Feature Films Research Articles

Dreamers of the Day and the Living Archive of 1990s Lesbian Cinema in Canada

In this article we reflect on our experiences researching and curating a Canadian lesbian feature film, Dreamers of the Day (1990, dirs. Patricia Rivera Spencer and Philip Wood). We explore how a community-driven approach to archival research is necessary for investigating low-budget lesbian films such as this, and in turn, should inform accompanying curatorial practices. When screening lesser-known queer films, the community networks necessary to their creation and then later for their preservation tend to be overlooked in favor of celebrating the accomplishments of an individual director. If curators of queer film focus exclusively on the finished product and exhibit only remarkable films, they risk missing works that speak to queer filmmaking practices and the importance of these histories to queer community-building. To counteract these investments, we instead consider how strategies of collaboration can inform filmmaking, research methods, and curatorial practices, illuminating the relational networks that make queer art possible.

Genre and stylistic features of Ukrainian fiction cinematography of the period of independence

The article is devoted the definition of genre and stylistic features of fiction films produced in Ukraine from 1991 to 2022. Using the analysis of theoretical works on film studies, genre theory, semiology and film history, it is proposed to define the concept of “genre” as a set of repetitive syntactic and semantic structures, the main connections of the genre with the socio-cultural and historical context are outlined. In particular, after analyzing 949 audiovisual projects from the «Base of National Films of Ukraine», which have been created during the period of Independence, it was found that the largest number of produced audiovisual works belongs to the fiction type of cinema. The presence of syntactic and semantic structures of 46 genres has been identified according to the genre and thematic direction of fiction cinematography. It is proved that the most popular genre in production is drama – 25 % of the total number of feature films. This percentage is a significant advantage over the presence of other genres. Analysis of data from the box office of cinema distribution in Ukraine for 2020 has revealed discrepancies between the number of produced films of a certain genre and thematic direction and the preferences of Ukrainian viewers. In this way, the assumption that the predominance of certain genres in the production of Ukrainian audiovisual art reflects the cultural needs of Ukrainians has been refuted. Such a comparison also disproved the claim that the absence of certain genres in the Ukrainian media space testifies to the foreignness of the narrative structure of such films to the cultural characteristics of Ukrainians, because the top five audience preferences include, for example, the horror genre, which is minimally present in Ukrainian production. The results of the study have theoretical and practical significance for film production in Ukraine, and also form a research field for further study of the development of each individual genre present in Ukrainian audiovisual art of the period of Independence.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT ON THE GREAT SILK ROAD (KAZAKHSTAN SECTION)

The Great Silk Road is a historical place for Kazakhstan, promoting mutual understanding and peace between peoples, connecting cultures, developing tourism, trade and business. Therefore, a comprehensive study of the tourism and recreational potential of the sites of the Kazakhstan section of the Great Silk Road, the socio-economic significance of tourism development and tourism attractiveness is very important. The purpose of this study was to determine the socio - economic significance of tourism development in the Kazakhstan section of the Great Silk Road. In the study of tourism and recreational resources of the Great Silk Road, the methods of analysing the theoretical basis, studying statistical data and questionnaires were used comprehensively. As a result, the socio-economic significance of tourism development in Kazakhstan, favourable socio-cultural impact of the Great Silk Road in connection with improving the welfare of the population of the territory, increasing the flow of tourists, income from the tourism industry and improving infrastructure was revealed. The survey showed that 40.9 % of respondents rated the level of satisfaction with transport infrastructure from 5 points to 3 points. 34.1 % of respondents rated the quality of roads as 4 points and 13.6 % as 5 points. It was also found that the most visited tourist sites on the Kazakh part of the Great Silk Road in recent times are the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, Otrar State Archaeological Museum-Reserve, mausoleum of Aisha Bibi and Karakhan. Thus, it was proposed to form an information base of tourist sites of the Kazakhstan part of the Great Silk Road, to attract qualified personnel in the ser vice sector, to popularise tourist sites by improving Internet resources, advertising and shooting feature films.

