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Mini-Conference & Film Screening
Fordham University

ON
SINNERS

Written and Directed by Ryan Coogler

Trans-Disciplinarity and Belonging: A Mini-Conference and Film Screening

APR 9 — Lincoln Center Campus
APR 10 — Rose Hill Campus
RSVP Now View Schedule Submit Proposals
April 9 – 10, 2026
Two Campuses · Two Days
Supported by the Fordham Arts & Sciences Challenge Grant
About This Event

Where Film, Religion & Culture Converge

Ryan Coogler's Sinners (2025) has captivated audiences and critics alike, weaving together horror, blues music, Southern U.S. Geographies, and American religion into a singular cinematic vision.

This mini-conference brings together scholars, students, and film enthusiasts to examine what the film reveals about belonging, sound, and the sacred — spanning two campuses over two days.

Day One opens with student-led roundtable discussions situating Sinners within broader conversations about trans-disciplinarity, inviting perspectives from film studies, religion, media studies, and the humanities at large. Day Two features a full screening followed by a roundtable conversation with Fordham University faculty and special guest Racquel Gates, Associate Professor of Film, Columbia University.

Event Schedule

Two Days. Two Campuses.

Day One
Thursday, April 9
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm
Lincoln Center Campus · 140 West 62nd Street
Tiered Lecture Hall 333 (overflow: 334)
Opening Remarks
Michele Prettyman — Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies, Fordham University
Roundtable Discussions I & II
Student Reflections on Film, Sound, Religion and the Unmaking of the Horror Genre
Refreshments served 5:30 – 6:00 pm
Day Two
Friday, April 10
4:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Rose Hill Campus · Keating First
4:00 – 6:20 pm
Film Screening of Sinners — Written and Directed by Ryan Coogler
6:30 – 7:00 pm
Refreshments & Intermission
7:00 – 8:00 pm · Roundtable Conversation
Racquel Gates · Kathryn Reklis · Michele Prettyman · Rufus Burnett, Jr.
8:00 – 8:30 pm
Q & A
Reception: Duane Library 1st Floor
Friday Roundtable

Featured Presenters & Moderator

Racquel Gates
Panelist
Racquel Gates
Associate Professor of Film
Columbia University
Michele Prettyman
Panelist
Michele Prettyman
Assistant Professor of Communications & Media Studies
Affiliate Faculty, African & African American Studies
Fordham University
Kathryn Reklis
Panelist
Kathryn Reklis
Associate Professor of Theology & Affiliate, Comparative Literature and American Studies
Fordham University
Rufus Burnett Jr.
Panelist
Rufus Burnett, Jr.
Associate Professor of Theology
Fordham University
Brandy Monk-Payton
Moderator
Brandy Monk-Payton
Assistant Professor, Communication and Media Studies
Affiliate Faculty, African & African American Studies
Fordham University
Call for Submissions

Student Submissions Now Open

Deadline: March 25, 2026 · 11:59 pm
Open to all Fordham graduate and undergraduate students — any major or discipline

This event invites students to submit their perspectives on the film Sinners for the mini-conference on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Sinners centers the Blues and its role as a cultural and transgressive meeting ground for African Americans, Euro-Americans, Indigenous Americans, and Chinese Americans, while foregrounding cinematic, cultural, and spiritual traditions.

This call invites submissions which discuss the film's interdisciplinarity, its cultural significance, and the "exchanges" or intercultural points of connection it inspires.

Option I

Roundtable Panelist

Present your ideas on a panel of six selected students on Thursday, April 9. Each panelist will have 5–7 minutes to present.

Submit a 250-word proposal summarizing how you would discuss the film, along with a brief questionnaire.

Suggested Themes
Music & Sound Horror as Genre Black Horror American Religious Experiences Southern Studies Film & Popular Culture Black Theology Black Religion
Submit Panel Proposal →
Option II

Video Reflection

Reflect on a particular moment or theme within the film and how your studies at Fordham have impacted your engagement with or reception of it.

Submissions should be thoughtful, personal reflections connecting your academic experience to the film's themes. Videos should be 3–5 minutes in length.

Submit Video Reflection →

"This mini-conference is supported by the Fordham Arts and Sciences Challenge Grant and brings together faculty from Theology and Communication and Media Studies to create a genuinely transdisciplinary forum for student voices. We welcome contributions from all corners of the university."

— Prof. Rufus Burnett & Prof. Michele Prettyman
Reserve Your Spot

Free admission · April 9 – 10, 2026 · Fordham University

RSVP Now