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open access

What Does It Mean to Go Super Saiyan: Gender Identity and Fandom in the Toonami Release of Dragon Ball Z (1998-2003)

Description: The intention of this thesis is to analyze the representations of masculinity in the anime series Dragon Ball Z as it aired on Cartoon Network's programming block Toonami, specifically the nature in which they were framed and how oppositional interpretations in the fandom became prevalent as a result. The series emphasizes the evolution of its central characters Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan into performing a sensitive masculinity, but there are a prevalence of images in the series that discredit thi… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Liverett, Nicholas
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? Creating the Post 9/11 Westerner

Description: The intention of this thesis is to analyze the figure of the post 9/11 Westerner as a modern character created from the preexisting archetype of the classic Westerner. 3:10 to Yuma (dir. James Mangold), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (dir. Andrew Dominik), and There Will Be Blood (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) were released in 2007 and featured post 9/11 Westerners dealing with issues of fatherhood, demonstrating the prevalence of this figure within the modern western g… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Possoit, Dylan
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Poetry of Reality: Frederick Wiseman and the Theme of Time

Description: Employing a textual analysis within an auteur theory framework, this thesis examines Frederick Wiseman's films At Berkeley (2013), National Gallery (2014), and Ex Libris (2017) and the different ways in which they reflect on the theme of time. The National Gallery, University of California at Berkeley, and the New York Public Library all share a fundamental common purpose: the preservation and circulation of "truth" through time. Whether it be artistic, scientific, or historical truth, these in… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Wahlert, Blake Jorgensen
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Quiet Flows the River

Description: Quiet Flows the River explores the lives of the people living in the coastal area of Bangladesh. Affected by the consequences of climate change, they continue to adapt and struggle each day to survive in their homelands.
Date: May 2019
Creator: Nolok, Arnila Guha
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Hauntology Man

Description: Hauntology Man, a 48-minute documentary, follows former UNT Professor, Dr. Shaun Treat, as he leads a walking ghost tour of downtown Denton, Texas. As the expedition moves from storefront to storefront, each stop elicits a new tale. But, as Dr. Treat points out, the uncertainties of history are the real ghosts. That is, rather than simply presenting a "haunted history" of Denton, it's more accurate to say this movie's center resides at the precipice of a "haunting history." Not all ghost storie… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Wright, Adam Michael
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

"Restless Soul"

Description: Restless Soul is composed of observational and expository style to depict a culture of youth, strength, and passion. The film captures an improvising musician and composer named Garrett Wingfield, who expresses spontaneous sound reflected in his mind, body and spirit. By working with his music friends, he releases his creative energies through his compositions and his different types of saxophones. The documentary allows its audience to experience the youth culture in a postmodern world.
Date: August 2018
Creator: Choi, Bokyung
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Saint Sony: Deliverer of Christian Content for the Evangelical Market

Description: Many evangelical Christians distance themselves from the mainstream commercial culture, because they perceive mainstream media and popular culture to promulgate immoral messages through representations such as sex and violence. This disconnect from Hollywood have made evangelicals a tough audience to market. Sony, however, has been able to connect with the evangelical market by producing a line of contemporary Christian films through their in-house division Affirm Films. By prioritizing the nar… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Patino, Stephen
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

"FLAT!"

Description: FLAT! immerses us into the life and mindset of a Flat-earther who eagerly evangelizes the discoveries he and other Flat-earthers claim to have made. With his car clad in flat-earth messages, he travels around the country provoking discussions with curious bystanders and debating scientists. While he thrives in this pursuit, it is not without its costs.
Date: May 2018
Creator: Thornburg, Barry B
Partner: UNT Libraries

West Dallas AR

Description: West Dallas AR is an interactive location-based app, using the power of multimedia and augmented reality to highlight the stories shared by West Dallas residents.
Date: May 2021
Creator: Johnson, Eboni
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

On the Fence

Description: Living the vast majority of my life in an area that celebrates diversity but thrives because of illegal cross-border activities (undocumented workers, drug imports) at times the distance between the United States and Mexico is in fact as thin as the width of a fence. Though it is typical for a filmmaker to hope to present a unique take on a subject, given how I have seen the topics of immigration and the perspective of the purpose of homeland security portray, I am confident that there is an op… more
Date: December 2014
Creator: Medrano, Estevan
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

My Brother’s Keeper

Description: My Brother’s Keeper is a Documentary Film developed to explore the life of John Dillinger. It examines the legendary criminal through the memories of Frances Dillinger Thompson, his last remaining sibling. The film attempts to understand John Dillinger by exposing his intimate childhood relationship with his sister, and the burdens his actions left on her.
Date: May 2014
Creator: Greenthaner, Sean
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

"Miss Kathy"