Crash Course in the Classroom: Exploring How and Why Social Studies Teachers Use YouTube Videos

This article explores how the Crash Course video series are being used as a content-focused resource in the social studies classroom. It argues that the Crash Course series, alongside its YouTube competitors, has significantly stepped in to fill a vacuum left by criticisms and the unpopularity of lectures, textbooks, and feature films. With over 15 million subscribers and accumulated views over 1.9 billion, Crash Course has become an important and ubiquitous force in history and social studies classrooms and represents a new genre of educational media found on YouTube. However, the dramatic rise in the popularity of educational videos online has not coincided with a growth in educational research, particularly in social studies and history education. This article explores the findings of a mixed-methods study that examines how and why history and social studies teachers are using Crash Course videos in their teaching and planning. In particular, it analyses descriptive statistics derived from the results of a teacher survey ( n = 181) and semi-structured interviews with seven social studies teachers who have used Crash Course in their classrooms. The authors found that teachers in the study are regularly using the Crash Course video series to deliver content which is clearly meeting a need many social studies teachers have. The videos–short, easily accessible, and fun–fit nicely with demands to keep students engaged, reduce reliance on textbooks, and explore new content that teachers have little time to learn themselves. This study also found that rarely, if ever, are teachers inviting students to evaluate or assess the content, trustworthiness, or perspective of Crash Course videos. This article discusses what is gained and what are the risks of embracing Crash Course in the social studies and history classroom.

Director’s approaches to representation of social problems in Ukrainian cinema of the independence era

The purpose of the research. The article studies director’s approaches to ways of representation of social problems as an expression of the author’s worldview.
 The main objective of the study is the work of directors with the author’s stylistic ideas in Ukraine cinema during the independence era.
 The methodology. The following scientific research methods are applied in this article: the exploratory method (for gathering information on the chosen topic), the deductive method (for isolating specific stylistic characteristics of films within the broader context of Ukrainian cinema in the independence period), comparative (for highlighting the individual director’s method), and method of generalization (for drawing conclusions).
 The scientific novelty of the study is the identification of the peculiarities of director’s toolkit, which authors use to expand the ways of representation of social problems in feature films of the independent Ukraine for the sake of self-identification of Ukrainian society.
 Conclusions. The analysis of the ways in which social problems are represented in Ukrainian feature films of the independence era has revealed that the main tool used by authors-directors to highlight social issues is a dramatic conflict, on the basis of which the protagonists’ story develops. Most of the time, it is a certain social problem that either becomes a contextual component or is used as a catalyst that motivates the protagonist’s actions. It is the dramatic conflict that motivates the choice of the author’s stylistic solution to the film, which is implemented with certain director’s tools. By highlighting social problems, Ukrainian authors develop a director’s toolkit for the sake of self-identification of Ukrainian society.

Film discourse: the semantic interpretation of film titles

This article discusses the problems of semantic interpretation of the titles of feature films, as films turned into influential means of mass communication in the modern life. Filmonyms as one of the types of small-format texts has become the object of linguistic research. The significance of the film discourse as an audiovisual discourse is determined by the possibilities of its impact on the addressee. Author comprehensively analyzed the works of foreign and Kazakhstani linguists who studied the film discourse from various aspects. The purpose of the article is to identify linguistic and pragmalinguistic interpretation of Kazakhstani film titles. To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set: to consider semantic interpretation of the titles of feature films, to identify aesthetic function of film discourse, to group films into semantic categories, to offer the definition of the concept of “film discourse”. The scientific significance of the research work expands the research scope of film-discourse as a type of institutional discourse. Practical significance is due to the fact that research results can be used as materials for preparing lectures and cases on audiovisual discourse and pragmalinguistic features applied to the names of Kazakhstani films should undoubtedly become the object of further research by linguists.

