HAPSAT Presents: 'The Feast', a Short Film Screening by Olivia-Autumn Rennie
When and Where
Speakers
Description
In person event- Friday March 21, VC304, 1pm-2pm followed by casual reception in VC303 from 2pm-2:30pm
The Feast is a graduate short film created by Olivia-Autumn Rennie (‘Autumn Sky’) that explores the lived experience of mental illness through the evocative lens of the horror genre. Developed using ethnographic methods and research-creation, the film immerses viewers in the unsettling, often fragmented realities of navigating mental health struggles. By harnessing the conventions of horror—distorted perceptions, psychological tension, and the monstrous unknown—it challenges dominant narratives, offering an alternative perspective on mental illness beyond pathology and stigma.
This project is part of the larger MD/PhD research initiative, (Un)Making Monsters and the Hyper/Invisible Bodymind, which investigates how collaborative filmmaking methodologies and unconventional genres like horror and science fiction can be used to deconstruct and rewrite narratives surrounding disabilities, diseases, and disorders. Through this interdisciplinary approach, The Feast demonstrates the power of genre cinema as a medium for critical engagement, fostering empathy and new understandings of the complexities of bodymind experiences.
