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> >> > >> Arab Documentaries - Recording Whose 'Reality'? >> >> Organised by the Arab Media Centre, Communication and Media Research >> Institute (CAMRI) >> >> Date: Friday 11 April, 2014 >> >> Venue: University of Westminster, Regent Street Campus, 309 Regent Street, >> London W1 >> >> Call for papers Deadline 16 December >> >> Arab documentary films that have proliferated since the start of the Arab >> uprisings are part of a much longer and wider success story. Demand for >> documentaries increased with the rise of Arab-owned 24-hour news channels. At >> the same time, rapid technological changes enabled young Arab film-makers to >> circumvent censorship barriers, not only by filming more discreetly and >> cheaply but also by distributing their work online. As a result, genre >> boundaries have become blurred. Does mobile phone footage of torture in >> police cells or military action against protestors count as documentary film? >> In 2007, Egyptian bloggers saw the annual Cairo Film Festival as an >> opportunity to run a parallel event featuring videos of torture in police >> cells shot on mobile phones. In 2011 Egyptian activists used outdoor >> screenings to bring documentary evidence of brutality and human rights abuse >> by security forces to public attention and challenge the silence of >> mainstream media. >> >> Whose reality finds expression through documentary film and what kind of >> reality¹ is represented? Does so-called Reality TV qualify as a sub-genre? >> Are Arab documentaries filling a gap where investigative journalism should >> be? Historically, in other regions, documentaries were mainstays of >> television broadcasters seeking to meet requirements for public service >> programming that would educate and inform, especially since easy translation >> of voiced-over narratives makes documentaries relatively easy to trade. In a >> region where the public service ethic is either not yet established or is >> heavily contested, do state broadcasters source documentary films locally or >> abroad? >> >> An increase in Arab funding and training for aspiring documentary makers >> seems to reflect increasing appreciation for local topics and talent. >> Prominent supporting bodies include the Doha Film Institute and the Arab Fund >> for Arts and Culture in Beirut, and prominent venues for documentary >> screenings include film festivals hosted by Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. But >> what became of the Dox Box that started in Syrian cities in 2008, and how has >> the annual Doc ą Tunis event fared in the wake of Tunisia¹s political >> upheavals? Despite some apparently positive changes affecting the filming and >> exhibition of Arab documentaries, questions remain about who exactly is >> commissioning and financing them, especially those that tackle sensitive >> topics. Are new voices really being heard and how far do film-makers still >> have to rely on foreign, mainly European, funding, despite the possible >> implications for decisions on content? Is crowd-funding a realistic >> alternative? >> >> We welcome papers from scholars and film-makers that will engage critically >> with particular aspects of Arab documentaries. Themes may include, but are >> not limited to, the following: >> * Processes and power relations in commissioning, funding and distribution >> * Voices and representation: Who gets to tell which story? >> * Film festivals and their impact on public access to documentary films >> * Film schools and the teaching and learning of documentary making >> * Current debates about documentary ethics and aesthetics >> * Documentary making and political engagement >> * Authorship rights and the law >> * Implications of digital media for the status and circulation of documentary >> films >> * Impact of new media technologies on documentary filming and editing >> * Archiving practices >> Programme and registration >> This one-day conference, taking place on Friday 11 April 2014, will consist >> of plenaries, parallel workshops and selected screenings. The fee for >> registration for all participants, including presenters, will be £99, with a >> concessionary rate of £49 for students, to cover all conference >> documentation, refreshments and administration costs. Registration will open >> in February 2014. >> Deadline for abstracts >> The deadline for abstracts is Monday 16 December 2013. Successful applicants >> will be notified early in January 2014. Abstracts should be 300 words. They >> must be accompanied by the presenter¹s name, affiliation, email and postal >> addresses, together with the title of the paper and a 150-word biographical >> note on the presenter. >> >> Please send all these items together in a single Word file, not as pdf, and >> entitle the file and message with AMC 2014¹ followed by your surname. The >> file should be sent by email to the Events Administrator, Helen Cohen, at >> [log in to unmask] > > > ------ End of Forwarded Message ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------------------- MeCCSA Policy mailing list W: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/meccsa-policy.html Please visit this page to browse list's archives, or to join or leave the list.