ABSTRACT

The last decade has witnessed an explosion of interest in film festivals, with the field growing to a position of prominence within the space of a few short years. Film Festivals: History, Theory, Method, Practice represents a major addition to the literature on this topic, offering an authoritative and comprehensive introduction to the area. With a combination of chapters specifically examining history, theory, method and practice, it offers a clear structure and systematic approach for the study of film festivals.

Offering a collection of essays written by an international range of established scholars, it discusses well-known film festivals in Europe, North America and Asia, but equally devotes attention to the diverse range of smaller and/or specialized events that take place around the globe. It provides essential knowledge on the origin and development of film festivals, discusses the use of theory to study festivals, explores the methods of ethnographic and archival research, and looks closely at the professional practice of programming and film funding. Each section, moreover, is introduced by the editors, and all chapters include useful suggestions for further reading.

This will be an essential textbook for students studying film festivals as part of their film, media and cultural studies courses, as well as a strong research tool for scholars that wish to familiarize themselves with this burgeoning field.

chapter |12 pages

Introduction

What is a film festival? How to study festivals and why you should

part |52 pages

History

chapter |3 pages

Introduction

chapter |15 pages

Film festivals in Asia

Notes on history, geography, and power from a distance

chapter |16 pages

The film festival circuit

Networks, hierarchies, and circulation

part |52 pages

Theory

chapter |2 pages

Introduction

chapter |14 pages

Contingency, time, and event

An archaeological approach to the film festival

chapter |17 pages

Publics and counterpublics

Rethinking film festivals as public spheres

chapter |17 pages

Fostering art, adding value, cultivating taste

Film festivals as sites of cultural legitimization

part |60 pages

Method

chapter |3 pages

Introduction

chapter |16 pages

Being there, taking place

Ethnography at the film festival

chapter |21 pages

On studying film festival ephemera

The case of queer film festivals and archives of feelings

chapter |18 pages

Positionality and film festival research

A conversation

part |53 pages

Practice

chapter |2 pages

Introduction

chapter |15 pages

Seeing differently

The curatorial potential of film festival programming

chapter |21 pages

The “festival film”

Film festival funds as cultural intermediaries