Film at UBC

Congratulations to all of the UBC Theatre and Film alumni nominated for a 2024 Leo Award! The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Various alumni have been nominated for Best Motion Picture, Best Screenwriting and Best Cinematography amongst others. Read the full list here. Best of luck to all the nominees! 🎬🎉

2024 Leo Awards: UBC Theatre and Film Alumni Front and Centre - Department of Theatre & Film Congratulations to all the UBC Theatre and Film alumni nominated for a 2024 Leo Award!

🌟 Ever wondered why some people achieve global stardom and how they shape societal norms? From Marilyn Monroe's timeless allure to Beyoncé's groundbreaking artistry, explore how these icons entertain us and influence our culture in THFL 226: Celebrity Studies with Associate Professor Mila Zuo. Register for 2024W!

More at https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/news/five-iconic-celebrities-youll-learn-about-in-thfl-226-celebrity-studies/

Want to learn more about the people behind our theatre and film program? This read features the first in our series of interviews that showcase the passionate and talented humans who run, teach and study in our department! 😀

Say hello to scenic design specialist Associate Professor Patrick Rizzotti. Uncover why he got into teaching, what to expect from his classes, his favourite place on campus and sound advice for undergrads and grads alike.

Patrick Rizzotti has 20 years of experience designing for theatre, film and TV projects and a history of practice base research in design for live performance, television, and virtual/augmented/mixed reality. The focus of his work is visual storytelling with a focus on investigating how theatre can be made more immediate, urgent and immersive for an audience. ✏️🎬

Humans of THFL: Patrick Rizzotti - Department of Theatre & Film In our first instalment of Humans of THFL, Associate Professor Patrick Rizzotti talks about the power of rest to replenish the creative well and how design principles extend beyond theatre to all aspects of life.

Tomorrow, Associate Professor Mila Zuo will be screening her award-winning film, "Kin," live on Zoom at the American Studies Association's virtual panel!

"Kin" is a powerful 17-minute short experimental narrative film that delves into Rey Chow's idea that fascism is rooted in sentimental ideals of love. It examines how love can be intertwined with hatred and fear, focusing on a thwarted love triangle in rural Oregon that reveals the intimate connections between personal love and racial hatred. As a work of experimental media, "Kin" tests the boundaries of cinematic sympathy, asking how far we are willing to watch "bad subjects." It engages with cinematic theories of spectatorship including Nathaniel Dorsky's notion of "devotional cinema" as works that engage the viewer's metabolic health.

With accolades like the Oregon Media Arts Fellowship and the George Lindsay Film Festival Vanguard Award, "Kin" has been showcased at numerous prestigious film festivals. Don't miss your chance to see it!

More info: https://american-studies-association.circle.so/c/mini-conference-may-24th/asa-film-screenings

A warm congratulations to our Class of 2024! 🎉 🎓 It's time to celebrate their remarkable achievements as they walk across the stage today! We cannot wait to see what they do next.

✨Learn more about some of them and their work at: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/news/class-of-2024/

Theatre at UBC

Apply by Thursday!

https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/about/job-opportunities/

Read about how art and literature has shaped Associate Professor Mila Zuo's cultural expression, identity, and research below!

Art and literature shape our heritage and identity. Chinese-Canadians Dr. Tara Lee (UBC Journalism), Gu Xiong (UBC Art History, Visual Art and Theory), and Dr. Mila Zuo (Film at UBC) share how these cultural expressions relate to their experiences in our community. Read about their insights highlighting the significance of cross-cultural media: https://www.arts.ubc.ca/news/windows-into-the-east-arts-and-literature-as-cultural-dialogue/

Reminder—we are currently hiring sessional instructors and TAs for several courses for the 2024 W session. More details here: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/about/job-opportunities/

Deadline to apply is May 23.

We're seeking sessional instructors for the 2024/2025 academic year to teach various courses in Cinema Studies and Theatre Studies. Check out the postings and apply online by May 23: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/about/job-opportunities/

Theatre at UBC

DOXA Documentary Film Festival starts this week! Catch a screening of Assistant Professor William Brown's short film "Cake and Death" this Saturday afternoon.

"Movie scenes featuring cake are arranged into a collage that comments on consumption, capitalism and slavery. What begins as a visually splendid tour-de-force of editing swerves into chaos, corruption and excess. A brilliant juxtaposition of the whimsical and the political."

More info: https://doxa2024.eventive.org/films/6604d3f9c999c1027ac57159

Theatre at UBC and Film at UBC are currently hiring part-time Teaching Assistants from among the MA/MFA/Phd students to assist in various courses during the 2024/2025 academic session. More info & application details here: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/job-opportunities/teaching-assistantships-for-2024-2025-academic-session/

"Walsh’s film colours outside the lines of conventional documentary in its faithfulness to higher truths.

