Zulfiya Hamzaki

Thesis

Thesis Title & Description

Enabling self-representation of refugee voices in British society through novel interactive documentary storytelling.

• Supervisor: Dr Jonathan Hook and Dr Marta Herrero

My PhD will investigate how interactive documentary, also called the “i-Doc” can be a tool for refugees to represent themselves. Using practice-based, co-creative filmmaking, it will develop an i-Doc platform where refugees can share their voices during their resettlement experience. While existing research about refugees provides quantitative data, it lacks the qualitative understanding of their lived experiences. External authority sources such as politicians and NGOs speak on their behalf, often failing to give them a voice. My research will use practice based methodologies to generate new knowledge around the lived experiences of refugees and uncover the possibilities of new interactive media forms in enabling inclusive storytelling processes. Unlike linear films, the i-Doc’s non-linear quality gives it an evolving form that can transform depending on user input, making it a powerful medium of self-expression and mobilization. While these properties of the i-Docs suggest its promising potential as a way to richly represent refugee voices, it is not yet understood how this can be achieved, considering the form, methods, application and challenges of using such technology. The research will address this knowledge gap, offering a new form of engagement between refugees and the public, contributing to the understanding of how i-Docs can be an impactful social tool in refugee integration.

Biography

Biography

Zulfiya is documentary filmmaker and practice-based researcher. Her doctoral research is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through the White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities (WRoCAH). For her MSc by Research in Interactive Media funded by XR-Stories, she led the interactive documentary project "Your Heritage, Your Story" with the Council for British Archaeology (CBA), looking at how digital storytelling can help achieve inclusivity in archaeology through a practice-based, co-creative project with immigrants in the UK.

Zulfiya’s independent films have explored immigrant stories in the USA, native American issues and refugee resettlement in California’s Bay area. Her documentary “Crossing Borders” was picked up by UK based global documentary streaming platform True Story, and Means TV, a US-based streaming service. Her films have screened on cable TV in Multnomah County Oregon, at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, Seattle Asian American Film Festival, New Filmmakers Los Angeles and the 14th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival in New Delhi.

Her previous experience includes working with non-profit organisations on video projects relating to gender, sexuality, rural journalism, disability, education, environment and social design. She holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University, USA, and a Master of Arts (MA) in Media and Communications (Audio-Visual Production) from Symbiosis International University, India.

Research

Research Interests

Documentary filmmaking, interactive storytelling, immigrant experiences, human rights

Publications

Publications

• Presented “Reversing the Heritage Gaze: How interactive documentary storytelling can facilitate non-profit participation and fundraising” for the "Creative Explorations" panel at the Critical Research PGR Conference, York St John University, UK, July 2022
• Presented “How interactive documentary can facilitate non-profit participation and fundraising” for the “Digital Storytelling” panel at the Digital Creativity, Industry and Culture (DCIC) conference, University of York, UK, September 2022
• Selected to present “Reversing the Heritage Gaze: How interactive documentary storytelling can facilitate non- profit participation and fundraising” at the Contemporary History and Archaeology in Theory (CHAT) conference for the theme “Decolonize Archaeology” in Lisbon, Portugal, November 2022
• Co-presented with Dr Marta Herrero and Dr Jonathan Hook a seminar on “Reversing the heritage gaze in the non-profit sector: Promoting an IDE (Inclusion, Diversity and Equity) agenda for public engagement and fundraising with interactive documentary; a collaboration with the Council for British Archaeology, UK” as part of the "Art, Culture and Entrepreneurship" seminar series at the University of Linnaeus, Sweden, November 2022
• Presented “Your Heritage, Your Story” for the "Inclusive Futures" panel at the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) Conference with CBA’s Dr Claire Corkill, Nottingham, UK, April 2023
• Exhibited “Your Heritage, Your Story” at the Interactive Media showcase, University of York, UK, June 2023
• Presented “Your Heritage, Your Story” as part of the “Evolving Society” theme at the 2023 York Festival of Ideas with a panel discussion, York, UK, June 2023
• Selected to present “Your Heritage, Your Story” at the Digital Research in the Humanities and Arts (DRHA) Conference, Turin, Italy, September 2023