Global Concerns in Storytelling
​TFTI Postgraduate Virtual Symposium 18th June, 2020

Stories have always been a powerful medium to shape the collective’s perception of the world. Today, our planet is facing multiple crises in health, the environment, human rights and social inequalities. This has increased storytellers’ interest in using different media as a strategy to tackle current affairs, informing and influencing the global community from the set to the screen, the stage to the streets.

The Department of Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media at the University of York invites postgraduate researchers to submit proposals for virtual presentations including live or pre-recorded performances, short films, installations, VR and interactive experiences around the theme of global concerns, such as but not limited to:

•Climate Change •Epidemics •Mental health •Immigration •LGBTQ+
•Social justice •Accessibility •Gender equality •Corruption •Terrorism

We particularly encourage contributions from postgraduate scholars in disciplines including but not limited to:

• Film and Television •Theatre and Performance Studies •History​
•Interactive Media and Games •Anthropology •Marketing and Publicity

In light of the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the climate change emergency, we have decided that our annual symposium will be held virtually for the first time this year. Proposals can focus on the inclusion of global concerns within storytelling (i.e. a documentary on political conflict, a script around mental disorders, a dystopian interactive game), or address the issues within the storytelling industries (i.e. creating a zero-waste film production, inclusion of BAME in theatre and on-screen representation, accessibility in the media industries).

Selected speakers will receive a certificate of participation and will be given the opportunity to take part in a free research communication skills online workshop run by the Research Excellence Training Team of the University of York.

How to submit a proposal? Live and pre-recorded presentation proposals adapted for online streaming are welcome, including short films, virtual reality (VR) and interactive experiences, installations and short performances. To submit a proposal, fill in the form in this link​:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc81dVZSL3IdvRstKZJYPJMZ5IXJesqkWeHyzne2j0FBSY-bw/viewform

Which includes a 150-200 words abstract, a biographical note of 50-100 words, approximate duration (max 25 min including 5 min for Q&A) as well as a description of your presentation proposal which will help up to evaluate if we can provide the adequate virtual platform. Submit your proposal NO LATER THAN APRIL 30th , 2020, 11:59 BST.

Any questions? Feel free to contact us to tfti-pg-symposium@york.ac.uk or visit our website for updates: www.tftipgsymposium.co.uk

Organising Committee
TFTI PG Virtual Symposium 2020: Global Concerns in Storytelling