Dafna Lemish
Film Fridays at the Varsity will be back beginning Friday, Sept. 23 at 4:30 p.m. This semester’s line-up includes two features and three programs.
The schedule is as follows:
C&P Fine Arts Event, visiting artist cinematographer and lighting director/designer, Richard Sands.
Visiting Artist: Director of Photography and Lighting Director/Designer - Richard Sands
Presentation: March 31st, Thursday at 7 PM in the Lesar Law Building Auditorium
Professional Lighting Workshop - April 1st, Friday, 9 AM to 11:30 AM in the CP Soundstage Communications Building 1116.
“I always call him ‘the genius of light.’ He puts all of the lighting scenes together…he thinks differently than anyone else I know.
He just responds to light. It’s remarkable.”
- Gregory Crewdson
MCMA Faculty and Graduate Students Present Work at the Society for CInema and Media Studies (SCMS) Conference, New Orleans, March 2011:
Graduate Students:
Faculty Presenters:
Susan Felleman Chaired the panel “Silver Screen Memories: Hollywood Cinema in Contemporary Art” and also presented for this panel “Remembering, Repeating, and Working Through: Three Screen Memories by Wago Kreider”;
Eileen Meehan presented “Beaming Up the Money: National Amusements, Star Trek, and Sumner Redstone”;
Michele Torre presented “Antonina Khanzhonkova, the First Queen of the Russian Screens”;
Deborah Tudor Chaired the panel “Digital Effects on Cinema”.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Based upon the initial success last fall, organizers with the “Film Fridays at the Varsity” film series eagerly anticipate this semester’s offerings.
The series will again focus on two themes -- recent feature films by women directors and avant-garde works.
The first screening, an avant-garde exploration of reflexivity, is at 4:30 p.m., Jan. 28, at the Varsity Center for the Arts, 418 S. Illinois Ave., Carbondale. Admission is free and open to the public.
Susan Felleman, an associate professor of Cinema Studies and Women’s Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, was pleased with the series’ popularity during the five screenings last fall.
Attendance grew with each screening, with a full house and need for additional chairs at the last one of the semester, Felleman said. One of the initial goals was to create an intimate setting for people to view films that had limited openings in larger cities or works rarely screened at all.
“We were very pleased,” she said. “It was really clear there was a mix of students, faculty, staff and the community at all of the screenings.
“You felt there was a cohort of people interested in the arts and independent cinema,” said Felleman, noting the atmosphere provided a different feeling than attending a film in a theater chain or even an event on campus.
“It drew people who are really interested in film from the community and the University, it’s in town, and it’s a lovely old theater,” she said.
The screenings all begin at 4:30 p.m. with an introduction by curators, followed by casual open discussion after the films.
The three feature films that Felleman will present this fall are “35 Shots of Rum,” a 2008 film directed by Claire Denis; “The Betrayal -- Nerakhoon,” a 2008 film directed by Ellen Kuras that was a 2009 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature; and the critically acclaimed 2010 film, “Tiny Furniture,” directed, written by and starring Lena Dunham.
Derek Smith, a second-year graduate student in the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts’ Masters of Fine Arts program, is again curating the series of avant-garde and experimental films with Deron Williams, another second-year MFA student. Those films will focus on reflexivity, self and consciousness.
Those screenings will last between 70 and 90 minutes, Smith said. Films from Owen Land, Michael Snow, Bruce Conner, Phil Solomon, Barbara Hammer, Paul Sharits, Bill Viola, and J. Leighton Pierce are among the featured works.
The films will offer audiences more introspection, Smith said. The variety is also a “really good introduction” to those interested in avant-garde cinema, he said.
“We had a great turnout,” Smith said. “A lot of people came to every screening … and we got more and more people every time.”
Additional information on the films and the schedule will be on the Cinema and Photography department website, http://cp.siu.edu/.
“It used to be the case that most of these films simply could not be seen except in very specialized venues or in University classes,” Felleman said. “Some of them are becoming increasingly available on the Web, happily, but that is a totally different experience than seeing them projected on a screen -- which is the way many of the films we are showing were meant to be seen.”
The spring 2011 “Film Fridays at the Varsity” schedule is:
Contact Felleman at 618/453-1485 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.
