We are delighted to share that four faculty members from the Department of Theatre and Film have been awarded funding for three projects through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)’s 2024 Partnership, Partnership Development, Insight, and Insight Development Grants competitions.
These prestigious grants will support faculty in advancing their original and impactful research. Learn more about each recipient and their projects below.
Dr. Lisa Coulthard, Professor | Cinema Studies | Cinema and Media Studies
SSHRC Insight Grant
Lisa’s project investigates the history, performance, and labour practices of stunt work in Hollywood cinema.
From early cinema serials to the spectacular blockbuster action of contemporary Hollywood, stunt work has long been central to American filmmaking, shaping cinematic storytelling across genres. Yet, stunt labour has remained largely under-examined in both academic scholarship and mainstream cultural recognition.
With growing public interest, exemplified by directors like Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, films such as The Fall Guy (Leitch, 2024), and the introduction of a stunt category in the Academy Awards, stunt work is gaining visibility. This project aims to reframe the cultural and industrial significance of stunt work by examining its history, labour initiatives (including associations and unions), contracts, workflows, performances, training, and forms.
Dr. Keren Zaiontz, Assistant Professor | Theatre Studies (Principal Investigator) &
Dr. Alessandra Santos, Associate Professor, Cinema Studies | Cinema & Media Studies (Co-Investigator)
SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Keren and Alessandra’s collaborative project, “Performing the Press Against Autocracy”, examines two feminist-led art collectives that emerged in response to recent social uprisings: ist publishing in Ukraine (post–Revolution of Dignity, 2013–2014) and LASTESIS in Chile (post–Estallido Social, 2019–2020).
The textual works created by ist publishing and LASTESIS seek to transform their conservative artistic milieus and the political status quo of their regions. In Ukraine, the ist collective operates amid the turmoil of Russia’s full-scale invasion, producing experimental art texts that counter imperial violence and foster artistic communities. In Chile, LASTESIS critiques the legacies of dictatorship and patriarchy through a blend of feminist theory, print culture, and performance. Analyzing these groups together highlights their work to press for bodily and territorial self-determination, illuminating how art collectives across the globe are resisting authoritarian power and imagining new visions of freedom.
Dr. Mila Zuo, Associate Professor | Cinema Studies | Cinema and Media Studies
SSHRC Insight Grant
Mila received an Insight Grant for Mongoloids, a research-creation film project that explores primary and intergenerational trauma resulting from large-scale political movements. This feature-length hybrid documentary draws on her family’s memories of persecution during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, bringing them into the present through interviews and dramatic re-enactments. Inspired by Bessel van der Kolk’s seminal book The Body Keeps the Score, the documentary investigates how the creative re-enactment of painful memories can help subjects reclaim power, agency, and control over past experiences.
Congratulations Lisa, Mila, Keren, and Alessandra! We look forward to following along as your projects develop!
