IU hosts first major film conference

The IU Department of Communication and Culture will be hosting a major film conference this weekend. The inaugural Film Indiana conference will showcase IU’s film archives and cinema-related collections. \n“This is the first time we have hosted a multi-day conference and it’s also the first time that it will use IU’s archives,” said Gregory Waller, IU professor and chair of the Department of Communication and Culture. \nMost prominent among the films in the conference will be taken from the Bradley Film Collection, the Kinsey Institute and a collection of educational and i\nnstructional films. \nFilm Indiana will combine screenings of films from IU archives, lectures by scholars, research presentations and workshops. \n“The primary point of this conference is to showcase all the films this university has to offer,” said Jason Sperb of Film Indiana. “It’s very distinct in the U.S., especially in the Midwest, to have this tremendous and rare film archive in various libraries throughout the IU campus.” \nThe speakers will be Tom Gunning, an author and professor at the University of Chicago, and Haidee Wasson, author and director of the graduate film studies program at Concordia University.\n“The conference should prove to be a valuable resource for faculty and graduate students both at Indiana University and across the region and the nation, a way to celebrate the vitality of film studies and to encourage the next generation of scholars as the movies move into their second century,” Waller said. \nThe conference will showcase “Historical Erotica from the Kinsey Institute Archives” from 8-10 p.m. Friday in the Fine Arts Auditorium. The conference will continue through the weekend, showing rare films currently not in distribution. There will also be discussions about film topics such as Shirley Temple, Weimar Police films and early Walt Disney movies. \nAll screenings are free and open to students and the public. However, to participate in the conference, registration is required and costs $75 for faculty and $50 for students. This includes participation in all sessions, conference materials, an opening reception, all film screenings, continental breakfasts and refreshment breaks, according to a \npress release. \nTo register, contact the conference registrar at iuconfs@indiana.edu or call \n800-933-9330. \n“Even if you aren’t a communication and culture major this will be a very interesting conference to attend. We’ll be showcasing some provocative, entertaining, and sometimes weird films that you would rarely get to see anywhere else,” Sperb said.