ABSTRACT
Film festivals do not suffer from a lack of attention. People who visit festivals talk about festival matters at length, in casual conversation as well as more serious discussions. The study of film festivals sets itself apart from media coverage, public debate, and everyday talk, with its grander ambitions to explain film festivals as a phenomenon. Janet Harbord takes on festivals' special relation to time, applying the notion of contingency, which has also been used to theorize early cinema, to frame and explain festivals' attraction in contemporary society. Marijke de Valck turns to the work of cultural sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and explores how working with three of his key concepts field, capital, and habitus can improve our understanding of the value and function of film festivals in society. There is also a growing concern with the business side of film festivals that is visible in the use of stakeholder theory, organizational studies perspectives, and notions like precarious labor.