'Somehow, it’s loosened up everything for me,' she tells Stir, calling from London, Ontario as she begins work on her next project. 'How to think about making films, how to think about creativity, taking risk, everything.'"

Read the article below from Stir Vancouver and catch Associate Professor Shannon Walsh's latest film "Adrianne and The Castle" at DOXA Documentary Film Festival next weekend!

Adrianne & the Castle opens DOXA with an otherwordly tale of love, grief, and opulence — Stir Filmmaker Shannon Walsh turns her lens on a labyrinthian fantasy world and an all-consuming love that transcends death

PhD candidate Gerrit Krueper‘s research delves into the realm of livestreams, exploring their direct impact on political movements and voting behaviour within the vast online audience. How do livestreaming platforms serve to render politics and intricate economic concepts more accessible to youthful audiences who might otherwise shy away from such topics? Recently, Gerrit engaged in an insightful interview with Sisyphus 55, a Canadian-American YouTuber renowned for his videos on philosophy, empathy, and contemporary thinkers, often complemented by engaging illustrations.

More here: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/news/watch-interview-with-phd-candidate-gerrit-krueper-on-sisyphus-55/

The Revolution Will Not Be Uploaded Practice critical thinking and stay informed on breaking news by subscribing through my link https://ground.news/sisyphus to receive 40% off the Vantage Subs...

Join us for an inspiring talk with Phil Lind Artist in Residence Pegah Tabassinejad. Don’t miss this opportunity to delve into Pegah’s work and gain insights into her creative research, practice, and current projects. The event will be catered.

Free to attend, please RSVP here: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/events/event/artist-in-residence-talk-with-pegah-tabassinejad/

Join us on Wednesday for a free mini film festival to celebrate National Canadian Film Day! Three short films will be screened, created by students in the FIPR 469 class as part of the Rogers Multicultural Film Program. These films explore stories about community and culture through our students’ diverse global perspectives. The course is taught by instructor Alejandro Yoshizawa in support with Pegah Tabassinejad, our 2023/24 Phil Lind Multicultural Artist in Residence.

There will be a reception (with refreshments 🍕☕) following the screening, where a winner will be announced! More info here: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/events/event/mini-student-film-festival-on-national-canadian-film-day-2024/

Last month, along with the UBC Film Society, Cinephile, and the Centre for Cinema Studies, we held the first ever (hopefully annual!) UBC Cinema and Media Studies Undergraduate Conference! This was an opportunity for students to share their work with colleagues, workshop ideas, expand networks, and gather knowledge. 11 undergrad students presented, followed by a keynote presentation by SFU's Yanni Kong on small file films, and a screening of Bruno Dumont's "France".

A huge thank you to Will Riley and Liam Riley for organizing a fruitful and fun event!

📸: by Jonathan Liu

Visual + Material Culture Research Seminar Series - Winter/Spring 2024 - Museum of Anthropology at UBC This interdisciplinary seminar series is for anyone with interests in visual and material culture across different departments at UBC and beyond. The seminar provides an...

Award-winning documentary filmmaker and Associate Professor Shannon Walsh's latest work, "Adrianne & The Castle," delves into the extraordinary lives of Alan and Adrianne St. George, who constructed a medieval-style castle in rural Illinois as a symbol of their love. Following Adrianne's passing, the film captures Alan's journey as he completes the castle and copes with grief through musical re-enactments. Premiering at the SXSW Film & TV Festival last week to rave reviews, Shannon's fruitful past year also includes the publication of her book, "The Documentary Filmmaker’s Intuition: Creating Ethical and Impactful Non-fiction Films". We spoke with Shannon about the premiere of "Adrianne & The Castle" and how the principles and techniques described in her book guided its creation.

Read more: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/news/the-greatest-love-story-youve-never-heard-of-shannon-walshs-adrianne-the-castle-hits-the-big-screen/

Award-winning documentary filmmaker and Associate Professor Shannon Walsh's latest work, "Adrianne & The Castle," delves into the extraordinary lives of Alan and Adrianne St. George, who constructed a medieval-style castle in rural Illinois as a symbol of their love. Following Adrianne's passing, the film captures Alan's journey as he completes the castle and copes with grief through musical re-enactments. Premiering at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival last week to rave reviews, Shannon's fruitful past year also includes the publication of her book, "The Documentary Filmmaker’s Intuition," a guide to ethical and impactful non-fiction filmmaking. We spoke with Shannon about the premiere of "Adrianne and The Castle" and how the principles and techniques described in her book guided its creation. Read more at the link in our bio under "News & Events".