Please encourage students to check out the MCMA Spring 2011 Class Preview Day this Friday. It is a great opportunity for a "sneak peek" at what is being offered. Any help you can give in getting the word out would be appreciated.
Want the chance to check out a Spring 2011 course ahead of time? Take advantage of the College's Spring 2011 Class Preview Day this Friday, October 29th in the COMM Building.
The following classes are being showcased. Each participant will be given a ticket upon the conclusion of any session which may be turned in for pizza at 12:30. Program brochures will be available in COMM 1032 the day of the event.
This is a FREE program.
Session I 11:00-11:20
MCMA 396/JRNL 419 Publishing on the WWW/Online Journalism Stoner COMM 1205
RT 489 003/MCMA 497 001 Gender, Militarization and Media Brooten COMM 1032
JRNL 337 Video/Online Journalism
Session II 11:30-11:50
RT 357 Media Promotion Wall RT Conf., Room
CP 260 Understanding Visual Media Felleman COMM 1122
MCMA 563 Globalization, Culture and Media Brooten COMM 1032
JRNL 410 Multimedia Project: Reports Recktenwald COMM 1205
Session III 12:00-12:20
JRNL 435 Advanced Graphic Communication Veenstra COMM 1205
RT 489 001/MCMA 555 002 Media in the Lives of Childhood and Adolescents Lemish COMM 1032
RT 305
CP 452
Lunch 12:30-12:55
Session IV 1:00- 1:20
RT 461/digital graphics classes Multimedia Production
CP 102
Session V 1:30- 1:50
RT 489 002 Blaxploitation Films of the 1970's Lawrence COMM 1046
CP 470D Generative Art Spahr COMM 1122
MCMA 555 004 Policy Reporting and Research Freivogel COMM 1032
Questions? Contact Deborah Tudor at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
As published in the Southern Illinoisan
Young women made event a success
To the Editor:
Recently, a truly amazing group of young women participated in a unique experience on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Faculty from the Departments of Cinema-Photography and Radio-Television and the School of Journalism volunteered their time, energy and considerable talents to offer girls from all over the state of Illinois (and Detroit, Mich.) the opportunity to be part of the very first Girls Make Movies Camp.
The College of Mass Communication and Media Arts would like to thank everyone involved, especially SIUC faculty members, Angela Aguayo, Susan Felleman, Sarah Lewison, Anita Stoner, Jan Thompson, Michele Torre and Deborah Tudor; SIUC alumnus and Hollywood producer, Liz Ralston; graduate students, Dasha Bondareva, Victoria Carter and Dan Elgin; Cinema major, Danielle Williamson; WSIU Broadcasting Service; and the many SIUC staff members who went above and beyond their normal duties to assist in this effort.
We are especially appreciative of Dennis Lyle and the Illinois Broadcasters Association for providing the grant funds that enabled us to offer this experience at very low cost to campers, and to the folks at Flyaway Farm and Dayshift Boutique who permitted the girls to interview and film them. Finally, we give our thanks to the campers for giving this experience their all and for learning more not only about the moving image, but about themselves.
Clare Mitchell
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
College of Mass Communication and Media Arts
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Film Fridays at the Varsity -- Argentine-born filmmaker Lucrecia Martel's 2008 film, "The Headless Woman," is among the films featured this fall by Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Department of Cinema and Photography. "Film Fridays at the Varsity" will give the community a chance to see recent films by women directors and avant-garde works. The free film series, which starts Sept. 10, is also sponsored by the Varsity Center for the Arts and Film Alternatives, a registered student organization at SIUC. The films will be shown at the Varsity Center for the Arts, 418 S. Illinois Ave., Carbondale.
CARBONDALE, IL -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale is launching a new film series, in conjunction with the Varsity Center for the Arts.
"Film Fridays at the Varsity" series begins next month and will focus on two themes -- recent works by women directors and avant-garde works. The film series will give the community a chance to see the types of films that do not make their way to movie theaters in Southern Illinois, said Susan Felleman, an associate professor of Cinema Studies and Women's Studies. Many of the films in the women directors' series had limited openings, such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The avant-garde works, including many classics, are rarely screened at all.
Organizers are planning 11 screenings during the 2010-2011 academic year, including five screenings during the fall semester.
The Varsity Center for the Arts, 418 S. Illinois Ave., Carbondale, is hosting the screenings. SIUC's Department of Cinema and Photography and Film Alternatives, a registered student organization, also sponsor the screenings.
