MentorTalks: Using Film to Lead the Next Generation into Anthropology
Are you interested in filmmaking? Would you like to learn more about how film can help preserve the world’s diversity?
Visual anthropologist, documentary filmmaker, and American Film Showcase ExchangeAlumni Dr. Steve Arounsack joins MentorTalks on Facebook and LinkedIn in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Month.
Dr. Arounsack was the lead cultural advisor for the Disney film, Raya and the Last Dragon, and in this episode, we'll hear from him on his journey to working with Disney, the importance of representation in stories, and his advice to aspiring filmmakers.
“Going back and seeing the children who inspired this film [in Laos],” he said. “The thing that stuck out to me was seeing the kids tremble with hope…and they were saying they can see themselves on the big screen. For the world to take notice of their beautiful culture.”
Tune into our conversation with Dr. Arounsack and find out how you can have an impact on pop culture on the latest episode of MentorTalks now: https://bit.ly/MTstoriesmatter.
Speaker Biography:
Dr. Steve Arounsack is a visual anthropologist, filmmaker, and world builder whose ethnographic field experiences span 30 years. He has collaborated with some of the entertainment industry’s most renowned visual development teams to bring to life iconic Southeast Asian-themed characters and environments.
Notably, he served as the lead cultural advisor and visual anthropologist for the Oscar-nominated film Raya and the Last Dragon, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first feature film inspired by the cultures of Southeast Asia. Before working on Hollywood films and global media, Dr. Arounsack produced documentaries that have aired on PBS and screened at major Asian American film festivals and international venues. His industry experiences have informed his teaching and workshops. He empowers youth around the world through storytelling presentations and workshops with partners such as Disney Global Public Policy, U.S. embassies, UNICEF, and the American Film Showcase.
In addition to his creative endeavors, Dr. Arounsack is a distinguished scholar. He earned the California State University system’s prestigious Wang Family Excellence Award for Outstanding Faculty Scholarship, one of the top faculty awards conferred by the largest public four-year university system in the United States. Dr. Arounsack was also part of the inaugural class of national Gates Millennium Scholars and earned a prestigious Sony Electronics award for innovative teaching. Dr. Arounsack is a professor of cultural anthropology and currently serves as the director of the Keck Visual Anthropology Lab (KVAL). He earned a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis.