Culture
OU Prof Awarded Funding for Movie Project
< < Back toA professor from Ohio University’s School of Dance, Film and Theater has received funding from the University to produce a feature film.
The Ohio University Research Committee (OURC) accepted a proposal from Director Rafal Sokolowski, assistant professor of film, to pursue the project, which is centered on a story involving sexual harassment.
Twice a year, the OURC grants funding to faculty and staff with seed money for new projects—or projects that would take the applicant’s research in a new direction. During the spring cycle of the awards, the Committee selected six faculty proposals for funding, which in total amounted to $47,380.
“Producing films utilizes so many technical processes, services, and uniquely crafted persons,” said Sokolowski, who added, “I feel very privileged and proud of the school’s recognition of my work.”
Sokolowski’s film (tentatively titled An Act) will explore “the aftermath of unsubstantiated accusations of sexual harassment that damaged a career of a young student actor.” The director described the film as a “fictionalized story” inspired by real events.
“I feel strongly that all cases of sexual harassment deserve attention, especially those that arise from the industry that encourages its players to challenge rules of intimacy at work,” Sokolowski said.
Funded by the Research Division, the OURC program considers projects that focus primarily on research, scholarship and creative activity. Proposals, which can represent any field of study, can request up to $8,000.
The deadline for the next cycle of awards is expected to be in October.
Other recipients of the spring OURC awards included: Assan Sarr (History); Joseph Duke (Exercise Physiology); Jixin Chen (Chemistry and Biochemistry); Donald Miles (Biological Sciences); Smoki Musaraj (Sociology and Anthropology).
A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Sokolowski is the artistic director of Blind Dog Films, a company specializing in developing “neo-realist” narrative fiction projects. He received an MFA from York University and also founded the WeAreCollective, a Toronto–based network of directors and producers.
Sokolowski also is working on a feature project called 22 Chaser, which tells the story of a young father struggling to keep his family afloat while getting involved in a “shady underworld” surrounding Toronto’s tow-truck business.