Dear Listmembers,

    Hello, I wanted to update you on the Inaugural
    International Media Conference taking place from 24-27 July
    2001 at the Institute of Education, London. We now have a
    working draft programme available on the bfi website at
    http://www.bfi.org.uk/globalimage and you can also register
    through this site. Updates on the conference will be posted
    on the website over the next two months.

    I have pasted below further details about the conference
    and we look forward to seeing you there!


    Best,


    Susan Mains
    bfi-Knowledge
    ******************************

    Global Village or Global Image?
    Representing Diversity and Difference
    24-27 July 2001, London, UK.

    General Information
    The Inaugural International Media Conference will be held
    at the Institute of Education, University of London, 24-27
    July 2001. Throughout the four-day conference, there will
    be over 150 presentations representing the latest debates
    in the field of broadcasting policy, media studies and
    cultural diversity. The conference is co-organized by the
    British Film Institute, the Broadcasting Standards
    Commission and the Independent Television Commission.


    Central Theme:

    Increasingly, we are faced with the notion that media
    images are part of a process of globalisation, but to what
    extent are different people, places and political
    viewpoints linked together? Who is being excluded from
    these representations? Are we moving towards a global
    village or simply a global image? This conference offers a
    unique forum for addressing the above questions and
    encouraging discussions examining cultural diversity and
    media between internationally recognised academics,
    filmmakers, institutions, policy makers, and the wider
    community.


    The conference is organized around several streams of
    concurrent sessions comprising of panel presentations
    focusing on:

    Social Inclusion
    Media, Identity and Place
    Representing Development
    Globalisation and Media
    Governments, MNCs and Regulation
    The Politics of Old and New Media
    Learning and Creativity

    In addition, to these sessions, plenary addresses have been
    organized for each main day of the event:

    Keynote Speakers:

    bell hooks
    Renowned author on gender, race and cultural politics, with
    extensive writings including, Yearning: Race, Gender, and
    Cultural Politics (1990), Black Looks: Race and
    Representation (1992), Killing Rage: Ending Racism (1995),
    and All About Love: New Visions (2000).

    Sorious Samura
    Acclaimed documentary filmmaker whose intense and evocative
    work has drawn attention to conflict in, and media
    representations of, various regions of Africa. Samura has
    won many international awards-including a recent BAFTA-for
    his unflinching coverage of controversial and often
    harrowing scenes, e.g., Cry Freetown (2000), Exodus (2000),
    and Walking on Ashes (2000).

    Mandla Langa
    Thought-provoking novelist and policy maker, whose work
    towards creating a more inclusive and representative media
    in South Africa and beyond have earned him the respect of
    many in a variety of arts and government fields. He has
    received many awards for his novels and is Chair of the
    Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
    (ICASA).

    Online registration and Updated Conference Information can
    also be found at:      http://www.bfi.org.uk/globalimage.