Stony Brook
University, in cooperation with the NYU Film Department, is holding a
nationwide contest to produce videos depicting vivid friendships between Jews
and Muslims. The videos will be used in a study intended to enhance
positive feelings and reduce anxiety and distrust between Jewish and Muslim
college students.
THERE WILL BE PRIZES OF $1000 FOR FIRST-PLACE AND $500 FOR SECOND PLACE.
THERE ALSO WILL BE FIVE $100 AWARDS FOR SUBMISSIONS THAT RECEIVE
HONORABLE MENTION,
GUIDELINES
EACH CONTESTANT MUST SUBMIT TWO VIDEOS:
The first video will depict a friendship between a Muslim and a Jew. The
second will show a friendship between two people whose religious identities are
not apparent in any way.
The videos should run between two and eight minutes. The main characters
may be either two young women or two young men, from 17 to 25 years of age.
The plots can be either fictional or based on real-life friendships.
The important thing is that the friendships should be vibrant and the
plots engaging. Actors should have no foreign accent and there should be
no romantic or sexual interest between the friends.
The first video should make the
religious affiliation of the friends obvious in some way. It could simply
give them first names like Baruch and Muhammad, or recognizable Jewish and
Muslim family names. Or something in their conversation or the action of
the plot could make their identities plain. If the pair are women, the
Muslim's dress could be a good indicator of her identity.
The second video should
follow the same guidelines for length, quality, etc. It could involve the
same actors or different ones, and the plot and setting should be
similar to the first video, if possible. Either way, it should not
reveal the religious identities of the friends.
DEADLINE:
The deadline for submissions will be March 15, 2013, Videos should be
uploaded to YouTube and contestants should email links to Professor Stephen
Spector (stephen.spector@stonybrook.edu). If you have questions, you may email
Professor Spector.
Applicants who are selected to receive prizes must agree to give the Stony
Brook friendship study team rights to the use of the videos. In our expanded study, we will give full credit to the creators of the
videos.