The Balancing Act of Repurposing Feature Films and TV Series for University Teaching

Contemporary educators have increasingly recognised the diversity of their student population and, hence, have attempted to use multimodal teaching methods for additional student learning benefits. One popular example is repurposing film and TV content for higher education pedagogies. However, integrating these materials into teaching effectively often proves more complex than lecturers might anticipate. This entry investigates the merits and challenges of using FF/TV in teaching to determine the factors that impact development of an effective FF/TV pedagogy for student learning, through an interdisciplinary review of the existing literature, followed by a qualitative survey and semi-structured interviews with lecturers across disciplines at Australian universities. Using visual literacy theory, cognitive load theory, and dual coding theory, data analysis reveals that the pros and cons of integrating film and TV in teaching are in fact interconnected, and the main role of the teacher is to pedagogically balance them. Evidence-based and theory-grounded suggestions for application are detailed throughout the discussions.

Interview: A Childhood Story of Growth and Self‐Discovery: 20,000 Species of Bees

AbstractEstibaliz Urresola Solaguren, born on May 4, 1984, in Llodio, Álava, is a film director, screenwriter, and producer from the Basque Country, Spain. Her works include the documentary “Voces de papel” (2016) and the short film “Cuerdas” (2022). However, it is her first feature film, “20,000 species of bees” (2023), that earned widespread acclaim and won awards at various film festivals. This film delves into the challenges faced by a family with a transgender girl, drawing inspiration from the tragic story of Ekai Lersundi. Urresola's aspiration was to evoke empathy for the struggles of transgender individuals, fueled by the hope for societal change. The film's compelling narrative revolves around 8‐year‐old Cocó's journey of self‐discovery, challenging societal expectations and prompting his mother, Ane, to confront her own doubts and fears during a transformative summer spent with family.

Джаз в советском кино. Опыт ретроспективного анализа

The article is devoted to representation of domestic jazz in the Soviet feature silent and sound cinema in the period from 1926 to 1990. The author notes that jazz was becoming part of the plot of documentaries and feature films since its emergence in the USSR, but the accents in its image changed, and the genre nature of the movies evolved. There was a traceable shift from musical comedy to satirical pamphlet, from lyrical comedy to melodrama. Based on several dozens of examples of films where jazz sounds, the article shows the relationship between the ideological course of the Soviet state, the perception of the jazz performance specifics at different historical milestones, and the nature of its reflection on the screen. Thus, in the 1930s, jazz was synonymous with popular music and had a clear shade of humour and entertainment; in the late 1940s, it symbolized the ideological opponents of the country; and after the Khrushchev Thaw, it was considered an art, a kind of intellectual activity. In addition to the periodization of jazz cinema, the article provides a typology of films about jazz. The author presents a classification based on a set of qualities, such as maximum or minimum correlation of the plot of the film with jazz, participation of jazz musicians in it, and presence of a jazz soundtrack.

Rebels, Revolutionaries, Returnees: Palestinian Women’s Cinema as World Cinema

Abstract Grounded in Patricia White’s theorization of women’s cinema as world cinema, this article discusses select feature, documentary, and short films of two contemporary Palestinian women filmmakers, Najwa Najjar and Annemarie Jacir. Identifying the transformative and emancipatory processes within Palestinian society and the new Palestinian narratives of return as key elements in their films, this article concentrates on their contribution to the aesthetics and politics of Palestinian cinema. White’s theoretical framework allows for the analysis of the feminist and postcolonial concerns of Palestinian women filmmakers, their engagement with the minor form, and the place of their films within global production and distribution contexts. Taking into account the new responsiveness of Palestinian and global audiences, it also allows for the discussion of their increasingly prominent role in Palestinian cinema and their contribution to the struggle of women filmmakers for better conditions within the film industry.

