Dr Joanne Jordan nominated for Research in Film Awards

26 Sep 2017

Film explores Global Development Institute research on living with climate change through the eyes of Bangladeshi slum dwellers

Dr Joanne Jordan, from the University’s Global Development Institute, has been shortlisted for the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s prestigious 2017 Research in Film Awards.

The film, ‘The Lived Experience of Climate Change: A Story of One Piece of Land in Dhaka’, has made the shortlist for the International Development Award: Mobilising Global Voices.

Dr Jordan, the Project Coordinator, said: “I am really delighted that ‘The Lived Experience of Climate Change’ has been short-listed by the AHRC for the International Development award. The film, directed by Ehsan Kabir, explores the findings of my research on the everyday realities of living with climate change through the eyes of Bangladeshi slum dwellers. This film is our attempt to raise some of the voices and stories from the communities living on the frontline of climate change. We must hear their stories.”

Hundreds of films were submitted for the Awards this year and the overall winner for each category, who will receive £2,000 towards their filmmaking, will be announced at a special ceremony at 195 Piccadilly in London, home of BAFTA, on Thursday, 9 November.

Launched in 2015, the Research in Film Awards celebrate short films, up to 30 minutes long, that have been made about the arts and humanities and their influence on our lives.

There are five categories in total, with four of them aimed at the research community and one open to the public.

Mike Collins, Head of Communications at the Arts and Humanities Research Council, said: "The standard of filmmaking in this year's Research in Film Awards has been exceptionally high and the range of themes covered span the whole breadth of arts and humanities subjects.

"While watching the films I was impressed by the careful attention to detail and rich storytelling that the filmmakers had used to engage their audiences. The quality of the shortlisted films further demonstrates the endless potential of using film as a way to communicate and engage people with academic research. Above all, the shortlist showcases the art of filmmaking as a way of helping us to understand the world that we live in today."

A team of judges watched the longlisted films in each of the categories to select the shortlist and ultimately the winner. Key criteria included looking at how the filmmakers came up with creative ways of telling stories – either factual or fictional – on camera that capture the importance of arts and humanities research to all of our lives.

Judges for the 2017 Research in Film Awards include Richard Davidson-Houston of Channel 4 Television, Lindsay Mackie Co-founder of Film Club and Matthew Reisz from Times Higher Education.