Social theory through experimenting with film

In Social Theory this week we read The Wretched of the Earth by Fanon which was a very interesting book. I TA for a freshman/sophomore level film and video class on Fridays, and last week they went on shoots outside. Their assignment was to randomly take a sentence out of that book and interpret it through a 2 minute film. The sentence was "On the contrary, paradoxically, each member endeavors to praise the achievements of the nation." this is a really great sentence to interpret, especially since the students had never read Fanon, and did not know the context of the sentence. It brings up some interesting issues that I think can relate to the book as well as social theory in general. Many of the students responded negatively to this sentence when it was first read and then some were interested in the on the contrary, paradoxically part. I'm looking forward to seeing how they responded to this through their assignment in 2 weeks when the film is developed!