CFP: "Ways of Watching" Symposium

2009 Summer Symposium
24-25 JULY 2009

Ways of Watching


What happens to amateur, regional and non-commercial films after filmmakers finish crafting them? How do audiences watch them and why? While researchers, scholars and archivists have made great inroads into understanding the cultural significance of non-commercial films and filmmakers, less is understood about the habits of their audiences and their exhibition. The 2009 Northeast Historic Film Summer Symposium focuses on an investigation of how, where and why we watch amateur and noncommercial films in both the past and the present. We seek papers and presentations examining the varied practices of film viewing and exhibition, particularly as they pertain to amateur, regional and non-commercial film.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Practices of viewing Home theaters Family viewing
Mobilized cinema Itinerant projection Non-commercial exhibition
Amateur film contests Community exhibition New & old distribution Networks
Social habits of audiences Amateur cinema clubs Amateur news & I-reports
Projection technologies surveillance practices Voyeurism
Screens--mini, mega, and mobile Amateur film as political witness Home 3-D
Organizations & film exhibition Amateur film as observation Visible evidence
The NHF Summer Symposium is a multi-disciplinary gathering devoted to the history, theory, and preservation of moving images. NHF is located in Bucksport, a town of 5,000 on the coast of Maine (for more info on NHF, please visit: http://www.oldfilm.org). Typically, presentations are 30 minutes, followed
by 30 minutes of discussion. The symposium is open to archivists, artists and scholars from all disciplines.

NHF houses a 125-seat cinema with 35mm, 16mm, videotape, and DVD projection. We encouragepresentations that include interesting moving images.

We prefer e-mail submissions. Please send 250-500 word abstracts outlining your paper ideas to the symposium organizers at the address below. We are happy to discuss your presentation ideas with you in advance of a formal submission. The Symposium Program Committee will begin reviewing proposals on April 1, 2009.

Please send proposals and inquiries to:

Mark Neumann
Mark.Neumann[at]nau.edu
School of Communication
Northern Arizona University

Janna Jones
Janna.Jones[at]NAU.EDU
School of Communication
Northern Arizona University

Snowden Becker
snowdenbecker[at]gmail.com
School of Information
Cinema and Visual Culture Program University of Texas, Austin

Job talks and Film/Lit pairings

Since it’s never too early to be thinking about these things…

One of the things that occurred when Northern Illinois University was searching for their next Film and Literature instructor was that the interviewing faculty asked interviewees to name their 5 ideal film/lit pairings. Of course, such a question is naturally going to come up in these types of formal sessions, but my question to you all would be how far off the beaten path would you go in naming your picks? How much would you stick with the traditional sampling of fare like Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now or King Lear/Ran, and how much would you mix it up with a sexier pick or two?

To further complicate this question... while most departments are aware that film is no longer relegated to mere issues of textual fidelity, so that we’re not limited to only doing the traditional fare, how willing would you be to adventure out with a list of only one traditional pick, so that the other pairings reflected more of a thematic or symbolic adaptation rather than direct adaptation?

CFP: CONNECTdeleuze: TRANSDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES

The Department for American Studies at the University of Cologne is pleased to announce that it will be holding The Second International Deleuze Studies Conference on Aug 10-12 2009:



The conference aims at building transdisciplinary assemblages that

involve Deleuze in a wider range of thought, i.e. at constructing, from different 'modules of thought,' innovative conceptual arrangements that integrate Deleuzian philosophy into the larger field of contemporary knowledge production and practices of living.

Speakers include:

Brent Adkins, Jeffrey Bell, Réda Bensmaia, Hanjo Berressem, Charlie Blake, Arno Böhler, Ronald Bogue, Mark Bonta, Rosi Braidotti, Ian Buchanan, Didier Debaise, Norbert Finzsch, Colin Gardner, Erika Gaudlitz, Johnny Golding, Paul Harris, Peter Hertz, Jean Hillier, David Holdsworth, Eugene Holland, Gillian Howie, Jan Jagodzinski, Shoshone Johnson, Christian Kerslake, Gregg Lambert, Patricia MacCormack, Erin Manning, David Martin-Jones, Brian Massumi, Philippe Mengue, Luciana Parisi, Patricia Pisters, Arkady Plotnitsky, Bryan Reynolds, Martin E. Rosenberg, Horst Ruthrof, Jac Saorsa, Mirjam Schaub, Henning Schmidgen, Inna Semetsky, Daniel W. Smith, Andreas Speer, Charles Stivale, Kenneth Surin, Laurent de Sutter, Janell Watson, Edward Willatt, Doro Wiese, James Williams


