Dina Iordanova
Dina Iordanova (University of St. Andrews)
Ephemeral Abundance: Film Culture Between the Cyberlocker and the Festival
Show Video Recording
This talk will address some of the current transformations in film culture, resulting in a milieu that appears to be characterised by ephemeral abundance. It will focus specifically on the way smaller films with lesser chance for exposure move through new trajectories and reach new audiences. Instant online access to cinematic material has led to significant shifts in the way we see films. Previously obscure rarities are now within easy reach; unseen treasures of the celluloid era and distant images rooted in the cultures of faraway lands are only a click away. Parallel to this there seems to be a move away from the traditional modes of collective viewing, yet the importance of film festivals in the context of today’s film culture is growing. But what is the logic of the film festival galaxy? Are film festivals tools of power and prestige that make or break the fate of a film? Or do they effectively seal diverse and unique cinema from the wider public whilst simultaneously professing to celebrate it?
Workshop with Dina Iordanova from 2-4 pm, IG Building, Room 7.312 (Film Studies Room). For registration and information contact us at info@kracauer-lectures.de.
Dina Iordanova is Professor in Film Studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she founded the Film Studies department. She also directs the Centre for Film Studies and the publishing house St. Andrews Film Studies. Starting as a specialist of Eastern European and Balkan cinema, she expanded her interests and has published extensively on international and transnational cinema. In recent years, her work has been focused on the dynamics of global film industries and film festivals. Her most recent book is The Film Festivals Reader (2013). She has taught internationally in North America and Asia. Her work has been translated in more than twenty languages.