows that 50% of UAL students identify as religious and of those who don’t, only a small minority identify as atheist. Similarly, when we look at the data of the Global Religious Landscape Worldwide All Population[2] it is clear to see that the number of people identifying as religious has increased for all religions in the last 10 years.

The website also questions the interaction between art and religion throughout history and the way this relationship can be incorporated in teaching practice. It shows different publications such as OOMK which emphasis on the expression of religious women in general and Muslim women in particular. It seems though that not many religions were covered and as it represents the students’ work one can wonder as to why the publication is not more representative of the different students’ religious identities.

The website also contains many case studies. One of them is Veil by Sara Shamsavari. Her work is about the celebration of Muslim women who wear the veil in different styles in order to express their individual identities. It is a vibrant example of the relation between art and religion which in turn shows the importance of highlighting prejudice and perception against the reality of cultural expression.

Reflecting on religion in order to make sure that my teaching is respectful and aware of it is paramount. It is also important because religion has shaped the identities of religious and to a lesser extend non-religious students. It is part of their intersectionality.

How could you apply the resources to your own practice?

The very first application for my own practice is that I now will be able to refer my students to this website and to its numerous case studies. I will also encourage my students to approach the theme of religion in their work and to reflect on the plurality of religion, its impact on society and its importance on people’s life.

Throughout this Inclusive Teaching & Learning in Higher Education unit I have come to realise that I need to be more influential in the themes and casting chosen by my students for their films. I used to say that as a production tutor my role was to make sure that the students could realise their ideas and I didn’t think that I should discuss and challenge when necessary their creative vision.  Today, through discussions and by referencing films engaging with different topics such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, faith and culture, I want to expand the students’ visions so that they embrace and represent all kind of themes, topics and point of views. I will of course always respect their vision but my guidance will not stop at just production matters and will now encompass societal, creative and spiritual point of view. I am therefore working on creating a new workshop that would challenge bias in scriptwriting, the creation of film drama and casting.

How could you integrate the research/work your students do on this subject into your teaching/professional practice? Can you cite examples?

Reflecting on religion made me realise that I might have been insensitive to one of my students’ religious identity. Indeed, he wrote a script about two parents who come to the UK from India to bury their grown-up son who died after a racist encounter. Although I was very empathic with the themes of racist and of bereavement I failed to understand the religious aspect of it. Indeed, he wanted a scene where the parents would burn a big painting made by their son by the beach. I saw that shot as a health and safety hazard that would not be authorised by the British authorities and failed to perceive the religious aspect of it.

I now see that the true meaning of this shot is a religious parable as Hindus regard an open-air cremation as the most auspicious way to release the soul from the body in order to be reincarnated. Working together, we have already found ways of achieving a safe and secure shot (albeit on a smaller scale and using CGI) and I will discuss with him his true intentions and will make sure to apologies for my lack of understanding and sensibility.

I extracted few lessons from this experience. The first one is that I need to be aware of my own bias and be more sensitive of all religious aspects with my students. I also need to be more informed and to learn about different religions so that I can understand better my students’ intersectionalities.

Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education

Chapters studied:

Religion and knowledge of religion in UK Universities

Religion and dissent in universities

Religion as a public good

The first aspect of religion that I have learnt while reading these articles is the increase in religious concerns either for a better inclusion of religion in public life or the opposite.  Indeed, it seems that the secular aspect of Western societies is today put in question while a growing part of the population refute religion in itself. We can see these growing tendencies in countries such as France, Turkey, Poland, Ireland or America to name just a few.

Being non-religious, I also hardly never had thought about the presence of a Chaplain in most universities in the UK and was totally ignorant of how that presence is financed. I realised that although chaplains seem to be “leaders of multi-faith dialogues and communities” it is fair to say that in the UK they are mainly Anglican and other faiths are often represented through them but not by them. Dialogue is indeed welcome but representation is also necessary.

To me religion is about freedom. Freedom to have a faith and to practice this faith, freedom not to have a faith and not to belong to a religious community. Religion is also a very personal matter as it implies that an individual makes a choice. A choice to believe in specific creeds, a choice to life one’s life following these set of beliefs and of course a choice not to believe.

