Student Documentary “Film” Contest
ASU Humanities and Sustainability Student Documentary Film Competition
What: The Institute for Humanities Research (IHR) and the Program in Film and Media Studies (FMS) announce a student documentary film competition on the subject of Humanities and Sustainability. All ASU students, graduate and undergraduate, from all four campuses are eligible to submit entries (one per student or student team, please). Five winners will receive certificates and cash prizes from $1,500 to $250. Their films will be posted on YouTube and several ASU websites. This is a great opportunity for students in all fields of study who have an interest in developing new approaches to sustainability issues.
The film competition is part of a four-day film festival related to the theme of Humanities and Sustainability. Exemplary documentary films will be shown on February 3, 5, and 10, with discussions led by ASU scholars. On February 12, student works will be screened and the awards will be presented. All events will be open to the public.
Why: Achieving a sustainable future has become an urgent international goal that matters to everyone. In response to that urgency, many people turn to scientists and engineers to create the material changes in individual lives and communities that will improve our air and water or replace fossil fuels. They hope that technology will provide a way out of the problems of global warming, toxic energy sources, and projected population explosions.
But wait! Hasn’t our dependence on technology helped to create the problems in the first place? Don’t we also have to consider the politics and ethics behind sustainable and unsustainable practices? Mustn’t we reconsider human beings’ relationship to the natural environment if we’re really going to make a difference? Shouldn’t we also ask how sustainable technologies, once they are developed, will affect diverse cultures? Shouldn’t we also ask what sustainability really means and who will decide what is sustained and what is terminated?
Such questions are the province of the humanities, where we consider:
• not just whether human beings can do something, but whether we should do it;
• not just where we are, but how we got here;
• not just what people do, but how they interact;
• not just how things are, but what they mean;
• not just what to call something, but the importance of labels, language, art, and music as symbolic systems;
• and not just what is real, but where ideas of reality come from.
When: Attend an optional pre-submission information workshop on October 1, 2008, at 5 P.M. in the IHR conference room, Social Science Building, Room 109, Tempe Campus. Submit your film according to instructions to the IHR office, 107 SS Bldg., Tempe campus, by December 9, 2008.
How: Students are invited to submit a digital film that exemplifies humanities approaches to issues of sustainability. Films should be 3-7 minutes from start to end of credits. They should be ready for posting on YouTube and streaming off the ASU website.
• To enter a film, download the entry form by clicking here or http://www.asu.edu/ihr, and submit the completed, signed form and a DVD containing your film to the IHR office.
• Students wishing to team up (filmmakers, humanists) can find one another on the following e-board: http://tcls-boards.asu.edu/eboard30/. Films will be judged on quality, appropriateness to guidelines, and relevance to theme.
Questions? E-mail filminfo@asu.edu or phone 480-965-6747.