2016-2017 Tucker-Boatwright Festival
The 2016-2017 Tucker-Boatwright Festival of Literature and the Arts, presented by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, delves into the cultural impact of cinema and its creators.
Change is Possible and Necessary: New Perspectives on Wim Wenders as Filmmaker and Visual Critic
An International Conference on Wim Wenders
Feb. 24–25, 2017
Wim Wenders came to international prominence as one of the pioneers of the New German Cinema in the 1970’s and is considered to be one of the most important figures in contemporary German film. In addition to his many prize-winning feature films, his work as a scriptwriter, director, producer, photographer and author also encompasses an abundance of innovative documentary films, international photo exhibitions and numerous monographs, film books, and prose collections.
Critical acclaim and regular reviews in the mainstream and specialized presses have not translated into a heightened presence of Wenders’ contributions to cinema in the fields of film studies and German studies, or in more interdisciplinary conversations about visual culture. This conference aims at filling that gap and at bringing new intellectual energy to the scholarship on Wenders’ body of work. Scholars will gather from around the world to discuss all things Wenders and take stock of his major contributions to the visual arts.
Conference Program
Friday, February 24
Introduction
Olivier Delers, Associate Professor of French and Martin Sulzer-Reichel, Director of the Arabic Language Program, University of Richmond
Session 1
Chair: Kathleen Roberts Skerrett, University Professor, University of Richmond
1. Peter Beicken, Professor of German, University of Maryland, “Pina, A Cinematic Homage”
2. Laura Schmidt, Director of the Wim Wenders Foundation, “Liquid Space: Medial Processes of Transformation in the Work of Wim Wenders”
3. Darrell Varga, Associate Professor of Film Studies and Chair, Division of Art History and Contemporary Culture, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, “Wenders—Salgado: Space, Time and Transformation in Salt of the Earth”
Session 2
Chair: Tom Bonfiglio, Professor of Comparative Literature and Linguistics, University of Richmond
1. Simone Malaguti, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, “With Wim Wenders Around the Globe: Wenders’s works for Literature and Foreigner Languages Studies”
2. Bill Baker, PhD Candidate in German, The Ohio State University, “Blandness and Just Seeing in the Films of Wim Wenders”
3. George Kouvaros, Professor of Film, University of New South Wales, “As If It Were For The Last Time”
Keynote – open to community
Mary Zournazi, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, “The Peace Project - Reflections on Art, Cinema and Perception”
Session 3
Chair: Kathrin Bower, Associate Professor of German Studies, University of Richmond
1. Mine Eren, Associate Professor of German, Randolph Macon College, “Dreaming Beyond Established Barriers and Borders: The European Project in Wim Wenders’s Wings of Desire”
2. Tim Holtorf, Manager of Wenders Music, “Distant Subjectivity and Uncertain Journeys: Men Moving through Sound Landscapes”
Session 4
Chair: Caroline Weist, Assistant Professor of German, University of Richmond
1. Joseph Flicek, Director of the Melinda Camber Porter Archive of Creative Works, “Newly published book, Melinda Camber Porter In Conversation With Wim Wenders on the set of Paris Texas”
2. Marcel Wehn, Freelance filmmaker, “Land of Plenty and the Search for Truth – Wim Wenders’ Changing Picture of America”
3. Eriko Noguchi, Independent scholar, “Discussion of Modern People’s Eyes and Wenders Through Perspective of ‘The Stranger’”
Saturday, February 25
Film Screenings in 3D – open to community
Everything Will Be Fine and Pina
Videoconference Conversation with Wim Wenders – open to community
Moderators: Olivier Delers and Martin Sulzer-Reichel, University of Richmond
Session 5
Chair: Joe Troncale, Associate Professor of Russian, University of Richmond
1. Oliver Speck, Associate Professor of German and Film Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, “Search for the Sublime: The Road Trilogy”
2. Kristin Eichhorn, Assistant Professor of German Literature, University of Paderborn, “Seeking German Identity in the Light of the Past. The Symbolic Dimension of Falsche Bewegung”
3. Philipp Scheid, Research Assistant, Department of Art History, Rhenische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, “The Window-View and the Romantic Tradition in Early Films of Wim Wenders”
Conclusion
Moderator: Peter Lurie, Associate Professor of English and Film Studies, University of Richmond
Additional Events
Film Screening: Ludwigsburg Sinfonie
Presented by director Marcel Wehn
Wed., Feb. 22, 7 p.m.
International Center Commons
French Film: Arts, Science & Technology at Work for Humanity II
A Symposium presented in conjunction with the French Film Festival
March 27-29, 2017
As part of the 30th anniversary celebration of the renowned French Film Festival, a three-day Symposium will convene to discuss the role of arts, science, and technology in creating a moving cinematic experience. Well-known directors, musicians, actors, and scholars will discuss topics including:
Day 1: Citizen Camera at Work for Humanity: Auteur Filmmaking and Visual Sovereignty
10 a.m.–5:15 p.m., Robins School of Business, Ukrop Auditorium
Day 2: Science & Technology: Accompanying and Creating New Visual and Cinematic Experiences
10 a.m.–5 p.m., Robins School of Business, Ukrop Auditorium
Day 3: Interplay of Music on Screenwriting, Cinematography and Film Editing
9 a.m.–5 p.m., Robins School of Business, Ukrop Auditorium
The Symposium is free and open to the public. Wireless headsets will be available to provide simultaneous English/French interpretation to allow all audience members to fully participate in the event. Visit their website for a full schedule of discussions and panelists.
The 25th Annual French Film Festival will follow the Symposium, taking place March 30 – April 2. Learn more about the Festival on their website.