Film Matters: Please tell us about your article that is being published in Film Matters.
Mohsina Shafqat Ali: Yes, the picture is HAL’s eye. However, the red eye not only resembles HAL’s eye, but also a demon’s eye. Is the computer a demon in this age? How and why did humans let it control us so much? These are the questions that are the foundation of my article, especially for 2001,when HAL has control over the whole ship. But also, for Blade Runner, when Deckard uses and misuses the computers.
FM: What research and/or methodologies do you incorporate in your article?
MSA: I have relied mostly on mise-e-scène to aid me in the reading of my films.
FM: Describe the original context for/when writing this article while an undergraduate student.
MSA: In my undergrad years, I always wrote my notes by hand. But I used to see everyone on their computers, not only writing down the notes, but doing online shopping. Their capacity to concentrate at both activities simultaneously was quite astonishing. At the same time, I believe that the computer has so consumed humans beings that their eyes cannot look anywhere but the machine.
FM: How has your department and/or institution supported your work in film and media?
MSA: When my professors realized that I work well with visuals, they encouraged me to combine my English specialist degree with a minor in Film Studies. I have taken these interests over to my PhD program. I hope to write a dissertation that combines both film and literature.
FM: How has your faculty mentor fostered your advancement as a film scholar?
MSA: He pushed me to pursue film criticism for my master’s program, but I decided to combine my love for literature with film.
FM: How has the Film Matters editorial and publication process impacted the development/evolution of your article?
MSA: When I wrote this paper for my undergrad course, I never planned on submitting it. In the one year from submission to publication, I have seen the process it goes through. I have been kept in the loop on the editing process and it is quite amazing the thought and hard work that go into it—from the title, to the pictures.
FM: What audience do you hope to reach with your Film Matters article and/or what impact do you hope it has on the field of film studies?
MSA: McLuhan writes, “when new technologies impose themselves on societies long habituated to older technologies, anxieties of all kinds result.”[i] McLuhan’s ability to predict human’s dependability on technology is quite astonishing. Look at us now. We are so dependent on computers in this COVID age—from virtual learning to businesses transitioning to online. I hope this article is relatable to all readers.
FM: What are your future plans?
MSA: I finished my master’s degree from York University, and I am currently pursuing my PhD from the University of Waterloo.
Author Biography
Mohsina Shafqat Ali recently graduated from the University of Toronto in 2019 with High Distinction in English Literature and Film Studies. Her education has focused on films, especially science fiction and world cinema, and also memoirs that deal with postcolonial studies, trauma studies, and gender studies.
[i] https://libquotes.com/marshall-mcluhan/quote/lbj0b3a.
