(apologies for cross-posting) New Directions in Turkish Film Studies Conference VIII: Cinema and Politics 16-18 May 2007 at Kadir Has University, Istanbul We are pleased to announce the eighth installment of the 'New Directions in Turkish Film Studies Conference'. One of its kind in this field, the conference has become a key fixture in Turkish academia since 1999. While the conference has been largely national until this year, the rising popularity of international and transnational Turkish films by directors like Fatih Akin, Ferzan Ozpetek and Pelin Esmer has prompted us to open submissions to scholars worldwide. The three-day conference consists of academic discussion sessions, panels with film industry professionals, and keynote lectures by leading international scholars and filmmakers. Among provisional keynote speakers are Prof. Ella Shohat (New York University) and Prof. Dina Iordanova (St. Andrews University). The theme of this year's conference is 'Cinema and Politics'. This theme is understood broadly to include works, policies, and social discourses that are explicitly political as well as those that may not appear to be overtly political. Areas that may be considered include the politics of individual films, institutions, and bodies of work; censorship; historical debates on cinema and politics in Turkey and in the international arena; changing intellectual and cultural discourses about cinema in the light of new developments in world politics; the political implications of film production, representation, and reception, both around national / international industries and around individual works. Astracts (no more than 300 words) should be emailed by 26 February 2007, to Zeynep Altundag ([log in to unmask]). Please note your preferred language of presentation (English / Turkish). *Advisory Board:* Tevfik Baser (Kadir Has University) Deniz Bayrakdar Sevgen (Kadir Has University) Nevena Dakovic (University of Belgrade) John Hill (Royal Holloway, University of London) Dina Iordanova (University of St. Andrews) Cemal Kafadar (Harvard University) Fatih Ozguven (Istanbul Bilgi University) Cetin Sarikartal (Kadir Has University) Giovanni Scognamillo (Bahcesehir University) Hulya Ucansu (Former director, International Istanbul Film Festival) ** *Programming Board:* Tul Akbal Sualp (Film critic and scholar) Deniz Bayrakdar Sevgen (Kadir Has University) Esra Biryildiz (Marmara University) Levent Soysal (Kadir Has University) * * *Organizing Committee:* Murat Akser (Kadir Has University) Melis Behlil (Kadir Has University) Louise Spence (Kadir Has University) *Conference Assistant:* Zeynep Altundag (Kadir Has University) ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu