This week involved posting a synopsis for a short film. I posted Isaac. I have been working on this concept in a novel and feature film with a female lead. However, I posted it in short film format with a male lead. It tells the story of a young Eritrean footballer who, after being press-ganged into joining the Tigrayan conflict, is lured into a trafficking ring and who winds up in the UK, exploited, and his human rights violated. I have been torn between writing it as a male or female lead. However, for the short I’ve opted for a male lead because, whereas trafficking usually revolves around women’s rights, I want to highlight the fact that men are trafficked and exploited as well. While in Bahrain I heard the story of young African men being trafficked there with dreams of playing professional soccer, but on arrival, after having had their passports stolen from them they are then coerced into cheap labour. 

I also decided to embark on an optional project to study the work of Aaron Sorkin. When I began I had no idea what I would find. I intended studying his dialogue techniques. However, after viewing four films, A Few Good Men, Moneyball, Molly’s Game and Steve Jobs I realized there is more going on than just the quick-fire dialogue he is famous for. I discovered that below the text there are themes regarding gender issues and family relationships, particularly father-daughter. My research led me to an MA thesis from Stockholm University which focuses on gender studies in Hollywood films. Perhaps this study as relating to Aaron Sorkin is something I may pick up on again later in the course. Regardless, I learned a great deal about Sorkin and how he goes about sharing his worldview through his writing.