We are looking forward to having renowned scholar and Professor Emerita in UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, Vivian Sobchack visit next month! Don't miss her talk, organized by the Centre for Cinema Studies, "The Dream (Ol)Factory: On Making Cinematic Scents and Sense" on Friday, April 5 in the Great Performers Lounge at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Vivian will be focusing on the extremity of Tom Tykwer’s "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" (2006), considering the “problem” of smell as it relates to cinema.

The talk is free to attend and there is no need to RSVP.

More info: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/events/event/the-talk-dream-olfactory-on-making-cinematic-scents-and-sense-with-vivian-sobchack/

Dr. Mimi Khúc is a leading disability studies scholar whose work is situated at the intersection of care work, art practice, and community making. From March 18-22, she will spend a week in residency at UBC holding workshops for students, staff, faculty, and community members intentionally devised to help us think through our relationship to one another, the structure of the university, and our intellectual and creative work. All events are open to the public.

See the full program here:
https://publichumanities.ubc.ca/events/event/unwellness-and-care-in-the-university/

This residency is hosted by the UBC Centre for European Studies with co-sponsorship by UBC Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies, the UBC Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice, the UBC Public Humanities Hub, and the Waterloo Centre for German Studies Diversity Grant.

“We say it’s the greatest love story you’ve never heard of,” says Walsh, whose previous films include “The Gig Is Up.” “It’s really a story of love and grief and the risk that you take whenever you fall in love. Grief is really the central thread. But it’s also about imagination and our ability to create the worlds that we want to inhabit.”

Shannon Walsh (Associate Professor, Film Production)'s latest documentary is premiering at SXSW this month! Read more about it and watch the gorgeous trailer below.

SXSW Bound Musical Hybrid Documentary ‘Adrianne & The Castle,’ Debuts Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) Shannon Walsh's documentary 'Adrianne & The Castle,' debuting at SXSW, pays homage to the love story between Alan St. George and his late wife

Join the Centre for Cinema Studies on Friday, March 8 for a research talk by Dr. Chelsea Birks, “Transgressive Ecologies: Art and the Environment in Contemporary Cinema”. Chelsea is the Learning and Outreach Director at The Cinematheque in downtown Vancouver and a sessional instructor in Cinema Studies in our department. Her book, "Limit Cinema: Transgression and the Nonhuman in Contemporary Global Film", was published in 2021 as part of Bloomsbury’s “Thinking Cinema” series and received the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) prestigious Best First Book Award. This promises to be a fascinating discussion!

Free to attend and no RSVP needed.

Critical Thinkers Series: Dr. Chelsea Birks - Department of Theatre & Film Presented by the Centre for Cinema Studies and Cinema Thinks the World, the Critical Thinkers Series features research talks by notable and emerging scholars in cinema and media studies. Next up in the series is a talk by Dr. Chelsea Birks, "Transgressive Ecologies: Art and the Environment in Contem...

In New York City this week? Professor Antoine Bourges will be there too as The Metrograph presents a retrospective of his work! The series will feature Bourges' short films and his latest film "Concrete Valley".

More at:

Minding the Gaps: Films by Antoine Bourges - Metrograph Working in the shadowy no man’s land between documentary and fiction filmmaking, Vancouver-based, Paris-born Bourges’s unclassifiable body of work—including his midlength breakout, 2012’s East Hastings Pharmacy, a scripted account of daily goings-on in a methadone clinic made with the partic...

South Asian screen stars: 7 UBC alumni in entertainment In Canadian, Hollywood, or Bollywood productions, these talents light up our screens.

🌟 We're thrilled to welcome Pegah Tabassinejad as this year's Phil Lind Multicultural Artist in Residence for the UBC Rogers Communications Multicultural Film Production Project! Pegah, an interdisciplinary artist, will be working with students in our FIPR 469A class, led by instructor Alejandro Yoshizawa.

Pegah presents her work in the format of intermedial performances, interactive performances, cyberformances, digital performances, multi-channel video installations, and city projects. Her work has been showcased internationally across Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

Learn more about Pegah and her work here: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/news/introducing-pegah-tabassinejad-phil-lind-multicultural-artist-in-residence-for-2023-2024/

Love is a many complicated...ahem...splendored thing. Discover what love means to Arts faculty members and how it is represented in their chosen art forms, featuring insights from our very own Dr. Christine Evans, Assistant Professor of Cinema Studies.

Read more: https://www.arts.ubc.ca/news/defining-love-through-the-lens-of-arts/

Join the Centre for Cinema Studies & this Friday for a talk with PhD candidate Gabrielle Berry on captioning on screen. Free to attend and no need to RSVP.

More info: https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/events/event/critical-thinkers-series-gabrielle-berry/

TRANSIT ALERT: Due to possible strike action, a shutdown of bus and Seabus service across the Metro Vancouver region may begin at 3 a.m. Monday, Jan. 22.
Read more about potential impacts at UBC Vancouver: www.ubc.ca