Africa Film WebMeeting


Message from: Tanya_Serdiuk@westlb.com
About: Re: RDR:Re: need information on universities that offer fill

Thu, 31 Dec 1998 14:12:38 -0500

  • Next message: ofs@olywa.net: "Sankofa"
    I'll weigh in here with my contribution -- to finish the question "I'm
    interested in film..." one needs to know in *what* aspect of this vast
    discipline is the student interested. Screenwriting? Production? Theory?
    History? the "business"? Acting? Directing? The "best" school (if there is
    such a thing) would really be dependent on the area of interest.
    Furthermore, the answer to "best" might be quite a surprise - and might
    not be a school.

    You might want to check in a standard resource like Petersen's Guide
    (breaks out schools by program and terminal degree; the MLA (Modern
    Language Association) Membership directory to check with which schools the
    film intellectual heavyweights are affiliated; biographies of the people
    who are already in the position you want be in, etc.

    In response to Ray's recommendation -- NYU has in fact some of the best
    scholars in film theory (with emphasis on diasporan cinema) but it is not
    necessarily the best school for anyone wanting a solid grounding in both
    film history and theory. (and please Ray, don't ever put Manthia Diawara
    and Clyde Taylor in the same sentence again) .

    Unless the original inquiry was looking for production/directing/acting
    schools, my recommendation would be to find a school that has a strong
    program in whichever of the disciplines is the foundation of the interest
    in film (comparative literature, cultural studies, anthropology, history,
    etc) and take as many courses in non-technical film that are offered.
    (Unfortunately, film programs of the BFA variety are still a little thin on
    the academic side, and still tend to treat film as if it exists in a
    cultural and artistic vacuum).

    Trust me, films from African or from diasporan filmmakers are shown
    infrequently, are rarely given a course of thier own, and are all too
    frequently taught by folks who don't know from the cultures of the films.
    In that respect, NYU is at the top, but still not necessarily the best.

    ---
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