Description: Miss Kathy is a documentary film that tells the story of Kathy Griffin-Grinan, a lead recovery coach for prostitution and human trafficking with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Her non-profit organization —We’ve Been There, Done That – works in conjunction with law-enforcement to offer the survivors of prostitution a chance at rehabilitation. With endless enthusiasm, she mentors survivors as they struggle to escape a destructive lifestyle. This film also explores the relationship between hu… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Alexander, Jeffrey, 1982-
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Best Medicine

Description: The Best Medicine is an animated documentary that explores the true stories behind the live performances of stand-up comedians. The film juxtaposes live stand-up performances with candid interview footage combined with animation and illustration. Three subjects– Michael Burd, Casey Stoddard, and Jacob Kubon– discuss alcoholism, childhood abuse, and sexual anxiety, respectively. Their candid, intimate interviews reveal personal information, creating a new context with which to understand live st… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Lechler, Ron
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

"Don't Frack with Denton"

Description: Don't Frack With Denton chronicles the ground-breaking movement to ban hydraulic fracturing in the city of Denton, Texas by combining observational location shooting with extensive sit-down interviews and carefully negotiated subject-filmmaker relationships to create a safe and comfortable space for thoughtful reflection and criticism of a complex social movement who's activities span several years and many individuals. The result is a long-form documentary that is unapologetically in solidarit… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Graham, Garrett
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

"The Eviction"

Description: The Eviction is a film about the forced eviction of a large homeless encampment in Dallas. In an effort to understand the gravity over a month of filming I will capture the stories of people, events, and the trials of those who are trying to offer a hand up.
Date: May 2017
Creator: Galloway, Andrew Reynolds
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Great Hanging

Description: "The Great Hanging" is a documentary film that tells the story of the largest extra-legal mass hanging in U.S. History. This story is told through stage play recital of "October Mourning" written by historian and professor Dr. Pat Ledbetter. Using the stage play as a vehicle, the film showcases cinematic re-enactments based in the events in Gainesville, Texas during October 1862. These events show how a small community became overwhelmed by the fog of war and delved into madness as the Civil Wa… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Martin, Johnathan Paul
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Suspensionists

Description: A description of a documentary produced about human flesh-hook suspension. This document covers the pre-production, production, and post production of the documentary film and the research behind it.
Date: August 2019
Creator: Valentine, Andrew Lee
Partner: UNT Libraries

489 Days

Description: 489 Days is an animated documentary about the harrowing experiences of Egyptian-American Mohamed Soltan, who survived 16 months of hunger strike in an Egyptian prison. Caught up in the political turmoil which followed the Arab Spring uprisings, Soltan was unjustly incarcerated between August 2013 and May 2015, when the United States government intervened to release him weeks after an Egyptian court sentenced him to life in prison. The film is also the larger story of an estimated 60,000 politic… more
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: August 2019
Creator: Elmalky, Rania
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Let's Bump Up the Lights: Exploring The Carol Burnett Show as a Cultural Antecedent to Feminist Media Studies

Description: This thesis argues that textual and historical analysis of The Carol Burnett Show reveals that the program utilized slapstick, women's comedy and feminist humor to create comedic parodies of television commercials, melodramas and women's films, and soap operas. Their television commercial parodies reflect Second Wave feminist critiques of media advertising contemporary with the program. Comparison of the work of early feminist film theorists and media critics to the program's parodies of film a… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Hoover, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries

Lookouts

Description: Lookouts follows Matt and Joann, two fire tower lookouts for the United States Forest Service, as they discuss their happiness living in seclusion as well as the decline of fire towers due to technological advances.
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: August 2019
Creator: Dejarnett, Claire
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Bright Mosaic

Description: Bright Mosaic is a 30-minute documentary about a comprehensive autism center for children with an organic and unconventional approach. The Bright Mosaic Autism Therapy Center's exceptional curriculum consists of a mix of Montessori practices, natural sciences, applied behavior analysis, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, play therapy, music therapy, sensory integration, daily life skills and art. Bright Mosaic mixes observational and participatory styles in an effort to por… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Mares, Vicente
Partner: UNT Libraries

"Joe on the Bus"

Description: Joe Phillips, born in London to two American psychologists, worked for almost a decade as a solo motorcycle response unit in London before making the life-altering decision to change his path. Joe sold all of his belongings and purchased a traditional Red Routemaster double-decker bus to live and travel on in the United States. After the year-long bus journey, Joe chose to stay in the United States and purchased 22 acres of land in Coldspring, Texas where he is building his eco-paradise.
Date: December 2022
Creator: McChane, Lia Mackenzie
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Nine Lives: A History of Cat Women, Subversive Femininity, and Transgressive Archetypes in Film

Description: The intention of this thesis is to identify and analyze the cat woman archetype as a contemporary extension of the transgressive witch archetype, which rampantly appears over the course of cinema history, working as a signifier of a patriarchal society's fear of autonomous and subversive women. The character of Catwoman is the ultimate representation for this archetype on grounds of her visibility, longevity, and ability to return again and again. More importantly, Catwoman and her sisterhood o… more
Date: August 2020
Creator: Barnett, Katrina
Partner: UNT Libraries
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