Contemporary Greek Film Cultures Conference 2015 An

Contemporary Greek Film Cultures Conference 2015
An International Interdisciplinary Conference hosted by the Hellenic Studies Program at the University of
Washington, Seattle, May 8-9, 2015
Call for Papers
The financial crisis since 2009 has devastated Greece, led to unprecedented political fragmentation and social turmoil, and
threatened the cohesion of the European Union. It has also coincided with a number of international prize-winning films
by a generation of young Greek filmmakers who have responded to the effects of the crisis on the Greek film industry in
resourceful, creative, and compelling ways. Capturing the tumult of the current mayhem, these films offer surprising,
innovative and subtle commentaries on the complex social, political and economic problems Greece is facing. They also
reassert the centrality of film at a time when the Greek film industry is itself undergoing profound changes and serious
challenges on account of the crisis.
In order to acknowledge and assess the importance of contemporary Greek Cinema for Greek society and culture as well
as in relation to European and global frames of cultural reference, the Hellenic Studies Program at the University of
Washington is hosting the International Conference, Contemporary Greek Film Cultures 2015 on Friday, May 8 &
Saturday, May 9, 2015. Held for the first time by a North American Hellenic Studies Program, this two-day conference is
a continuation of the International Conference Contemporary Greek Film Cultures 2013 that took place at the Hellenic
Centre in London in July 5-6, 2013, and was co-organized by researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Reading.
Set in Seattle, the 2015 conference venue is located far from Greece and in a city that has been marked by protests against
some of the very same forces that have so negatively impacted Greece. Therefore, the conference organizers strongly
encourage reflection upon the complexities of the geographical and cultural expansiveness of Greek film. What is Greek
film?: Films made by Greeks? Greeks of the diaspora? Foreigners in Greece or elsewhere making films about Greece?
How are these films being conceived, financed, made, viewed, and understood at this cultural moment? What do we
make of the fact that European or international contexts are as much an integral part of production, distribution, and
reception in Greek cinema as they are of what has been mischaracterized, by some, until recently as a “Greek” crisis.
Beyond this specific focus, the 2015 conference also aims to bring together established scholars, early career faculty and
young researchers in order to expand and build upon the full range of areas discussed in past and recent scholarship on
Greek Film Studies. In addressing the topics listed below, the conference will:
• examine ways in which new research methodologies and theoretical perspectives can further our understanding of
contemporary Greek Cinema
• propose innovative research frameworks as regards the production, distribution and audiences of contemporary Greek
Cinema;
• reflect upon the recent positioning of the Greek film industry in a novel network of relationships linking cultural
practices and economic realities, domestic and international agendas.
Alongside distinguished keynote addresses to be confirmed, we invite proposals for papers within and across a variety of
disciplines and fields. Suggested topics include but are not limited to:
(Greek) Filmmakers’ Response to the Greek Financial Crisis
Greek Films and Political Activism
Greek Films and Violence
Representations of Youth Cultures in Contemporary Greek Films
Films and History
Documentaries on the Historical Experiences of the Greeks2
Films on the Jews of Greece
Gender and Contemporary Greek Cinema
Evolution of Greek Film Genres
Relationship between Contemporary Greek Film and Television
Greek Films in European and International Contexts
Greek Films in the Art-World Context
Greek Film Studies
Cypriot Cinemas
Film Practice-as-Research
Greek Film Festival Studies in Greece, in the Diaspora, and Globally
Greek Film Reception and Audience Studies
Greek Film, Displacement and Migration
Films between Art and Popular Culture
Production and Distribution Cultures of Contemporary Greek Cinema
Call for papers deadline: November 23, 2014
Abstracts of a 300-word length for a 20-minute paper that engage with these topics, along with a 50-word biographical
note, should be submitted electronically to [email protected] Please make sure to send the
proposal as an attachment and include “2015 Conference Proposal” in the topic line of your email. All submissions will be
judged by blind review on the basis of their individual merit. Those who submit an abstract will be notified by December
15th as regards the results of their submission.
Conference participants are expected to cover their own travel expenses. There will be a pre-registration fee of $90
(faculty; general public) and $60 (students) for the conference.
The organizers are looking into the possibility of a publication that will feature a selection of papers from the conference.
Program Committee
Vangelis Calotychos (Chair)
Mikela Fotiou
Dan Georgakas
Frank Hess
Tonia Kazakopoulou
Kostis Kornetis
Toby Lee
Lydia Papadimitriou
Philip Phillis
Local Arrangements Committee
The conference will be hosted by the Hellenic Studies Program Local Arrangements Committee consisting of
Taso Lagos (Chair) and Nektaria Klapaki, as well as staff of the Center for West European Studies and the
Jackson School of International Studies.