Film Matters: Please tell us about your article that is being published in Film Matters.
Stephen N. Borunda: I have been working on this piece for the past year or so. The essay synthesizes my studies of Chilean cinema with the works of various thinkers in political theory and film theory to help us think about how films have the potential to be “political.” When I use that word, I adhere to political theorist Jacques Rancière’s explications of the political as an expression from the silenced. This essay was an opportunity for me to think through how films can use cinematography to express the will of marginalized communities or movements. Ultimately, directors make decisions to conceal or reveal various bodies, and I sought to explore how in this piece and the political effects of these decisions.
FM: What research and/or methodologies do you incorporate in your article?
SNB: My academic training thus far has been mostly concentrated in political theory and history. I heavily relied upon my training in those disciplines to craft my article. In terms of film theory, the essays and manifestos in New Latin American Cinema, Volume 1: Theories, Practices, and Transcontinental Articulations, edited by Michael T. Martin, were especially useful to me. During my research process, I utilized the extensive resources available at the library at Johns Hopkins, and I even used the Biblioteca Nacional de Chile in Santiago.
FM: Describe the original context for/when writing this article while an undergraduate student.
SNB: To be honest, my ideas formed as a result of my undergraduate political theory classes where I read Jacques Rancière quite extensively. His work deals with the relations between various art forms and politics so I began to explore how I could put his ideas in contact with what is, in my opinion, one of the finest documentaries ever created – The Battle of Chile.
FM: How has your department and/or institution supported your work in film and media?
SNB: My political science and history professors have been extremely supportive of my efforts to reconcile film and politics. They have often agreed to read my essays, offered feedback, and encouraged me to read both film and political theorists who have explored or are exploring ideas that interact with my own. I was recently awarded the Chancellor’s Fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I will be starting my MA/PhD studies this fall [2018]; this accomplishment would have been impossible without my professors and their faith in my abilities as a scholar.
FM: How have your faculty mentors fostered your advancement as a film scholar?
SNB: Stuart Gray is a remarkable human being; he attended Santa Barbara and both he and his wife Sierra have provided me with so many pieces of valuable advice as I have been applying to both this program and other graduate schools. I owe them both so much, and I consider them to be dear friends. Professor Gray specializes in Indian political theory and his passion for a field that many may also connect with religious studies allowed me to see how my passions for political theory and film could be synthesized in my graduate studies. One aside is that everyone should check out his recent book A Defense of Rule: Origins of Political Thought in Greece and India. Oxford University Press published this book just last year [2017]. I would also, most importantly, like to thank my esposa Victoria Dastres for her support in all of my endeavors. She is an amazing partner and human; her care for my work means the world to me.
FM: How has the Film Matters editorial and publication process impacted the development/evolution of your article?
SNB: Dr. Kelli Fuery and her students at Chapman University offered invaluable feedback. This entire process has really given me a taste for what the peer review process will look like as I transition into my graduate studies. Film Matters with Liza Palmer at its head provides an invaluable platform for young scholars to grow and share their ideas. I am excited to continue to work with them as a graduate student as I would love to see if I might continue to transition into more of a mentor role within the magazine.
FM: What audience do you hope to reach with your Film Matters article and/or what impact do you hope it has on the field of film studies?
SNB: First of all, I hope that my piece is coherent. Second, I hope it causes readers to explore the films of Patricio Guzmán — one of the finest living documentary filmmakers — and think about how he is using the close-up. His remarkable film literally captured the overthrow of a government in Chile in 1973. How many other filmmakers can make similar claims? Not many. People in the US should be especially interested in The Battle of Chile to better understand how the United States has meddled — and continues to meddle — in Latin American affairs. We see many comparable events happening today in Venezuela.
FM: What are your future plans?
SNB: As I mentioned, I will begin my studies at The University of California, Santa Barbara, this fall. I was awarded the Chancellor’s Fellowship – the highest award offered by the university – which will allow me to study and grow as a scholar with full financial support from the university. I will be working very closely with Dr. Cristina Venegas as I intend to focus my studies on Latin American cinema.
Author Biography
Stephen N. Borunda is a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he began his MA/PhD program in film and media studies in the fall [2018]. He is an independent filmmaker and he was an educator via Teach for America. He graduated from Johns Hopkins with a BA in political science and history and an MS in education. His work has appeared in Film Matters and the Santiago Times in Chile. His most recent short film Boost: A Stop Motion Story was featured at the Ocean City Film Festival in 2019.
