In an effort to address the impacts modern society has on the planet, two ASU groups are encouraging students to look at sustainability from a new perspective.
The Institute for Humanities Research and the film and media studies program have teamed up to sponsor a student documentary film competition focused on the role the humanities play in issues of sustainability like deforestation.
“Scientists often ask, ‘Can we do X to solve Y problems?’ ” said Daniel Bernardi, associate professor and director of the film and media studies program. “Humanists ask questions like, ‘Should we think about sustainability in terms of languages?’ and ‘What effect would that have on the human culture?’ ”
The contest is open to all individual ASU undergraduate and graduate students or student teams, and five winners will receive certificates and cash prices ranging from $250 to $1,500.
In addition, the winning entries will be featured in a four-day film festival in early spring and posted on YouTube.
“We want to communicate broadly,” Bernardi said. “We want to show their films broadly. What’s the best way to do that? YouTube.”
The film festival, as well as the student competition, will be centered on the humanities and sustainability, Bernardi said.
He urges student filmmakers to approach sustainability from a humanistic approach, not just from a scientist’s perspective.
“If your answer to the current fuel crisis is nuclear power and you neglect the fact that nuclear waste can potentially cause profound long-term damage to the planet, to the people, you are missing the point,” Bernardi said.
The Students of Arizona Network for Sustainability, a new student club at ASU, is promoting the film competition on their Web site.
“Not everybody can be an engineer, but everybody can be some sort of activist and help in spreading the word,” club president Heather McFelea said.
Films should be three to seven minutes in length and must be submitted to the Institute for Humanities Research by Dec. 7. Instructions for submitting films can be found in the institute’s office in the Social Science Building room 107, as well as online at www.asu.edu/ihr.
Bernardi said students should use short stories to link the questions of sustainability to the human condition. Most importantly, he said he hopes students take risks while making their films.
“Don’t be timid, and experiment a little bit,” he said. “Don’t be afraid of being abstract, and don’t be afraid of being political. I want people to come away from the films thinking differently about the impact of technology on human culture.”
Reach the reporter at whitney.marie.clark@asu.edu.
