Toilet film to premiere in Sheffield

8th November 2017

An animated film which illustrates the trials and tribulations of accessing and using public toilets is set for its premiere in Sheffield.

'The Toilet.', a short film which is part of the Around the Toilet project, led by Dr Jen Slater from Sheffield Hallam University, is an animated film which weaves together personal accounts from transgender, disabled and Muslim people, who share their experiences of using public toilets in a society where some are made to feel welcome and others are not. The official premiere will be shown as part of the Festival of Social Science event 'Whose Body, Whose Space?' at the Workstation on Monday 6 November, led by Dr Charlotte Jones from Sheffield Hallam University. The premiere of The Toilet. follows preview events in Reykjavik and Glasgow, at the Scottish Queer International Film Festival. The next screening will take place at the Manchester Animation Film Festival and a public release of the film is due for 2018. The Festival of Social Science, funded by the Economic & Social Research Council, is a week of free events (4 November - 11 November) taking place across the country which offers the public a fascinating insight into some of the country's leading social science research and a unique opportunity to engage with experts behind it. Dr Jen Slater, a reader in disability studies and education at Sheffield Hallam, said: "We're very excited about the film. Although it focuses on toilets, it in fact raises much bigger issues about who is included and excluded from public space, and who is valued in our society. "Sharing our findings through film is a brilliant opportunity to bring important social and political issues to a wider audience through the stories of people who face this kind of marginalisation on a daily basis." For more information about ESRC Festival of Social Science events in Sheffield visit http://festivalofsocialscience.group.shef.ac.uk/.