Film lecturer wins international award

Dr Agata Lulkowska has been selected from among the highest-ranked articles of the year to receive the annual International Award for Excellence fromThe Journal of Communication and Media Studies.

Her article Voice of the Arhuacos: Transcending the Borders of “Indigenous” Filmmaking in Colombia was identified as outstanding by members of the Communication and Media Studies Research Network.

Agata, a Lecturer in Film Production, commented: “I am really honoured and thrilled to be the recipient of this award. Together with the accompanying film, this article describes the most important and influential research project in my career.

“In collaboration with Amado Villafaña, a filmmaker and communicator from the Arhuaco community, and Pablo Mora, an academic and film professional, I had a privilege to witness an extraordinary transition from simple farmers threatened by guerrillas into international experts in indigenous commutation.”

The project took around eight years to develop and is still ongoing. The film has been re-edited for festival submissions and Agata is still in contact with the participants to monitor how they progress in their endeavours.

This fuelled Agata’s passion for art/practice-based research and solidified her interest in inter-cultural communication practices. It also led her to become an Artistic Director and a Head of Programming for 10^th Discovering Latin America Film Festival.

Agata has spoken at more than 20 conferences about multiple aspects of the findings, and she has a book proposal approved by Common Ground.

She added: “The experience gained during this project led me to become a principal supervisor for two practice-based PhD in film, also based in ethnographic methods.

“In short, this article encapsulates the pivotal moment in my career and one of my biggest passions. This award reinforces my belief in what I do, and the importance of not being afraid to embark on challenging tasks in creative work and research.”