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UEL media lecturer wins Grand Jury Prize at Milan Film Festival

Tuesday 24 July 2007

A University of East London (UEL) academic has been awarded top honours at a film festival in Milan.

Dr Marta Rabikowska, Senior Lecturer in Media and Advertising at UEL, won the Grand Jury Award at the European Association for Consumer Research Film Festival, the highlight of a major international conference held in Milan from 10-14 July.

Her award-winning documentary, Consumption, Belonging and Place, investigates the relationships between ethnicity and consumption in a single street in south-east London, exploring the complexity of the community through the eyes of the researcher herself.

Dr Rabikowska said: "As a Polish academic living and working in London, I'm extremely interested in how people develop a sense of 'home'. This documentary began life as a way of understanding my research in the context of one of London's most multicultural and underprivileged areas: Plumstead.

"By focusing on a single street, I was able to closely observe socio-cultural relationships at work as residents carried out their daily shopping. Following their routine activities gave a great insight into the role that market places can play in influencing people's attitudes towards their area and fellow residents.

"Winning the Grand Jury Award in Milan is delightful recognition of the significance of this project. Filming the documentary was a real team effort, and I'd like to thank everyone involved."

Dr Rabikowska produced Consumption, Belonging, and Place with support from several UEL staff and students, including cinematographer Matthew Hawkins, a recent graduate of UEL's BA (Hons) degree in Film and Video: Theory and Practice.

A special screening of the documentary will take place at UEL's Docklands Campus this September. The film will also be published as a DVD available through the international journal Consumption, Markets & Culture.

UEL's School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies is 5-rated for research in media, communications and cultural studies, placing UEL in the top seven universities in the UK. For further information, visit www.uel.ac.uk/ssmcs

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For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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