World Cinema Now
Many who hear the term world cinema believe it to be a broad but simple category. It has become over the years a synonym for art house with subtitles, or an easy way of denoting everything that isn’t Hollywood.
Throwing the common definitions of art house and world cinema in the bin and bringing true meanings and high quality films into the public domain is the aim of the exciting World Cinema Now conference.
For Associate Professor Adrian Martin, School of English, Communications and Performance Studies, and organiser of the World Cinema Now conference, world cinema has a more literal meaning; it refers to art cinema that we are not seeing in our theatres anymore.
The biennial conference, sponsored by Monash University’s Research Unit in Film Culture and Theory has been described by Associate Professor Martin as timely.
“In this brave new digital world in which so much more is available, we are worse off. The standard of art house cinema has dropped dramatically. This conference displays Monash University’s dedication to reintroducing this important art form back in to the wider community,” said Associate Professor Martin.
Topics of World Cinema Now include the use of YouTube video in feature films, the musical An American in Paris as key to understanding the globalisation of film culture, cinema and the Armenian genocide, Singapore co-production, contemporary Chinese documentaries, new Turkish cinema, and a third wave of holocaust films.
And the focus is not confined to art house. Keynote speakers will be discussing a range of topics from American martial art stars in action movies to contemporary political cinema. World Cinema Now is taking place in a climate in which art house cinema has to become more competitive, and more pro-active to stay afloat.
Film culture in most places has been slow to emerge from its Anglo-Euro-American habits and biases, even though the past two decades has given us one remarkable new cinema after another. World Cinema Now invites international film scholars, critics and practitioners to present their thoughts on World Cinema as a contemporary and historical formation.
Today is your last day to see World Cinema Now which finishes today at 6pm at Monash University, Caulfield campus. To view the full program visit www.worldcinemanow.com.au