Film Screening
“A Drop of Asia”: A Film Festival on Asian Culture and Environments
The 6th cohort of the SDAC Elite Master Program at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, organized a film festival on the theme of Environment from July 07-09 at E-werk Erlangen. The festival screened short films and documentaries about Asia, especially China and South-East Asia.
The Film Festival was organized for educational purposes. It aimed to invite students, scholars, and film enthusiasts to deepen their understanding and devotes to spark conversations, broaden horizons, and inspire people to make informed decisions for a more sustainable future.
A brief account of the three critical themes addressed in this film festival was given by the participating students.
1. Nature and Environmental Challenges:
In a world grappling with pressing environmental challenges, our festival aims to discuss the environmental issues entangled with culture, politics, and social contexts in Asia. Through the medium of film, we aim to raise awareness, foster understanding, and facilitate discussions about the complex issues that impact Asia and our global community.
2. Cultural Heritage:
Our festival also shines a spotlight on films that explore the profound connection between cultural heritage and the environment. By Journeying through narratives that depict the conflict between modernization and tradition, human and non-human, the film festival emphasizes the complexities of modernization and indigenous knowledge that sustains Asia’s diverse cultural tapestry.
3. Gender Issues:
Gender equality and empowerment form another crucial aspect of our festival’s focus. By highlighting stories that address gender-related environmental issues, we strive to show the unique challenges faced by women and gender-marginalized socio-cultural communities minorities in Asia.
The film festival was a success with the screening of amazing short films including
- All that Breathes
- The Diary of Cattle
- Plastic China
- The Tsunami and the Cherry
- Dulhaji Dolena
- Ungbi and non-human friends
- The Last Moose of Aoluguya
- You and I
- Dory
- Kado
- Pink dads
- Flee
A big shout out to the students and faculty members of SDAC program who worked so hard to make this film festival a reality.
Dr. Alexander Horstmann kindly continues to hold the Film Club for the Summer Semester 2022 at SDAC.
In each session, we will watch one documentary movie together and before and after the run we have briefing and debriefing to deepen our understanding. There will be three documentary movies.
In winter semester 2021, SDAC guest professor Alexander Horstmann holds the Film Club, which offers three documentary movies. The Film Club is complementary to the course on World Anthropology and Humanitarian Organizations.
In winter semester 2018 and summer semester 2019, we have taken an in-depth look at the history of ethnographic cinema, as well as discussed the relationship between visual anthropology and printed ethnographies. The history of ethnographic filmmaking is linked to advancements in audio and visual recording techniques. With this in mind, films had been selected to reflect both technological innovation in visual anthropology and the influence of post-war ideological movements on the broader field of documentary film.
Each screening began with a short lecture, placing the respective films in a historical and theoretical context. Screenings are open to the public. Anyone and everyone is welcome!