The Cast in the context of Martin Scorsese's directorial style

Full-length and short independent feature films directed by Martin Scorsese are considered as the research material. The object of the study is the main elements of Martin Scorsese's directorial style. Throughout his creative career, the director under study, without fear, operates with numerous artistic techniques that today form the directorial style – broadcasting Christian motifs, cruelty combined with the beauty of the criminal world, eyes as an element of the hero's soul, using a mirror in the context of reflecting the other world of the character, narration through dreams and fantasies, as well as an abundance of editing solutions. The main attention is paid to the cast in the director's filmography, which correlates with the subject of this study. In this article, the author analyzed 33 films of the director that fall under the conditions of the study. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research was the works of domestic and foreign theorists and practitioners of cinematography, as well as film encyclopedias and film textbooks of the academic level. According to the results of the study, the author came to the conclusion that the director is committed to a permanent cast in his films. More than others, Martin Scorsese stars such actors as Robert De Niro, Catherine Scorsese, Charles Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio. The director puts himself at the top of this list. 430 actors took part in all the films studied, who appear in the director's filmography at least twice. In the films The Irishman (2019), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Goodfellas (1990), and Casino (1995) starred the largest number of recurring actors in the director's work. Also, in the course of our research, we found that the director in most of his films prefers to shoot not only himself, but also members of his family.

Disney’s Wagner Aesthetic: Music Drama in Pursuit of the Total Artwork

Aside from Walt Disney’s reputation for renegade avant-gardism, ‘sentimental modernism’ and subliterary Americana, the German composer Richard Wagner’s pursuit of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total artwork) provides a coherent framework for interpreting the ‘music drama’ of the Disney studio’s Depression-era shorts of the 1930s and its feature films of the Golden Age (1937–1942). In citing Wagner and Adorno’s critique of him, the author argues that Disney follows Wagner in three key respects: (1) in his disavowal of the ‘work’ of art and corresponding objectification of Nature; (2) his espousal of technology and its ‘innovation’ as a means of attaining artistic perfection; and (3) his striving for a synaesthesia, or aesthetic unity of the senses, which would ultimately prove unsustainable given the commercial constraints of capitalist modernity.

Repositioning Nordic film culture in Beijing, China: The Wandering in Scandinavia symposium

The Wandering in Scandinavia symposium, held at the UCCA Centre for Contemporary Art in Beijing in December 2023, invited international experts, scholars and young academics to present new research on Nordic/Scandinavian film and television in China. The symposium offered an unprecedented opportunity to discuss the relevance of Nordic cinema in mainland China. While Nordic films are often considered niche products in the Chinese market, in an era of rapid globalization, Chinese scholarship offers a distinctive perspective on how Nordic films connect with and influence audiences and creatives in this vital market. Papers focused on Nordic feature films, including animation, and documentaries, examining these films from diverse perspectives, including auteurist studies, ecological research and historical investigation. The Young Scholars Forum introduced fresh perspectives on topics ranging from queer cinema to war films and new technologies, providing innovative examples of how Nordic cinema travels transnationally.

Smoking in Netflix feature films and youth protection

With the aim of protecting minors, the World Health Organization has recommended classifying films with smoking scenes as unsuitable for children and adolescents. In recent years, films have increasingly been viewed via video streaming services - a trend which has been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic - which poses new challenges for the protection of minors. To examine the frequency of smoking scenes in Netflix feature films and the age recommendations for Netflix productions with smoking scenes. A total of 235 films that were made available for streaming exclusively by the Netflix platform in 2021 and 2022 were content coded in order to find out (1) how high the proportion of smoke-free films was in this film sample, (2) how often smoking scenes occurred in these films and (3) the proportion of films with smoke scenes classified as appropriate for young people in Germany and the USA. All films with an age rating of under 16 were considered suitable for children and young people. Smoking scenes occurred in 113 of 235 analyzed films (48.1%). Of the 113 films with smoking scenes, 57 (50.4%) in Germany and 26 films (23.0%) in the USA were classified as youth films (p<0.001). A total of 3,310 smoking scenes were registered. Of these, 39.4% (n=1,303) were in films with youth ratings in Germany, and in Netflix USA this proportion was 15.8% (n=524). Smoking scenes are a common feature in Netflix movies. Neither in the US nor in Germany does Netflix adhere to the recommendations of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to restrict access by young people to films depicting smoking. However, the protection of minors in the US is better than in Germany, since half of the Netflix films with smoking scenes in Germany were rated as suitable for minors, in the USA less than a quarter.

