October 2018

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October 2018

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prejudice. Throughout reading this type of information, students become aware of these things and will be more apt to figure out a way to eliminate and solve these problems. Students can also be exposed to cultures that they are not exposed to on an everyday basis and this will allow them to appreciate life experiences and expand their thinking of the world around us. Cultural diversity in film Within these environments, community film making is a potentially rich example of a cultural space in which 'lived' cultural diversity is being enacted and strengthened through film and self-representation, emanating from within community cultural production. Film industry is a mass media, there is bound to be heavy impact on its audience. The influence of films in our society is bidirectional. Society reflects in movies and in turn movies influence society. Let us leave the negatives of film industry like ‗masala‘ movies and item songs for a moment.

Film is one of the great tools for teaching us about people different to ourselves and learning respect. The Wizard of Oz remains one of the defining examples of this, as Dorothy comes into contact with all sorts of strange and eccentric people whilst following the yellow brick road, learning lessons about home – and the world outside – along the way. One of the great gifts of film is its capacity to connect audiences to other people's point of view, whether they from the same surroundings or from another part of the world altogether. Film's ability to create these dialogues is incredibly powerful and can be a crucial tool to introduce young audiences to other cultures and perspectives, creating a space in which they can gain understanding of the world as a whole. The films on this list elicit empathy with the characters and communities, illuminating what unites us, yet urge the need for acknowledging and celebrating difference. The titles feature characters who are encountering new ways of life, beginning to embrace their cultures, while others who live amongst multiples ones or are struggling with feeling isolated new countries or within their own cultures' traditions. Ranging from gentle childhood fables to more stringently political works, all are strong examples of the power of storytelling in initiating understanding and discussion. Volume 7 Issue 3

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Film obviously influences culture, just as music and television and books and radio and speeches and posters and billboards and any media ad infinitum all influence culture. We consume those media and it can shape the way we think and interact. Conversely, culture must influence film. Actors, directors, screenwriters: these people don't live inside the camera. They take the world around them and filter it through their unique lens to create something that is reflective of their culture (including other films, if you want to get recursive about it). This results in the massive influence that film has on today's society. Society is reflected in movies and in turn movies influence society by changes in representations, challenging audience's morals and transforming viewers' opinions. This amplifies the power of film whether it influences a personal or mass response.


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