The screenings begin Friday, Sept. 10, with "The Beaches of Agns." Admission is free, and open to the public. The screenings are at 4 p.m., with an introduction by curators, followed by casual open discussion after the films.
"The thought is to enhance the film culture at the University and in the region," said Felleman, who will curate the "Recent Films Directed by Women" portion of the series. There is limited access in the region for independent films, and the centrally located Varsity Center for the Arts is a wonderful facility to showcase the films, she said.
The three features that Felleman will present this fall are "The Beaches of Agnes," directed by Agnes Varda; "The Headless Woman," directed by Lucrecia Martel; and "The Order of Myths," directed by Margaret Brown.
In addition, two second-year graduate students in the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts' Master of Fine Arts program will curate a series of avant-garde and experimental films. The films to be seen this fall focus on using materiality and place within films, said Deron Williams, who will curate those screenings with Derek Smith, another MFA student.
Each of those two screening events will feature several films that range in length from a few minutes to 35 to 40 minutes, Williams said. The works are from post-World War II to the present, he said. Among the film and video artists whose work will be seen are: Owen Land, Anthony McCall, Paul Sharits, Bill Viola, Marie Menken, Carolee Schneeman, and Ernie Gehr.
Additional information on the films and the schedule will be on the Cinema & Photography department website, http://cp.siu.edu/.
Highlighting the works of female filmmakers and the opportunities available to women is important, said Felleman. The college hosted its first "Girls Make Movies" weeklong residential camp in July, offering hands-on experience with filmmaking to high school aged girls.
Felleman notes the cinema and photography department is very strong in terms of women faculty and would like to recruit more female students.
"This is part of my ongoing effort to showcase the possibilities for women filmmakers," she said. "The six films that will be shown in the recent films directed by women series are all feature films and include a range of documentaries and fiction films. The one thing that unites them is that they are very, very strong films by women."
The fall "Film Fridays at the Varsity" schedule is:
Contact Felleman at 618/453-1485 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.
Source: http://news.siuc.edu/news/August10/082410par10116.html
The College's first William A. Minor Research Grant was awarded to Dr. Susan Felleman, of Cinema and Photography. Dr. Felleman's proposal, "Real Objects in Unreal Situations" received a $3,000.00 award. Please join the College in congratulating her on this achievement!
This grant is made possible by an endowment from the estate of William A. Minor.
Screening: Before the Rain (1994)
Tuesday, April 27, 6:30 PM
Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium
Screening: Shadows (2007)
Wed, April 28, 7:30 PM
Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium
For information on a workshop the artist will conduct for student filmmakers and actors, contact the Department of Cinema and Photography (618) 453-2365 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Supported by the SIUC Student Fine Arts Activity Fee and Film Alternatives.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Award-winning film director, writer and Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate Milcho Manchevski will return to campus next week to screen two of his critically acclaimed films and talk with students.
The College of Mass Communication and Media Arts' Department of Cinema and Photography is hosting Manchevski as part of its visiting artist series.
Manchevski will screen two of his films, "Before the Rain," and "Shadows," in addition to visiting classrooms and conducting a workshop, said Susan Felleman, an associate professor in cinema studies and women's studies.
The screening of Manchevski's Academy Award-nominated first feature film, "Before the Rain," produced in 1994, is at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 27, in Morris Library's John C. Guyon Auditorium. The film was a 1995 Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, and was on the New York Times' list of the best 1,000 films ever made.
The screening of Manchevski's 2007 film, "Shadows," will be at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 28, also in Guyon Auditorium. The drama was Macedonia's entry in the foreign-language category for the 2008 Academy Awards.
The screenings are free. Both films do have adult themes, Felleman said.
"I'm excited about his visit because he's the kind of writer-director who is extremely knowledgeable about film history and has taken in a lot of really diverse ideas about film art," Felleman said. "You can see the way his knowledge of film history, history, and theoretical and philosophical ideas infuses his work, which is both very artistic and fun."
Manchevski is coming to SIUC from his hometown in Skopje, Macedonia. It was when Manchevski was 19 years old that he heard the late Richard Blumenberg, an SIUC film professor, present a lecture in Manchevski's hometown in the former Yugoslavia. Blumenberg helped Manchevski, who was already involved in film, win a scholarship, and also after arriving in Carbondale.
