(apologies for cross-posting) New Directions in Turkish Film Studies Conference X: Cinema and Fantasy 7-9 May 2009 at Kadir Has University, Istanbul We are pleased to announce the tenth annual New Directions in Turkish Film Studies Conference. The only conference of its kind, it has become a key fixture in Turkish academia since 1999. Now organized internationally, the conference will be open to submissions from scholars worldwide. The theme of this year's gathering is "Cinema and Fantasy," following and developing on last year's conference on "Cinema and Reality." Rather than simply building on an opposition between fantasy and reality, however, we would like to explore the connectivity and reciprocity between the two. From the earliest days of silent screen, motion pictures have been "the stuff that dreams are made of." Throughout film history, fantasy has functioned as a release for the artist and the spectator alike. Cinema has been nourished and liberated by fantasy, often providing the opportunity to transcend mental, social and political restrictions. Dreams and nightmares, fantastic voyages and stories serve to relay the enriched narratives of the subconscious. Turkish cinema has always stretched the limits of fantasy. The entire Yeşilçam period, for instance, could be analyzed on the basis of the fantastic; the conditions of production, time pressure and audience expectations contributed to this. Fantasy can liberate points of view, categories of thought, differences between East and West, and so on. In short, fantasy will give us opportunities to think and talk about Turkish cinema. In its attempt to tackle this vast subject matter, this year's conference will feature panels on such topics as: Re-viewing history Autobiographical imagination Afterlife and beyond Gendered imaginations Fantasy television Utopia and dystopia Re-imagination and remakes The new Turkish horror cinema Fantasy and performance Limits of fantasy Imagining the impossible Experimenting with fantasy The three-day conference consists of academic discussion sessions, panels with film industry professionals, and keynote lectures by leading international scholars and filmmakers. A report on the ninth conference can be accessed at http://www.scope.nottingham.ac.uk/confreport.php?issue=12&id=1088. Participants can apply to the specific panels listed above, can suggest a preconstituted panel on another subject, or propose a paper for the open call. Abstracts of 400-500 words, with three keywords, as well as a brief biography (100-200 words) should be emailed by 9 March 2009 to Zeynep Altundag ([log in to unmask]). Please note if you wish your paper to be considered for one of the above panels. Also, indicate your preferred language of presentation (English or Turkish). Advisory Board: Tevfik Baser (Kadir Has University) Deniz Bayrakdar (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 Committee: Murat Akser (Kadir Has University) Deniz Bayrakdar (Kadir Has University) Deniz Gokturk (UC Berkeley) Dilek Kaya Mutlu (Bilkent University) Kaya Ozkaracalar (Bahçeşehir University) Organizing Committee: Melis Behlil (Kadir Has University) Levent Soysal (Kadir Has University) Louise Spence (Kadir Has University) Conference Assistants: Zeynep Altundag (Kadir Has University) Asli Kotaman (Kadir Has University) ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.ScreenSite.org