(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)
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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.ScreenSite.org
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