If you are interested in presenting at this conference, submit panel

proposals and/or individual abstracts [250 words] to

CONNECTdeleuze[at]web.de

Warner Archives "on demand"

I may be the last person to find out about this, but a student directed me to Warners' new line of DVD-Rs available on demand of niche titles from their back catalog (and given the history of media library ownership, that means some MGM titles, too). The list of available is definitely quirky, but worth a look. Moreover, it's a great sign that studios may be willing to adopt different content-delivery models, which means readier text availability for those of us who study the history of Hollywood.

cineSEA: Independent Moving Images From Southeast Asia

Because this is from my part of the world. :-) If you are in the UK, do consider attending! - JN

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cineSEA: INDEPENDENT MOVING IMAGES FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA
London Birkbeck Cinema & University of Westminster
21-23 March 2009

The Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media (CREAM), University of Westminster, is pleased to present a special event showcasing independent moving images and new research directions in Southeast Asian cinema.

Many UK premieres have been selected for the six programmes of documentaries, shorts, and video art featured during cineSEA part I. Highlights include the recent video art of Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul (TROPICAL MALADY, SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY). The one-day symposium, featuring international scholars and curators, explores the intersection between regionally grounded digital practices and global theorisations of 21st century cinema. cineSEA part II will take place this Autumn when Apichatpong will be conducting a special masterclass for CREAM based on his work-in-progress PRIMITIVE.

cineSEA is organised by CREAM in collaboration with History of Art, Film and Visual Media at Birkbeck College, BEFF5 and Criticine.

For detailed programme information please visit http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-2104#cineSEA

New Translation of Bazin's "What is Cinema?"

Dear fellow Mabuseans,

Exciting news: Montreal-based publisher caboose is releasing a new English-language translation of André Bazin's "What is Cinema?," the first in nearly 40 years. I have a post with details at my blog.

In anticipation,

- Girish Shambu.

Northern Illinois University - Fall 2009

Within what is possibly the harshest job search environment in decades, it just feels bizarre to post some news that is so wonderful. Though, I suppose once you sign the offer letter, it is time to announce.

I am thrilled to write that I have accepted an offer to be Assistant Professor of English, specializing in Film and Literature, at Northern Illinois University for fall of 2009. Located in Dekalb, IL (about an hour west of Chicago), NIU is a comprehensive teaching and research university with over 18,000 undergraduates and nearly 4,000 graduate students.

The Department of English is one of the largest departments on campus, accommodating two undergraduate degree options and extensive graduate studies up to the PhD level. The university also houses active Women’s Studies, LGBT Studies, communications, and drama programs – all of which interest me greatly, as my research would probably suggest. During my campus visit, I met with much of the faculty, who impressed me with their commitment to active research and teaching as well as their friendliness.

As a member of the faculty, I will have the opportunity to work closely with both undergraduates and graduate students working in the area of film and literature. During a breakfast with Robert Self, the professor emeritus who founded the film and literature focus at NIU, I learned much about the history of the track. Also, I spoke with some of the graduate students in film and literature, whose research and enthusiasm were equally engaging. As such, I take on the responsibility of continuing the film and literature track at NIU with great respect of its history and high expectations for its future.

On a personal note, I love the idea of living an hour from Chicago and am fully ready to make the transition to much colder winters. As a fan of both The Simpsons and The Ice Storm, I am thrilled to teach at the university that produced both Dan Castellaneta and Joan Allen. In all seriousness, I want to thank everybody who helped me over the years, from family (my mother, in particular) to friends (my Claude Rains Appreciation Society co-founder leaps to mind) to mentors (certainly Maureen Turim, whose guidance was invaluable) to my students. I know this section sounds like an Oscar speech … sorry.

Also, in one of the most humbling realizations of my life, NIU is the university where film scholar Leonard Leff received his degree. Upon beginning my graduate studies at Oklahoma State University, Leff’s Hitchcock seminar was my first graduate film course. The experience was wonderful enough to make me continue with this academia racket for another seven years and, now, the remainder of my professional life. I am excited to be affiliated with a school that produces such talent. Perhaps, I’ll need to assign Rebecca (1940) next fall to have it all come full circle.

Finally, of course, GO HUSKIES!