This month sees the start of the British Academy research project Screening Sexual Violence, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The project – led by Donna Peberdy at Solent University Southampton – was one of 43 Mid-Career Fellowships awarded in 2023 to support outstanding SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) researchers.
Sexual violence is an urgent global health and human rights issue with serious social and economic implications for cultures, communities and countries. Disproportionately affecting women and girls, sexual violence is vastly underreported, its victims and survivors silenced by stigma, prevailing myths, systemic and structural inequalities. This ambitious interdisciplinary research project provides comprehensive analysis of current ways sexual violence is represented on screen, assessing the role and activistic potential of film and television in shaping public understanding. A distinctive aspect of the project is the analysis of 80 short films from six countries and original interviews with filmmakers. The project will result in a monograph and varied public engagement programme and resources, including workshops, online film repository, parent/teacher screening materials, and filmmaker guidelines, to connect and inform local, national and international community and educational groups and create a wider collaborative network to eradicate violence against women.
Visit the Screening Sexual Violence project webpage on Screening Sex for more details and project updates.
Screening Sex 