CFP 7.2 (2016): Theoretical Perspectives on Filmic Adaptation

Posted on November 3, 2014 by admin

Film Matters is excited to announce a new call for papers for issue 7.2 (2016) — on the theme of filmic adapatation — guest edited by Greg Chan and students (Kwantlen Polytechnic University).

The deadline for submission is February 15, 2015 — so please consider submitting papers related to this theme today! The guest editors are also actively seeking book reviews on this same topic; interested reviewers should contact them to propose a book to review or to obtain a list of suggested titles.

For more information about this call, please download the official document (in Word):

Submissions and questions should be emailed to Greg Chan, with the subject line “7.2 CFP” at:

  • greg.chan AT kpu.ca

We look forward to receiving your papers!

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Announcing Open Call for Papers 7.1

Posted on October 27, 2014 by admin

Film Matters is officially announcing our open call for papers for consideration in issue 7.1 (2016) — the deadline is February 1, 2015.  Undergraduates and recent graduates, please submit your film-related research papers today!

For more information, please download the official document (in Word):

Submissions and questions should be directed to:

  • futurefilmscholars AT gmail.com

We look forward to receiving your papers!

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Last Call: Deadline for CFP 6.2 Is October 15th!

Posted on October 6, 2014 by admin

The deadline for call 6.2 (for issue 6.2, 2015) is October 15, 2014. The Ohio State University guest editors are particularly interested in papers on national cinema, auteurism, and/or genre, but will accept papers on other film topics, too. For more information, please see the original post:

Questions and submissions should be directed to Margaret C. Flinn:

flinn.62 AT osu.edu

We look forward to hearing from you!

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Reminder: CFP 6.2 (2015) Still Accepting Submissions

Posted on September 30, 2014 by admin

A quick reminder that Film Matters is still accepting submissions for CFP 6.2 (2015) — this call closes on October 15, 2014. The guest editors will accept papers on any topic, but are particularly interested in those on national cinema, auteurism, and/or genre. Submissions for this call should be sent to Margaret C. Flinn (flinn.62 AT osu.edu). For more information about the process and eligibility guidelines, please see the original announcement:

We look forward to hearing from you!

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Vyer Films: A Measured Vastness. By Claire Williams

Posted on September 22, 2014 by admin
When We Leave

When We Leave

Streaming services nowadays provide audiences with such a vast amount of content that it makes it nearly impossible to decide what to watch. We spend more time browsing catalogues than we do watching films or television series. And so many contemporary subscription services only offer Hollywood clichés and box office regulars, making it even harder to see anything worth watching.

Well, not anymore. Vyer Films is the latest: a Brooklyn-based subscription service with a difference. Instead of infinite amounts of films and television series, Vyer Films prides itself on being a curatorial service, and does the hard work for you. They’re dedicated to providing an exclusive collection of films for people who are looking to steer away from the mainstream and watch critically curated films that tell unique, powerful, and engaging stories. Vyer Films helps “people to spend their time seeing things not looking for things to see.” So to find out more about this cutting-edge service, I sat down with founder K.C. McLeod from Vyer Films.
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FM 4.3 Is Out!

Posted on September 15, 2014 by admin

Film Matters is excited to announce the release of FM 4.3 (2013) — on the heels of FM 4.2 — which features an engaging guest-edited dossier on the New Directors/New Films festival by Kristi McKim and her students at Hendrix College.  The dossier includes film reviews by:

  • Vincent Gammill
  • Catelyn Gibbs
  • Rane Peerson
  • William Repass
  • Adelia Shiffraw
  • Emily Smith
  • Lance St. Laurent 

FM 4.3 also includes the following peer-reviewed feature articles:

  • Flipping Your Fins Can Get You Far: How the Walt Disney Company Has Ensured the Longevity of The Little Mermaid Through Franchise Management by Kayleigh Bonner
  • The Surrealist Aesthetic: From Breton to Almodóvar by Diana M. Fraser
  • The Ideological Effects of Intensified Continuity by Zachary Klaver
  • The “Unfilmable” Lightness of Being?: Essayistic Devices in Kaufman’s Adaptation of The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Brandon Konecny
  • I’ve Got Nothing: The Poorly Executed Ideas of a Rich Industry by Guy Madjar
  • The Impossibility of Memory: Anamnesis and Reflexive Documentary by Erin Nunoda
  • Intertitle Humor and the Representation of Heterosexual Marriage in Why Change Your Wife? by Erica Tortolani 

The latest “Mapping Contemporary Cinema” column:

  • Hurricane Katrina, Race and Gender in The Princess and the Frog
    by Sophie Engel 

These featurettes:

  • Local Liaison: Interview with Wilmington Regional Film Commission Director, Johnny Griffin by Ivy Burridge
  • Find the Animals: An Interview with Scott Myers of Go into the Story by Laura Casteel
  • A Disc-Less Future: The Rise and Fall of Physical Media by Matthew D. C. Stamm

Book reviews by:   Steven T. Gamble and  Jaime Carlos Menjivar

As well as a “Film Bytes” column on Holy Motors (Carax, 2012).

