Masterclass on Participatory and Ethnographic Filmmaking

The Department of History, with support from the Faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities and Education, invite students, faculty and the general public to learn how to incorporate filmmaking in research and community-based development projects.

Spotlight on Academics Film Festival is pleased to welcome Professor Michael Brown to Thunder Bay, ON for the 3rd annual festival taking place February 9 to 12, 2024.

Michael Brown is a Professor in Creative Industries in the Faculty of Business and Creative Industries at the University of South Wales and a board member for the International Visual Sociology Association. He is a development communication facilitator, practice-led researcher, participatory and ethnographic filmmaker, and an academic. Influenced by Paulo Freire, his practice-led research focuses on social and environmental issues, and the landscape. In his professional work and through Marginal Voices, an organization he founded, Michael seeks to support grassroots marginalised and disadvantaged people, animals and the environment to have a stronger voice in the discussion of issues that directly affect them. He has engaged with various communities in 20 countries around the world.

His ethnographic filmmaking is often empirical research, giving valuable insights into the lives of people and communities, making tangible connections between lived-experiences and policy. Utilising his skills in participatory methodologies, Michael has acted as Principal Investigator on numerous community-based development projects, using participatory, ethnographic and documentary filmmaking to describe processes and facilitate the sharing of recommendations and lessons learned. Michael facilitates workshops for development organisations, utilising participatory methods that allow stakeholders to share experiences, explore issues, and produce recommendations to enhance sustainable development practice and policy.

In addition to the Masterclass, two of Michael’s films, "Brick Mule" and "Portraits of Disability” will be featured during the Spotlight on Academics Film Festival. For more information about the films and the festival, please visit the Spotlight on Academics website www.spotlightonacademics.ca.

To learn more about Michael Brown and his work in film, please visit www.marginalvoices.org