Manchevski earned a bachelor's degree in cinema and photography in May 1983. He returned to campus in April 2005 for showing of his films.
In addition to his feature work, which also includes the 2001 film, "Dust," Manchevski has also written and directed more than 50 short forms, including experimental films, documentaries, commercials and music videos. He earned an MTV Award for the 1992 music video, "Tennessee" by Arrested Development, an effort that Rolling Stone in 1994 labeled one of the 100 best videos ever. He is currently working on another feature film, "Mothers."
Manchevski "is one of our most accomplished alumni" in cinema and photography, Felleman said, noting the list also includes 1994 Academy Award nominee Steve James and filmmaker Joe Swanberg. "And as with these other two he stands for one of our ideals in the program which is producing independent artists.
"As someone who teaches film theory to future filmmakers I think the example of someone who can bring intelligence and knowledge to the art of filmmaking is fantastic," she said.
The SIUC Student Fine Arts Activity Fee makes the Department of Cinema and Photography Visiting Artist Series possible. Film Alternatives is also supporting the series.
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The works of a Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate and filmmaker are gaining notoriety through separate articles in the New York Times' Arts Section recently.
Joe Swanberg, a May 2003 graduate in Cinema & Photography, is noted in an Aug. 19 piece, "A Generation Finds Its Mumble," discussing a new generation of American independent films. There is also a film review of the Chicago writer-director-editor's latest project, "Hannah Takes the Stairs," on Aug. 22.
The 83-minute film opened Aug. 23 in Greenwich Village's IFC Center, and is set for release in Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and a few other cities over the next few months, Swanberg said. The film is also available through Video on Demand. His first film, "Kissing on the Mouth," is available on DVD. On Aug. 28, another of Swanberg's works, "LOL," was released on DVD.
He is currently editing a new feature film, "Nights and Weekends," about a long-distance relationship.
Swanberg explains that 'Mumblecore' is a name the media adopted to "categorize a group of young American filmmakers telling small naturalistic stories about people our age."
"There is a Do-It-Yourself attitude toward filmmaking, and many of us have collaborated on each other's projects and helped out in various ways," he said. "I would describe it more as a community or social network of friends than a movement."
Swanberg credits SIUC and the Department of Cinema & Photography for instilling in him the drive to be independent and artful. The department is in the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts.
"The film program at SIUC was very influential for me," he said. "It exposed me to experimental and documentary films that most film schools bypass, and it taught me to be a self-reliant and independent filmmaker. I was always encouraged to be an artist and to express my vision, instead of focusing on the business aspect of filmmaking."
Swanberg's success is "very gratifying to the faculty and staff here," said Deborah Tudor, associate professor and chair of Cinema & Photography.
"He is emerging as a central figure in U.S. independent films Ö" she said.
Faculty recall Swanberg's "great documentary work," while a student, she said.
"He demonstrated observational skills that helped him create films like 'Hannah,' with its emphasis on the accretion of small events that make up everyday life. He was a heavily involved with the Big Muddy Film Festival while here as well, and we hope to invite him back for the festival soon."
Even though Swanberg was a student in only one of her classes - Film Production I - Lilly A. Boruszkowski, an associate professor in Cinema & Photography, distinctly recalls his work as a student. She estimates she has viewed probably 3,000 super-8 films in teaching the class many times over a 25-year period.
Boruszkowski said she refers to Swanberg's film in discussions with current students, and is not surprised at his success.
"His film was highly impressive in its maturity, thoughtfulness, courage and creativity," she said. "He braved making a film about a young woman and her unplanned pregnancy. It's unusual for a man that young to be able to sensitively and responsibly work with such material."
Boruszkowski said she could see "from that start that Joe stood out among the other students in his class, and could see his talent and potential for success."
"I'm very happy for him and look forward to having him coming back to meet with our current students and teach them about the independent filmmaking hurdles he is successfully negotiating," she said. "I think he's a real inspiration to others, and I'm am very proud that he is a graduate of our program."
"It's very exciting that Joe has accomplished so much and generated so much buzz already," said Susan Felleman, an associate professor in the department. She recalls him being a "very active, energetic filmmaker ó often around the equipment room."
SIU Foundation