It seems that what we are lacking the most when we think of religion in our societies is the lack of respect of that freedom of choice and conversation should be more about education in order to respect all faiths and non-faith rather than being about the inclusion of religion in our public life. Indeed, when one calculates the number of churches, mosques, temples and other religious building that there is in the UK one realises that religion is very present in our everyday lives. Having religion represented in the decision-making process of our daily life would only be beneficial if all religions and non-believers were represented which in the end would only be a representation of humanity. The reality that we are experiencing today is that only one set of beliefs is over powering all others which in turn creates an exclusive society obeying to a very narrow set of religious rules.

As the French writer and philosopher Voltaire said “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it”, similarly I do not believe in a faith, but I will defend one’s right to believe in a god.

Shade of Noir: Case study

It is clear to see that religious expression is today more diverse and visible than it used to be. In one hand this is a positive change as it shows a better inclusivity in society but unfortunately this doesn’t mean necessarily a better respect of the right to have a faith that is different than the accepted norm and so therefor visibility can also mean being targeted.

Religious extremism and societal amalgams have been the base for the verbal and physical aggressions’ increase seen in our society today. As in many cases, education, honesty, representation, courage and a sincere desire for self-growth are the remedies to this deplorable situation. All of these tools for better understanding, respect and inclusion do not belong to a specific religion. They belong to humanity and society at large needs to do a better use of them.

Kwame Anthony Appiah: Mistaken Identities

Before lessening to Kwane Anthony Appiah’s lecture, I had always thought of religion as a fix set of beliefs that one had to adhere to cognitively in order to put them in practice in everyday life. I became an atheist when I started questioning these set of beliefs specifically when looking at them through the prism of women equality and homosexuality.

Although I fully respect the right to have a faith and the desire to belong to a religious community, I feel that religion today is still relying on outdated scriptures in order to justify and maintain a patriarchal ideology. Kwane Anthony Appiah’s lecture made me realise that these set of beliefs have evolved throughout history and are still evolving today albeit rather slowly.

There is also a certain bias that only religion can make you a better person and that following a specific set of beliefs is the only way to reach a stage of purity, sanctity or enlightenment. An example of this bias can be seen in a question that was asked by a gentleman (an expert in religious identity) after the lecture. His question can be summarised as such: what kind of things fills the hole that atheists and non-believers have as they do not believe in a religion? Rightly, Kwame Anthony Appiah’s response was that he was sceptical of the existence of this hole.

What Kwame Anthony Appiah made me understand is that emphasising on religious community rather than on religion is indeed an attractive proposition to counter these restrictive beliefs and bias.

UPDATE: FRIDAY 28TH MAY

I have met why my student who wanted a shot of a fire by the beach during a production workshop. I asked him what this shot meant to him and he replied that it was a parable for Hindu religious tradition and an important aspect for his film and to him. I explained that I had realised the true meaning of his shot after our last encounter and I apologised for not being sensitive to it at the time. His body language expressed surprise. We talk again about creative ways of achieving his vision and agreed on ways of doing it. The conversation was more meaningful and there was a new bond between us. Unspoken but real. At the end of the session he thanked me for understanding him and I thank him for teaching me how to be a better teacher.

[1] Higher Power: Religion, Faith, Spirituality & Belief. Shade of Noir. Dec 2017 P 24 & 25

[2] Higher Power: Religion, Faith, Spirituality & Belief. Shade of Noir. Dec 2017 P18 & 19

Bibliography:

UAL (2008), Religion, Belief and Faith Identities in Learning and Teaching. https://religiousliteracy.myblog.arts.ac.uk/

Calhoun, C. and Modood, T. (2015), Religion in Britain: Challenges for Higher Education. Leadership Foundation. http://www.tariqmodood.com/uploads/1/2/3/9/12392325/6379_lfhe_stimulus_paper_-_modood_calhoun_32pp.pdf

Kwame, A.A (2016), The Reith Lectures: Mistaken Identity series, Creed. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z43ds

Shades of Noir (2017), The Little Book of Big Case Studies.

https://www.shadesofnoir.org.uk/education/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Shades-of-Noir-Case-Study-Faith-WEB.pdf

