Shauna Kenny
My Final Year Project features two films: Poor Things (2023), directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and Labyrinth (1986), directed by Jim Henson. Through feminist studies, I uncover how the narrative of these films, centring female characters, hold power and importance.
My goals for this project were:
1. Highlight the key elements within the narratives which uplift and strengthen the female characters.
2. Understand the intentions of the Filmmakers of the films; What are their aims? How do they achieve them? Does this help our Female Protagonists?
3. Apply feminist theory to the analysis of said films to broaden the meanings and intentions of their narratives.
Throughout this project, I have broadened my knowledge of feminist, film and narrative theory. While I was already knowledgeable about Poor Things and Labyrinth by being a fan of the films, I discovered a lot of interesting and relevant information, which enriched the narrative and the production context.
By producing both a written and a video essay, I was able to convey my findings in an academic writing format and through a visual medium, which allowed me to further expand on certain topics. With the audiovisual aspect, I was able to play around with how I will convey the information engagingly and memorably. For me, this was the most exciting part as I wanted to reflect the whimsical nature of both films in my video. I did this by including their soundtracks and lots of visuals without taking away from the information being given.
I'm proud of the work I have done on this project, and I hope that my passion for it has come across to those who view it.
My Final Year Project centres around two films: Poor Things (2023) directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and Labyrinth (1986) directed by Jim Henson. Through the works of well-known feminist writers, I analyse the portrayal of the two female protagonists to prove their depictions as accurate and respectful. With Laura Mulvey's theory on The Male Gaze from her essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' leaving much to be thought about, Joey Soloway coined the theory of the Female Gaze to highlight how the female gaze affects the portrayal of women in film in a positive way. Teresa De Lauratis speaks about autonomy in her book 'Alice Doesn't', which is a central theme in Poor Things and Labyrinth. Simone De Beauvoir discusses Womanhood in her book 'The Second Sex', supporting the discussion of what it means to be a woman and what is the significance of the transition from adolescence to womanhood.
With these theorists and their works, I have produced a Written Critical Piece, Video Essay and Poster.
Hello! My name is Shauna Kenny, and I am a New Media Studies Graduate of 2025. Welcome to my OnShow page!
I have a passion for video editing, writing, and cinematography, but I am interested in all things media-related. During my time at IADT, I gained and enhanced skills in filmmaking, Content Creation, Screenwriting and much more.
For more content, click the YouTube link to be brought to my college project playlist.
