A wonderful thing about being a professor is you are essentially forced to continue your artistic practice to get tenure, which is exactly the pressure I need to focus. I have wanted to direct a documentary on tithing in the Mormon church for a number of years, and I was recently empowered to begin through a research grant from BSU's Center for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship. Below is the proposal I submitted which summarizes the project and outlines my preproduction goals for the upcoming summer. 

I made this documentary in 2016, but I never shared it publicly. Originally it was due to the festival circuit, but then my reasons became more hazy. Some amalgamation of "this is too private" and "this might piss people off" and "I am a better filmmaker now and I want to make edits" and "I made it so long ago that it now feels irrelevant." I decided to ignore myself and just throw it to the wolves. It got 439 views in the first two days, so it seems the timing was right.

Families Can Be Together Forever
Colleen Kelly Poplin
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I am elated to announce that I have accepted a tenure-track faculty position at Bridgewater State University. I start in September as an Assistant Professor of Film & Video Arts Production. In addition to teaching undergraduate courses in production, the position includes the continuation of my artistic practice and professional service to the University. I landed my dream job, and I am truly over the moon.
 

The recent EDIT Media roundtable discussion inspired the folks at the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies to produce a teaching dossier on anti-racist strategies for inclusive film and media education. I was honored to be included as an invited contributor. I would not consider writing journal articles to be one of my strong areas, so I am particularly proud to be published alongside some of the most compelling minds in the field. 

Applied Social Justice: Integrating Theory and Practice
Colleen Kelly Poplin
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I am deeply humbled to be part of this roundtable hosted by EDIT Media. If you would like to join the conversation, please register. I anticipate speaking about my course in intersectional Feminist Media Production and how educators can support students of color and build anti-racist classrooms.
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I was invited by the Somerville Media Center to teach a full-day documentary production workshop at Vox Pop. It was the most diverse group I have ever taught, and included an usually wide range of ethnicities, ages, and production experience. An 84-year-old woman named Nancy was enrolled, and even offered to help me set up. 
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Families Can Be Together Forever will be screening as part of the UFVA conference in Minneapolis at the end of July. UFVA is the professional association for media educators, and I am thrilled for the opportunity. Once I have screened at UFVA, I plan to release the full film to the public.
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NYC-based filmmaker Amy DePaola asked me to be a guest on her fantastic new podcast Pink Among Men. We spoke for an hour about Creating Feminist Media, my recent documentary, religion, mentorship, motherhood, and more. If you want to know more about me and what motivates my work, give it a listen below. I also recommend subscribing to Amy's podcast. It's great.

Pink Among Men Episode 103:
​Mentors, Religion, and Creating Feminist Media
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I am honored to share that The Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters is an official selection of Yoni Fest 2017 in Los Angeles.
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