Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
Exit Strategies, Volume 6 & 7
U.S. Fulbright Scholar David Gracon continues his dialogue-driven series “Exit Strategies: Critical Dialogues and Alternative Media” with two film screenings and follow-up discussions in Brașov.
Media Literacy and Film: Two Screenings
Date/Time:
Volume 6: They Live (1988) screening and dialogue: Tuesday, June 4th 18:00-20:30 (a cult sci-fi film about aliens, media propaganda, a mullet and resistance).
Volume 7: Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020) screening and dialogue: Thursday, June 20th 18:00-20:30 (a documentary about the disability rights social movement in the U.S.).
In Person Dialogue and Documentary Screening (Non-Zoom Event) with Dr. David Gracon (U.S. Fulbright Scholar).
Where: Transilvania University of Brasov, T Building, Room TP8, 25 Eroilor Boulevard. Brașov, Romania.
Cost: FREE EVENT. Open to the Brașov community and beyond.
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They Live Description:
Starring Roddy Piper, Keith David, and Meg Foster, the film follows an unnamed drifter who discovers through special sunglasses that the ruling class are aliens concealing their appearance and manipulating people to consume, breed, and conform to the status quo via subliminal messages in mass media.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution Description:
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution is an exuberant film by and about people who have been marginalized on screen and in their lives. It opens with black and white archival footage of Camp Jened, a quirky, free-spirited, counter-culture summer camp for disabled teenagers in New York’s Catskilll Mountains. One camper called it a utopia. The second and longer part of the film follows several former campers into their adult lives. They become parents, spouses, professionals, and disability rights activists at a crucial historic moment for disability legislation. Both parts of the film propose that the liberty and solidarity experienced at Jened emboldened several of the campers to seek opportunity and equality, for themselves and others, in the world beyond their camp.
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Series Description: This speaker series features a combination of critical media scholars, artists and activists. It entails talks, conversations, media screenings and performances that examine historical and contemporary issues related to critical media theory and active media practices happening in the world. The series reinforces the importance of independent and alternative media that functions outside the dominant media systems in search of new ideas, inspiration and critical thinking skills necessary for a democratic, humanizing and interesting society.
Programmer/Facilitator Bio: Dr. David Gracon is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor of American Studies/Communication at Transilvania University located in Brașov, Romania with a project focused on critical media literacy education. His research/creative and teaching interests include critical media literacy, the political economy of media, alternative media and documentary film. He was previously a Fulbright Scholar in Ukraine (2017-2018) and has served as a faculty member at Eastern Illinois University and Gonzaga University. He is currently developing an educational startup: Media Literacy Access Initiative (MLAI). His film and video works have been screened at the Chicago and Seattle Underground Film Festivals and at 50+ other venues.
For more information/Contact: davidgracon@gmail.com
👉 Critical Dialogues and Alternative Media » Fulbright Romania
👉 Exit Strategies, Volume 2 » Fulbright Romania
👉 Exit Strategies, Volume 3 » Fulbright Romania