Contemporary Middle Eastern cinema reflects the social, political and cultural challenges in the region, while revealing the revolutionary spirit of its filmmakers and their filmic language. This course will define dominant themes such as: territory, cultural identity, modernism, religion, gender, internal conflict and socio-political violence, within both historical and present political contexts. Filmmakers, among others will include: Chahine, Saab, Panahi, Gitai, Folman, Doueiri, Khleifi, Abu-Assad, Güney, and Ceylan, dealing with the challenges of Egypt, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, and Turkey. Basic film analysis terms and cultural theories will be covered in order to study and articulate the form as well as content of these films. While addressing the larger question of the relationship between aesthetics and politics, this course will encourage an analysis of film as a participant in social and political change.
Diana GONZALEZ
Séminaire
English
Autumn 2021-2022
10% - Participation in class discussions (to be organized according to the online course)
30% - Film viewing notes (one typed page, to be handed in by email each week)
20% - Oral presentation (to be done in groups of 3) – according to the online structure, this may be “group projects” in another format
40% - Final research paper (10-12 pages)
+ One written quiz on filmic language terms for extra credit (if noted above 17, 0/20)
David Bordwell and Kristen Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction, 9th ed., McGraw Hill Co.,2010
Violence in the Middle East: From Political Struggle to Self-Sacrifice. Princeton: Marcus Wiener Publishers,2004 160-161); Raz Yosef, The Politics of Loss and Trauma in Contemporary Israeli Cinema. NY., London: Routledge, 2011, 2014.