CBU Prof Reviewer at Sundance Festival
SYDNEY – A Cape Breton University professor will join the world’s paparazzi lining the red carpet at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah this month as an official reviewer of this year’s festival offerings.
Dr. Ruby Ramji was invited by festival organizers to review the 2008 crop of independent films and interview the makers and the stars. This is the first time that Ramji, who is film review editor for the Journal of Religion and Film, has been granted the honour.
The Sundance Film Festival, launched in 1978 by Robert Redford, showcases new work from American and international independent film makers. The festival is responsible for providing critical exposure to such “indie” hits as “Clerks”, “Sex, Lies and Videotape”, “The Blair Witch Project”, “Maria Full of Grace” and “Supersize Me”.
“There are film directors out there who are trying to change our ideas and push the envelope,” Ramji said. “These won’t be the Hollywood blockbusters; those tend to continue and reinforce the current feelings,” she said.
Ramji’s reviews will explore the role of religion in film, both overt themes present in movies like “Jewboy”, and documentaries like “Giant Bhuddas” on the destruction of Bhuddist statues by the Taliban, and also the underlying religious themes present in many modern films.
Religious themes are an important part of many popular films, including recent blockbusters like the Harry Potter, Star Wars and Terminator series. “These images of god and ideas of good and evil are constantly being expressed through film,” Ramji said. The underlying themes of struggle, morals and fundamental values can either be a reflection of our culture or be on the vanguard to promote change,” she said. “A film is a cultural text, and you can get a lot of information from it,” she said.
Ramji has been sent a pass to review the full ten days of viewing during the festival which runs from January 17 to 27. Just what she’ll be reviewing is a closely guarded secret, she explained.
For Ramji, who is a religious studies professor and expert in the area of religious representation in the media, the festival will be a great opportunity to get behind the scenes.
“This is the first time I’ll be in this kind of environment. I’ll get to see behind the scenes to see what the actors and directors think of the work, too,” she said. “Industry reps at Sundance have been eager to discuss issues like spirituality in their work.”
For Ramji, one of the highlights of the festival will be meeting with its maker. “I want to see Robert Redford,” she said. “The reason he created this festival was because he saw the power of films to communicate and seduce. The movies that show up at Sundance can be quite moving and deep.”
Ramji’s reviews of the Sundance films will be available to read this March in the Journal of Religion and Film, found online at http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf.
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For more information, contact Dr. Ramji at (902) 563-1264
[Posted on 17 Jan, 2008]
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