Our post-doc Hannah Calich helps discern fact from fiction: 'Jaws' discussed!
SequeiraLab post-doc Dr Hannah Calich had the opportunity to discuss the impact Jaws had on sharks and answer questions from the public at a Science.Art.Film film screening hosted by Australian National University (ANU) this month. This event was moderated by Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens from the Australi
21-March-2024 (written by Hannah Calich)
SequeiraLab post-doc Dr Hannah Calich had the opportunity to discuss the impact Jaws had on sharks and answer questions from the public at a Science.Art.Film film screening hosted by Australian National University (ANU) this month. This event was moderated by Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens from the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at ANU. The movie Jaws is well-known for two things, "man-eating" sharks and a gripping soundtrack (du duh... du duh...), and it was only fitting that Hannah was joined on the panel by Professor Kenneth Lampl from the ANU School of Music. Prof Lampl has scored over 100 films and was also a past student of John William, the composer who wrote the Jaws soundtrack! Together, Hannah, Ken, and Anna-Sophie discussed topics ranging from the validity of the science in Jaws and the representation of women and minorities in marine science, to the incredible influence movie soundtracks have on character and plot development.
The 1975 thriller 'Jaws' was directed by Steven Spielberg and follows police chief Martin Brody, marine biologist Matt Hooper, and shark hunter Sam Quint as they hunt a great white shark that has been attacking beachgoers. Jaws was a wildly successful movie that quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, set box office records, and won 3 of the 4 academy awards it was nominated for. Unfortunately, Spielberg's portrayal of sharks as mindless, man-eaters was also very successful and this had a huge, negative impact on the public's perception of sharks. Science.Art.Film is a monthly series that invites audiences to examine the social and cultural forces at play in a variety of influential films and to discuss these films with relevant experts. For a list of upcoming Science.Art.Film screenings and to reserve tickets click here!
All SequeiraLab attendees had a great night and we hope all other attendees did too! A big thank you to the organizers and funders who helped make the event such a great success!