For more information about this new issue, please visit: http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-issue,id=2720/

And think about becoming a Film Matters author yourself — submit a paper to CFP 6.2 today!:  https://www.filmmattersmagazine.com/2014/04/28/cfp-6-2-2015-national-cinema-auteurism-and-genre/

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Interview with Film Matters Author, Brenna Williams. By Kailyn N. Warpole

Posted on September 11, 2014 by admin
The female leads. From left to right: Clementine (Kate Winslet) of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) of (500) Days of Summer

The female leads. From left to right: Clementine (Kate Winslet) of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Focus Features, 2004) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) of (500) Days of Summer (Fox Searchlight, 2009)

Kailyn Warpole: How did you first hear about Film Matters and what inspired you to submit your article?

Brenna Williams: I heard about Film Matters through my department’s listserv. They sent out the call for papers. I had always thought about getting published and I thought my paper was a good mix of classic film theory focusing on something fun and contemporary. I thought other young media scholars might find it interesting since I know I so often tend to focus on whatever I think seems most traditionally academic.
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FM 4.2 Is Out!

Posted on September 9, 2014 by admin

Film Matters is pleased to announce the release of FM 4.2 (2013), showcasing a wonderful guest-edited dossier on acting and performance from Donna Peberdy and her students at Southampton Solent University. That dossier includes the following feature articles:

  • “Cut to the Rhythm of Performance”: Technology and Expressive Coherence in Inglourious Basterds by Adam Flood
  • Stupid Is as Stupid Says: Vocal Performance and Southernness in Forrest Gump by Bernadette Neal
  • Three Actors, One Lecter: Constructing Hannibal Through Performance by Alex Pitigoi 

As well as reviews by: Caine Bird, Rebecca Cohen, Samuel Hall, Lloyd Hann, Jodie Kirkland, Jade Playle, Laurence Russell, Natasha Saxby, Yasmin Wall, Matty Watson, and Claire Williams 

FM 4.2 also includes the following peer-reviewed feature articles:

  • Hunger, Child Soldiers, and Rebels, Oh My: Hollywood’s Portrayal of Modern Africa by Jessie L. Hagen
  • (Gender)Bending in the Animated Series Avatar: The Last Airbender
    by Megan E. Jackson
  • License to Joke: Parody and Camp in and Around the James Bond Series by Craig Manning 
  • Harnessing the Power of the Stars: The Economics Behind the Classical Hollywood Star System by Zoë VanDerPloeg 
  • Kicking and Screaming: Fist of Fury and the Bruce Lee Legacy by Rona Mae Vaselaar 

A “Take Two” film review by: Jenny Lyne and Alexandra Urosevic

And book reviews by: Duygu Eyrenci, Brooke Gibson, James Hardman-Cobb, Jaime Carlos Menjivar, Lawson Sitterding, and  Taylor S. Woodell

For more information about this new issue, please visit: http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-issue,id=2719/

And think about becoming a Film Matters author yourself — submit a paper to CFP 6.2 today!:  https://www.filmmattersmagazine.com/2014/04/28/cfp-6-2-2015-national-cinema-auteurism-and-genre/

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Interview with Film Matters Author, Harry Ryan. By Christopher Schammel

Posted on September 4, 2014 by admin
(500) Days of Summer (Fox Searchlight, 2009)

(500) Days of Summer (Fox Searchlight, 2009)

Christopher Schammel: How did you first hear about Film Matters and what inspired you to submit your article to Film Matters?

Harry Ryan: Film Matters was first brought to my attention in my final year as a Comparative Literature and Film student at Queen Mary University. A great lecturer of mine, Dr. Guy Westwell, had recently partnered his online editorial “Mapping Contemporary Cinema” with Film Matters Magazine, whereby selected works written by film students would have the chance to be published in future issues. When the opportunity arose for my work to be showcased, alongside the fact I was a budding writer at heart, I was keen for my article to be exposed to a larger audience and one I knew Film Matters had.
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Announcing the Masoud Yazdani Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Film Scholarship

Posted on September 2, 2014 by admin
Masoud Yazdani

Masoud Yazdani

Film Matters is pleased to announce the launch of the Masoud Yazdani Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Film Scholarship, honoring Masoud Yazdani, Chairman of Intellect, who died earlier this year.  We can think of no better tribute to Masoud, who was a passionate champion of Film Matters and — by extension — undergraduate scholars.

This book award will be given annually to a Film Matters author who has published a feature article during the previous volume year.  We will start with volume 5 (2014) — feature articles included in issues 5.1, 5.2, or 5.3 will be automatically considered for this award by an independent and anonymous panel of judges (active instructors at higher education institutions).  The winning author will receive a book from the field of film studies, in recognition of his/her achievement.

Judging for the 2014 award will begin in 2015; we aim to announce the winner by June 2015.

Questions about the award should be directed to Liza: futurefilmscholars AT gmail.com

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