Invitation Balvant Parekh Distinguished Lecture Series 2016 Balvant

FORUM ON CONTEMPORARY THEORY
A Member of the Consortium of Humanities Centers & Institutes(CHCI)
C-304 Siddhi Vinayak Complex,
Behind Baroda Railway Station (Alkapuri Side)
Faramji Road, Vadodara-390007
Tel: (0265) 2320870; E-mail: fctbaroda@gmail.com
Website: www.fctworld.org
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
Faculty of Arts
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Vadodara-390002
Three Day Workshop on New American Cinema
Jointly Organized by
Forum on Contemporary Theory, Baroda
(A Member of the Consortium of the Humanities Centers and Institutes)
&
Department of Political Science
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
2-4 August, 2016
Time : 11am-4 pm
Venue: Centre for Contemporary Theory, Baroda
By
Dr. Pravina Cooper
Lecturer in Comparative Literature
Department of Comparative World Literature and Classics
California State University, Long Beach, U.S.
The workshop will explore recent American cinema, particularly independent cinema. It will examine the
various facets of independent film making in the United States since the late 70s including aesthetics,
context, formal characteristics, issues of authorship and production in recent Indie films in the U.S. The
classes will be conducted in lecture/discussion format and will include screening of several film excerpts.
In the 1970s, visionaries such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Robert Altman and
George Lucas created movies that defined their era. Trained at Film School these directors shared the avant
garde sensibilities of their European mentors. Soon after, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were to
change the industry standards with their high concept blockbuster productions.
At a time when mainstream cinema was charging towards high-concept and action charged film by major
studios and their profit-seeking owners, Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989) was released
and the new American Independent cinema movement was born. The studio mindset had been broken. In
1994, Quentin Tarantino's release Pulp Fiction (1994) became a pop culture phenomenon. This was followed
by a wave of excellent directors with similar sensibilities. These directors captured the zeitgeist of the times
– whether it was male insecurities in David Fincher’s Fight Club (1999), man's relationship to technology in
Spike Jones' Her (2013) or the dissolution of family in Sam Mendes' American Beauty (1999).These new Indie
directors set new boundaries in the art of moviemaking, creating a new cinematic language, and recasting
audience expectations. We will interrogate the role of American Indie films via a diverse array of screenings.
Attention will be paid to the relationship between film and society/film and history.
During the course of the workshop we will watch lengthy excerpts from the films.
Students are encouraged to watch the films ahead of class.
Please note: Syllabus and movies are subject to change.
Day 1: Auteur Hollywood: Making Sense of the American Mind: 1970's
What and how was Coppola key to the formulating of Auteurism? How is Auterism defined in the context
of American cinema? What were some of the negotiations, compromises, expectations of indieblockbusters?
The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) [long excerpts], Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) [excerpt],
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979) [excerpt], Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) [excerpt]
Day 2:The Indie-Blockbuster
How did the Hollywood Industry accommodate indie films? What was it about Sex, Lies and Videotape that
was so crucial to the formulating of American Indie cinema? What is boutique cinema?
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Steven Soderbergh, 1989) [excerpt], Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) [excerpt],
Fargo (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1996) [excerpt], Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999) [excerpt], Before Sunrise, Before
Sunset, Before Midnight Trilogy (Linklater) [excerpts]
Day 3: A New World: Contemporary Cinematic Trends
What is meant by the New Cinema of Attractions? What is puzzle cinema?
American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999) [excerpt], Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000), The Hurt Locker (Kathryn
Bigelow, 2008)
About Pravina Cooper
Dr. Cooper received her Ph.D. in Comparative
World Literatures and Film Studies in October
2005 from UCLA. Her teaching interests include
Genres in Film and Theater, critical theory,
transnational literatures (emphasis on British and
French Modernisms) and Media Studies. She
currently teaches comparative literature, theater
and film in the Comparative World Literature and
Classics Department at California State University,
Long Beach. She has presented papers on cinema and contemporary
television's "Mad Men" series, American Comedy genre and Bollywood
cinema. She has published in journals such as Asian Cinema and The Journal
of Commonwealth and Postcolonial Studies.
Criteria for Participation and Registration Fee
The workshop is open to students and scholars across disciplines; mostly in
the humanities and social sciences and is especially suitable as a foundation
for further scholarly research into film. A formal background in film studies is
not a prerequisite. Each participant is required to pay a registration fee (nonrefundable) of Rs. 3,000/- (Rupees three thousand only) to the Forum on
Contemporary Theory through a bank draft drawn on a bank in Baroda. The
registration fees for students of M.S. University is Rs.1,500/- (Rupees one
thousand five hundred only). The last date of receiving the fee is July 25,
2016. It will take care of his/her course fee, tea and lunch. The participants
will not be paid by the organizers for their travel. Outstation participants may
make their own arrangements for stay in Baroda or get in touch with the local
convener. Course material will be e-mailed only after receiving the registration
fee.
Attendance
The participants are required to attend all the sessions and to stay until the
end of the workshop in order to get the certificate of participation.
Address for Correspondence
Local Convener
Lajwanti Chatani
Professor and Head
Department of Political Science
The Maharaja Sayajirao
University of Baroda, Vadodara
Email: lajwanti.chatani@gmail.com
Local Coordinator
Ananya Ghoshal
Academic Fellow
Forum on Contemporary Theory
Baroda
Email: ananya.ghoshal@gmail.com