Shades of Noir (2018), Higher Power: Religion, Faith, Spirituality & Belief

https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/higher_power

Shade of Noir (2017). Queer Bodies.

https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/queer_bodies_online

One Of My Kind – OOMK Zine 

http://oomk.net/index.html

Shamsavari S. Website

https://www.sarashamsavari.com/londonveil#1

Ferlazzo L (2020). Responding to a Colleague Who Makes a Racist Comment. Education Week

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-responding-to-a-colleague-who-makes-a-racist-comment/2020/09?fbclid=IwAR1MvmEXSdH3XKhRyFSyRmmF2ceGqKmoD04Tt7wJHTuFhmgi4Kjq0WspyDY

Turnbull H. (2013) Inclusion, Exclusion, Illusion and Collusion. TEDx Talks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdV8OpXhl2g&ab_channel=TEDxTalksTEDxTalksVerified

Black O. (2016) Are You One of Us? What Behavioural Science Reveals on Inclusion. TEDx Talks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOlynlKPR-8&ab_channel=TEDxTalksTEDxTalksVerified

The portrayal of disability in film. Hope Cunningham. LCC UK

1- How could you apply the resources to your own teaching practice?

It is clear to me that’s proposing films as a reference to students that portray disability positively and that take in consideration intersectionality in their portrayal is paramount. 

Similarly, I also want to push my students to broaden the spectrum of the characters they create for their scripts. Indeed, I remember vividly a course in MA film where we, as tutors had to highlight to students that all the characters they had created for their scripts where young, beautiful and able bodies characters. Most of them were also white.

Highlighting the importance of positive representation to students is important if we want the next generation of filmmakers not to make the mistakes that were done before and to change societal perception of disability.

As Vilissa Thompson mentions in her interview with Sarah Blahovec “lack of representation really affects one’s self esteem and one’s ability to connect with all of their identities. It affects their ability to feel like they’re not alone and feel included in their disabled identity, in their “of color” identity, in their other identities they have.”[1] Lack of representation brings a lack of belonging and relevance. It isolates part of the population and place them on the fringe of society.

2- How could you integrate the research/ work your students do on this subject into your teaching/ professional practice?

Reading this article made me realise that I am not aware of any course that deal with this matter or any study my students are doing in order to tackle the subject. 

Although these last years there has been a push to decolonise the curriculum, I have not seen or read anything that tackle the under representation of characters with disability in the curriculum let alone black disabled characters. 

There is still a lot to be done to extend the curriculum so that it represents the diversity of our society. I will make sure that I reference to my students a variety of different films made by directors coming from all over the world and that deal with matters that include racism, sexism and disability. I will use these examples to make them realise the importance of being open to different identities, cultures and faith and the role they could play in making our societies more inclusive and open to intersectionality.

3- Can you cite examples?

There are many problems with the way the film industry deals with disability.

  • Representation: In films it is often the case that a character who is disable is portrayed as a villain, a creep or as somebody who has not much to say. The disable character is never the main character. Rain Man is one of the very few films that I have seen where the story revolves around a disable character and it is interesting to notice that when the story does revolve around a disable character, that character is almost always white.
  • Often disable characters will be played by able body actors or actresses who have not experienced disability discrimination and ableism. This also true for LGBTQ+ characters.
  • There are very few disable people working in the film industry which regard (without openly saying it) disability as a burden that could potentially have a negative impact on the efficiency of production. When I started working in the film industry I used to hide my dyslexia as I knew it could have an impact on my employability. 

Example:

Harriet (2019): the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history. 

Hollywood executives investigated for quite a while the possibility of transforming the character of Harriet Tubman into a white character played by a white actress. It is only once white actresses refused to play the part that Hollywood executives realised that there might be a problem in their approach. The film took seven years to be made. 

Furthermore, Harriet Tubman used to suffer from hallucinations and seizures (most probably due to a head trauma in her youth) but she never got recognised or honoured as a disability activist. The film does mention her hallucinations but never portray her as a disable person.

[1] S. Blahovec. Confronting the Whitewashing Of Disability: Interview with #DisabilityTooWhite Creator Vilissa Thompson. Huffpost. Dec 2017