The Current Discourse of the New Biographism in the Contemporary Cinema

The article is devoted to the actual problems of the biographical genre in cinematography. This genre arose at the very beginning cinematography and developed in the 1920s. However, the first classic examples of it were created in England in the mid-1930s by Alexander Corda (in particular — «Rembrandt»).Soon, the totalitarian regimes of the Soviet Union, Italy and Germany began to actively use it with varying degrees of success. We can see the paradoxical flowerishing genre in the 1950s when it underwent final academisization and codification, but lost touch with real life (despite some successes, par example, the film «Taras Shevchenko» by Ihor Savchenko). The follow years demonstrate a variety of undividual options, both in the works of artists of «poetic cinema» («Dream» by Volodymyr Denysenko) and artists of late modernism («Dante`s Inferno» by Ken Russel, «Portrait of Rembrandt» by Jos Stelling). For the first time, artists of naïve direction (Pirosmani, Chontvari) become heroes of feature films. But the genre really changes already at the turn of the century. It draws attention to artists with disabilities, marginals, representatives of national and sexual minorities. A typical example is Frida Cahlo, a heroine at least three films. Finally, the image of female artist — a dissident (Alla Gorska in «Forbidden» by Roman Brovko) or a simple village woman (Katerina Bilokur in «Mad Woman» by Victor Vasylenko) appears in Ukrainian cinema. And even in the realm classics, the most popular characters remain artists with victim fate: Van Goht, Modigliani, Goya, and again Rembrandt. We have, of course, Taras Shevcenko.

Poetry of Kazakh zhyraus of the khanate period

Relevance. Zhyrau poetry is an important part of Kazakh literature, reflecting the historical and socio-political events of the Kazakh Khanate period from the 15th to 18th centuries. This poetry provides valuable insights into the struggles and aspirations of the Kazakh people during a complex and turbulent period in their history.Purpose. This paper aims to analyze the historical aspects and role of zhyrau poetry in Kazakh literature, examining its thematic content, artistic features, and the influence of zhyraus on the social and political life of the Kazakh Khanate.Methodology. The study reviews existing research on zhyrau poetry, drawing on literary criticism, historical analysis, and close readings of selected poems. It examines the development of zhyrau poetry, the classification of its genres, and the syncretic nature of this art form, which combines elements of improvisation, music, performance, and philosophical reflection.Results. The paper demonstrates that zhyrau poetry was closely tied to the political and social realities of the Kazakh Khanate period. Zhyraus acted as advisors to khans, openly expressing their views and providing guidance on issues of national importance. Their poems reflect themes of land defense, heroism, unity, and the struggles against foreign invasions, particularly the Dzungar and Chinese forces. The study also highlights the role of zhyrau poetry in preserving Kazakh cultural identity and history during a tumultuous era.Conclusions. Zhyrau poetry is a fundamental part of Kazakh literary heritage, reflecting the complex historical and socio-political conditions of the Kazakh Khanate period. By analyzing the thematic, artistic, and chronotopic features of zhyrau poetry, researchers can gain a deeper understanding of the struggles, aspirations, and worldview of the Kazakh people during this pivotal era. Further research and cultural initiatives, such as feature films, are recommended to promote the study and appreciation of this important literary tradition.

A RYÛSUKE HAMAGUCHI MOVIE: ‘WALDEN'

