Browsing by Subject "film and media studies"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    The African Cinema Unit yearbook. Volume 1
    (University of Cape Town, 2014) University of Cape Town. African Cinema Unit
    The African Cinema Unit Yearbook is a publication comprised of peer-reviewed scholarly articles devoted to the study of South African and African screen studies, and reports on activities organised by the African Cinema Unit.
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    Becoming
    (2020) Reynolds, Kimberly M; Chuma, Wallace
    This thesis project accompanies the 2019 photographic portraiture series entitled Becoming. Using James Baldwin, Audre Lorde and Zora Neale Hurston as departure points, both the photo series and this academic explanative seeks to explore the question of what does it mean to become? Or in other words, what is the imperative to be who you are, to actualize within a space that demonstrates a regular investment in the destruction of bodies that are Black and queer. Through a set of five individual interviews, the questions of what does it mean to be who you are? why is it important? how do you become through your creative work? serve to create space for knowledge production, combatting what Spivak dubs as epistemic violence. Guided by the principles of post colonial life writing, African and Black feminist thought, Black queer theory, and art as an emancipatory tool, this thesis centers voices often theorized about yet rarely heard and argues that creative work more broadly offers a path for liberation. The published work of Becoming, both the photographs and interviews, can be found at http://www.becomingphotoseries.com/ and fulfils the creative media aspect of this dissertation/creative project.
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    Diverse Love: how interracial relationships are portrayed in film: a personal journey
    (2022) Mallett, Rachel; Rijsdijk, Ian-Malcolm; Maasdorp, Liani
    The following paper aims to explore and analyse the consequential impact of how interracial and cross-cultural relationships are portrayed in film. It highlights the perspectives of those who have subjective lived experience within interracial relationships through first-hand research. Further explanation is provided towards how these findings have shaped the approach to developing Diverse Love, a point-of-view style autobiographical documentary depicting my own experience in an interracial relationship. To achieve this, a mixed-methods approach has been employed; combining primary academic research through small-sample questionnaires, reviews of relevant literature or media and a reflective writing journal, as a supplementary narrative to the ideas and topics presented in Diverse Love. Throughout both the creative and written aspects of this project, the core motivation has been to accurately and authentically represent my own lived experience as a white English woman in an interracial marriage with a black South African man. To ensure I was creating a piece of work which addresses a socio-political need and to recognize the context in which it will be placed, I start by briefly outlining South Africa's more recent history, with a specific focus on race politics. Delving into the process behind creating the film, whilst understanding the key themes of interracial love, we both learn about the challenges that can be experienced, as well as celebrate the positive interactions. This is further complimented by interviews with other interracial couples who share their experiences with stereotypes, and how they feel this is represented in visual media. As there is limited research previously undertaken on this topic, it was important to not only include my perspective, but also the opinions of others, to address commonly occurring prejudices. To create a well-rounded piece of writing, I also explored through academic research the themes of documentary and the topics of race. The key conclusions drawn from this research indicate a significant lack of representation of interracial couples in film and that the majority of portrayals follow stereotypes and are not accurate to the lived experiences. There is also a lack of academic analysis on films which exhibit themes of interracial relationships, with the majority of papers focused on discussing Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (Kramer, 1967). Not only that, many of the studies are situated within the context of American film or political context and neglect to represent a global audience, as well as being outdated and in need of a more current lens. This study adds value to the field asit blends elements of personal experience with academic research, within a niche and under-represented topic. This gives an in-depth and emotive result, with an overarching recommendation that the film industry can look to evolve, ensuring a more diverse and accurate representation of in the interracial relationships portrayed.
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    Representing aspiration in South African television: negotiating space, movement, and value
    (2022) Rikhotso, Matimu Freddy; Cain, Julia
    The rural South African environment in its many representations across television and documentary forms part of a continuously complex conversation. The ways in which fictional shows such as Generations (SABC1), compared to shows like Giyani: Land of Blood (SABC2) and The Herd (Mzansi Magic) have approached the representation of the rural environment, creates a new lens from which to look academically at the representation of rural areas in South Africa. Furthermore, the representation of aspiration in Giyani: Land of Blood and The Herd speaks to a unique shift in the treatment of the fictional stories we have seen in the past in local television shows. This paper analyses these two shows in conversation with my documentary film, Ndhawu which facilitates a conversation around space, identity and aspiration. This qualitative investigation seeks to look critically at the content of Giyani: Land of Blood, The Herd and my documentary film Ndhawu through textual analysis. This analysis, and the critical reflection on Ndhawu, will be steppingstones to supporting the argument that there is a new type of representation that we not only see of rural South Africa, but also of the aspirations of the inhabitants of those areas