Sut Jhally is an award-winning filmmaker, media scholar, and media activist. He is the Executive Director of the Media Education Foundation (MEF), a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and analysis of media culture and its impact on society. Jhally is also a professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Jhally was born in India, but moved to England at the age of six. He was educated at the University of Lancaster, where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Communications. He went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego in 1984.
Jhally is best known for his documentary films, which have been broadcast on PBS, Channel 4, and the BBC. His films have also been featured in festivals across the world, including the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Berlin International Film Festival.
In addition to his filmmaking, Jhally has authored several books and articles on media culture and its impact on society. His most notable works include Dreamworlds 3: Desire, Sex & Power in Music Video, Advertising and the End of Work, and The Codes of Gender: Identity and Performance in Pop Culture.
Jhally’s work has earned him numerous awards, including a Peabody Award for his documentary film The Merchants of Cool, a National Education Association Award for Excellence in Media Literacy Education, and the National Communication Association’s Distinguished Scholar Award.
Jhally is also an active media activist and critic. He has been involved in campaigns to reduce the influence of the advertising industry on young people, and to reduce the amount of violence in the media. His work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post. He has also been a guest speaker at conferences and universities around the world.
Sut Jhally is a pioneer in media analysis and one of the leading voices in media literacy and education. His work has been instrumental in helping to shape our understanding of media culture and its impact on society, and his activism has helped to raise awareness of the potential harms of media exposure.
