Alexander Suber
Colorado College
Project
The Empathy Machine: Exploring Global Cinema’s Transformative Potential
China, South Korea, Japan, India, Egypt
Cinema has become one of the dominant forms of storytelling across the globe. The film critic Roger Ebert once described it as “a machine that generates empathy.” We go to movies to feel for the characters on screen. With the rise of international distribution and movie metropolises, what effects is cinematic fiction having on spectators across cultures? And what are the different intentions and muses of filmmakers? On my Watson year, I will live with families to explore the role of cinematic fiction in everyday lives and shadow professionals to uncover why they bring certain images to the screen. By traveling to five countries and comparing the dynamic role that film plays in each, I aim to explore the intersections between politics, cultural desire, and ideology as they relate to the cinema.