Lead Role For Donkeys In Exeter University Course
By Jill Dando News
The Donkey Sanctuary has partnered with the University of Exeter to develop a new module of their film degree which focuses on the representation of donkeys in film.
Film studies undergraduates at the University of Exeter electing to take the ‘Scrublands, Sanctuary, Screens’ option as part of their degree, will visit our Sidmouth sanctuary and work with staff to observe and record their interactions with donkeys.
The module formally launched this term and looks at how films have attempted to portray the inner lives of donkeys, how they have been personified in animation, and how they have been portrayed in fables and fairy tales, religious narratives, and documentaries.
Together, this will enable the students to develop a deeper understanding of the contrast between the daily life experiences of donkeys and their screen portrayals, where they have historically been characterised in human terms, such as stubborn or comedic.
The students will also create video diaries that will be presented to our sanctuary and education centre.
Last week, the first group of undergraduates spent a day with staff learning about the resident herd, undertaking activities with them, and observing their behaviours and interactions.
The representation of donkeys in film
Dr Fiona Handyside, co-lead for the module in Exeter’s Department of Communications, Drama and Film said: “When the actor Colin Farrell and the director Martin McDonagh both acknowledged Jenny the Donkey in their acceptance speeches for Banshees at The Golden Globes, it raised fascinating questions for how we think about interpreting animal performance.
“That has led to this first-of-its-kind module, where we bring together the Film department’s insight of representation and performance, with the sanctuary’s expertise and knowledge in providing holistic care to donkeys and thinking about their contribution to society.”
The new module marks the first time we have worked with a humanities faculty at a university. Dr Faith Burden, our Deputy CEO, has co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and is a globally recognised expert on the health and welfare of donkeys and mules.
She welcomes the potential positive impact the module will have on the welfare of donkeys and other animals in film and said:
“It’s fantastic to know that a new generation of filmmakers will have a critical understanding of the link between the way animals are portrayed on-screen and the values we accord them in real life, and the implications this has for their welfare.
“For too long donkeys have been misrepresented in popular culture and this has done them a great disservice. By observing and spending time with the donkeys here in Sidmouth, these students will have the chance to develop a lifelong appreciation of what sensitive and intelligent animals they really are, and the impact their work can have on them.”
Dr Benedict Morrison, Senior Lecturer in Film and co-lead for the module, adds:
“No one has ever attempted this kind of collaboration before – it’s an extraordinary opportunity for a truly joint venture between the sanctuary and the University. Its aim is to transform how we think about our relationship with not just donkeys, but animals more widely – or ‘more than human animals’ as we refer to them in academic study. In partnering with the sanctuary, the donkeys are not just distant objects of study; they become participants, ‘in conversation’ with the students.
“The attempt by contemporary media to reduce donkeys to a set of symbolic meanings – the stubborn, the stupid, the indolent – is deeply unfair. We hope that through the opportunity to speak with people who work with them every day, we can get some sense of the real-life experience of donkeys.”
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