A leading university and an animal welfare charity have joined forces to provide a module for film studies students which explores the representation of donkeys in film.
Film studies undergraduates at The University of Exeter who elect to take the ‘Scrublands, Sanctuary, Screens: Co-Creating Knowledges alongside Donkeys’ module as part of their degree will investigate the roles of donkeys in films like The Banshees of Inisherin, Shrek, Jesus of Nazareth and EO. The students will also have the opportunity to observe and record the interactions of the residents at The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth.
These studies will allow them to develop a deeper understanding of the contrast between the daily life experiences of donkeys and their screen portrayals, where they have historically been characterised in human terms, such as stubborn or comedic.
Part of the course will see the students creating video diaries which will be presented to The Donkey Sanctuary and its education centre.
Global acknowledgement
“When the actor Colin Farrell and the director Martin McDonagh both acknowledged Jenny the Donkey in their acceptance speeches for Banshees at The Golden Globes, it raised fascinating questions for how we think about interpreting animal performance,” said Dr Fiona Handyside, co-lead for the module in Exeter’s Department of Communications, Drama and Film.
“And that has led to this first-of-its-kind module, where we bring together the Film department’s insight of representation and performance, with The Donkey Sanctuary’s expertise and knowledge in providing holistic care to donkeys and thinking about their contribution to society.”
‘Scrublands, Sanctuary, Screens: Co-Creating Knowledges alongside Donkeys’ runs once a year for 11 weeks. Halfway through the course, students will visit The Donkey Sanctuary to learn about its residents and observe their behaviours and interactions.
“It’s fantastic to know that a new generation of filmmakers will have a critical understanding of the link between the way animals are portrayed on-screen and the values we accord them in real life, and the implications this has for their welfare,” said Dr Faith Burden, deputy ceo of The Donkey Sanctuary.
“For too long donkeys have been misrepresented in popular culture and this has done them a great disservice.
‘Develop a lifelong appreciation’
“By observing and spending time with the donkeys here in Sidmouth, these students will have the chance to develop a lifelong appreciation of what sensitive and intelligent animals they really are, and the impact their work can have on them.”
The first cohort of students undertaking the course spent a day with staff at the sanctuary earlier this month.
“No one has ever attempted this kind of collaboration before – it’s an extraordinary opportunity for a truly joint venture between The Sanctuary and the University,” added Dr Benedict Morrison, Senior Lecturer in Film, and fellow co-lead for the module.
“Its aim is to transform how we think about our relationship with not just donkeys, but animals more widely – or ‘more than human animals’ as we refer to them in academic study. In partnering with the Sanctuary, the donkeys are not just distant objects of study; they become participants, ‘in conversation’ with the students.
“The attempt by contemporary media to reduce donkeys to a set of symbolic meanings – the stubborn, the stupid, the indolent – is deeply unfair. We hope that through the opportunity to speak with people who work with them every day, we can get some sense of the real-life experience of donkeys.”
Images © The Donkey Sanctuary.