&lt;p&gt;Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (1978) is one of the most important directors of contemporary cinema. He has won many awards with his films at the world's major film festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, and Venice and he received the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2022 with his movie &lt;em&gt;‘Drive My Car’&lt;/em&gt;. Hamaguchi’s &lt;em&gt;‘Walden’&lt;/em&gt; (2022) is one of Hamaguchi's recent movies. &lt;em&gt;‘Walden’&lt;/em&gt; is a co-production of Austria, and Japan, premiered at The Festival Viennale (2022). Within Hamaguchi’s relatively mainstream cinema poetics, the movie &lt;em&gt;‘Walden’&lt;/em&gt; is an experimental work that invites the spectator to a deep contemplation. The film is a 2-minute, almost monochrome record of a water surface with reflections of trees, raindrops, vibration waves, water rings, bird songs, swarming insects, several sounds of nature, a floating leaf, etc. In addition to the sounds of nature, the film includes a female voice excerpt with music from Douglas Sirk's &lt;em&gt;‘All That Heaven Allows’&lt;/em&gt; (1955). Jean Wyman who is the protagonist “Cary Scott” of &lt;em&gt;‘All That Heaven Allows’&lt;/em&gt;, reads some lines from Henry David Thoreau's book Walden (1854). This movie at the same time is a documentary record of a water surface; a free cinematographic adaptation of Henri David Thoreau's autobiographical book &lt;em&gt;‘Walden’&lt;/em&gt;, a deep romantic landscape through continuous and random visual variations occurring on the surface and a crystallization of Hamaguchi’s style. Hamaguchi’s &lt;em&gt;‘Walden’&lt;/em&gt; surface also becomes an interface where Hamaguchi the artist, and the spectator meet temporally to explore the noema of existence, nature, and cinema within a Heideggerian-verse. Besides the 2- minute durée of the film and its surface subject indicates a continuous oscillation between Kronos and Aion in the Deleuzian sense.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/soc/0758/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Black cultural intermediaries: Difference, neoliberalism and the negotiation of Black cultural value

In recent years, the UK screen industries have exhibited a renewed interest in racial difference that can be understood as the outcome of policy interventions into the unequal labour practices within film production and film culture. This has emerged with new modes of Black cultural visibility that have accompanied the increased presence of mainstream, publicly funded feature films. Here, the increasing body of Black filmic practitioners who have now occupied the creative status of writer-director is an outcome of not just the expanded and strategic racial equality agenda within the UK film industry, nor the intrinsic need to extend the representation of Black identities and related themes and characterisations within the screen industrial landscape. In identifying a conjunctural shift in Black cultural politics and the production of Blackness as a cultural value through film as a linear social and political phenomenon that has produced a heightened moment of cultural visibility, this article identifies how the presence of industrial actors as creative practice within Black film production and presentation has inaugurated a glacial but no less significant period of industrial reconfiguration and subsequently, new forms of cultural meaning being ascribed to the cultural image of the Black writer-director. As Black Britishness comes into a greater industrial visibility in the film sector, its entanglements with neoliberalist logics of the marketed individual frame the Black cultural intermediary as the inevitable outcome of Black cultural identity’s continued trajectory into the popular.

General aspects of Dumitru Capoianu's music in the feature film Adventures in the Danube Delta

Romanian film music of the 20th century was a very well-developed field, especially in terms of symphonic music. However, research and musicology studies on this cinematic period are at the beginning, as there is little information on this area. Dumitru Capoianu is among the composers with an already established career in concert music who have also taken the step towards film music. Its adaptability to the script was realized in soundscapes of extended durations or in melodic themes that became a sound exponent of the characters and the action, transposing in them moral valences, particularities of age, tensions and also musical illustrations of the video landscape. All these qualities and the compositional patterns that he and other Romanian composers followed can also be observed in the feature film Adventures in the Danube Delta (1973), part of the particularities of the musical language elements used closely related to the script being presented and analyzed in this article.

&lt;i&gt;The Terror&lt;/i&gt; (1928)

Largely forgotten in the history of cinema is Warner Bros.–Vitaphone’s feature film The Terror (1928). To the extent it is remembered, it is because the film qualifies as the second “all-talkie” feature, Warner Bros.– Vitaphone’s Lights of New York (Bryan Foy, 1928) being the first. The Terror has also rightly been identified as the first talkie to feature a scream, which would become such an important sound in future horror movies. However, the key reason The Terror deserves recognition and further study is because it crucially requires a major revision in our understanding of film history. Beyond any doubt, The Terror was Hollywood’s first talkie to use a background score (“nondiegetic” music), with the term “background” being critical in this context, meaning music heard along with (in back of) audible dialogue.