Product Description
by Brenda Hollweg (Editor), Igor Krstic (Editor)
World Cinema and the Essay Film examines the ways in which essay film practices are deployed by non-Western filmmakers in specific local and national contexts, in an interconnected world. The book identifies the essay film as a political and ethical tool to reflect upon and potentially resist the multiple, often contradictory effects of globalization. With case studies of essayistic works by John Akomfrah, Nguyen Trinh Thi and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, amongst many others, and with a photo-essay by Trinh T. Min-ha and a discussion of Frances Calvert's work, it expands current research on the essay film beyond canonical filmmakers and frameworks, and presents transnational perspectives on what is becoming a global film practice.
Front Jacket
'This stellar collection offers a spectrum of new perspectives and fresh arguments on a practice that continues to reverberate around the world. If the essayistic is often associated with a European history, this volume demonstrates its expansive variety as it continues to evolve through other cultures and new histories.' Timothy Corrigan, University of Pennsylvania World Cinema and the Essay Film examines the ways in which essay film practices are deployed by transnational filmmakers in specific local and national contexts, in an interconnected world. The book identifies the essay film as a political and ethical tool to reflect upon and potentially resist the multiple, often contradictory effects of globalisation. With case studies of essayistic works by John Akomfrah, Frances Calvert, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Zhao Liang, amongst many others, and with a photo-essay by Trinh T. Minh-ha, the book expands current research on the essay film and presents transnational perspectives on what is becoming a global film practice. BRENDA HOLLWEG is Research Fellow in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds. IGOR KRSTIĆ is Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Stuttgart and in the Centre for Cultural and General Studies at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Cover image: Zhao Liang, Behemoth, Film Still, 95min, colour, sound, 2015 (c) Zhao Liang Studio Cover design: www.paulsmithdesign.com [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-2924-5 Barcode
Author Biography
Brenda Hollweg is Research Fellow in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds. A specialist in American literature and a scholar of the essay as literary and expanded cultural form, she worked on two major research collaborations that addressed questions of gender, genre and the essay as well as the aesthetic and affective dimensions of democratic participation. She has published on contemporary documentary and the cinematic essay and, in 2010, realized a 45min-long video essay, 'The Road to Voting'.
Igor Krstic is Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Stuttgart and in the Centre for Cultural and General Studies (ZAK) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). He has published on national, world and transnational cinema, documentary film and film philosophy. He is the author of Slums on Screen: World Cinema and the Planet of Slums (Edinburgh University Press, 2016).
