Michael's Inspiration

Michael Feld came to KU on a teenage whim, inspired by a rock band drummer’s Jayhawk jersey. While here, he gained technical skills in film production and embarked upon a personal discovery through religious studies.  Michael credits the Religious Studies Department as the place where he gained a deeper appreciation for spiritual practices, beliefs, and cultures, now a major part of his worldview and an inspiration when filmmaking.

“I began making documentary films while at the University of Kansas and the medium has always spoke to me. My religious studies degree helped make me a more spiritual and curious person which is essential to storytelling and dealing with subjects. Often times, I’ll have subjects who I don’t agree with politically, religiously or socially but I have to hear and see through our difference to tell the right story. In the Religious Studies Department I learned to appreciate and listen to many ideas that I didn’t agree with but still were worthy of listening to. Also, as a storyteller, religion is the oldest form of storytelling, so it was a great introduction to ancient, tried and true ways of telling a great story.

College is so much more than a place you go to learn and skill or trade and then get a job in that field. It’s a place to discover new ideas, a bigger world and awaken a part of yourself thirsting for understanding of the world you’re being exposed to. For me, the Religious Studies Department helped open me to that world.”

Michael Feld:

BGS, major in film studies and minor in religious studies, 2006 University of Kansas

MFA, film production, 2010 University of Southern California