Senior's film examines modern meaning of true masculinity
By: Shelby Bremer
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: News
In a campus full of "bros," "guys" and "dudes," it's increasingly difficult to define a true man and his role in society. Senior Daniel Sanchez tackled the challenge in his short film, "The Test of a Man," which debuted Tuesday evening in Peeler Auditorium.
A member of Alpha Phi Alpha, Sanchez worked with the fraternity and Men of Excellence in Cross Cultural Alliance (MECCA) to hold a men's retreat and bring in speaker Brian K. Smith to discuss what it means to be a man. He filmed this retreat, as well as various interviews with people around campus, including professors and students.
Sanchez said he wanted to raise awareness about masculinity and the stereotypes men face in today's society.
"The point of the film was to bring up an issue we see out there on DePauw's campus, in fraternities and things like that, with men in general around here," Sanchez said. "We wanted to put something together visually for people to see and be able to relate to."
The approximately half-hour documentary was divided into three chapters: "What is a man?"; "When do you become a man?"; and "What now?" Each chapter was filled with discourse on stereotypes of men and a man's responsibilities to both himself and society.
Freshman Ifeoma Nwaedozie attended Tuesday's film screening and said he appreciated the topics raised by the film.
"I understand men's struggle and the burdens on their backs," Nwaedozie said, "but I wanted them to bring up black men and their children, and what these burdens have to do with it and why they leave so often."
Following the film was an open forum discussion involving the whole audience, where many new questions were posed about masculinity.
"We're all in this transitional period and trying to deal with that in this setting," Sanchez said. "We had a really good discussion about what we think a man is and how that affects us… We need to pay attention more to ourselves, and how we want to portray our views of men. We need to make sure that we act in a way that is cohesive with our ideas."
A member of Alpha Phi Alpha, Sanchez worked with the fraternity and Men of Excellence in Cross Cultural Alliance (MECCA) to hold a men's retreat and bring in speaker Brian K. Smith to discuss what it means to be a man. He filmed this retreat, as well as various interviews with people around campus, including professors and students.
Sanchez said he wanted to raise awareness about masculinity and the stereotypes men face in today's society.
"The point of the film was to bring up an issue we see out there on DePauw's campus, in fraternities and things like that, with men in general around here," Sanchez said. "We wanted to put something together visually for people to see and be able to relate to."
The approximately half-hour documentary was divided into three chapters: "What is a man?"; "When do you become a man?"; and "What now?" Each chapter was filled with discourse on stereotypes of men and a man's responsibilities to both himself and society.
Freshman Ifeoma Nwaedozie attended Tuesday's film screening and said he appreciated the topics raised by the film.
"I understand men's struggle and the burdens on their backs," Nwaedozie said, "but I wanted them to bring up black men and their children, and what these burdens have to do with it and why they leave so often."
Following the film was an open forum discussion involving the whole audience, where many new questions were posed about masculinity.
"We're all in this transitional period and trying to deal with that in this setting," Sanchez said. "We had a really good discussion about what we think a man is and how that affects us… We need to pay attention more to ourselves, and how we want to portray our views of men. We need to make sure that we act in a way that is cohesive with our ideas."
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