2006 Film & History Conference
“The Documentary Tradition”
8-12 November 2006
Dolce Conference Center – Dallas, TX
www.filmandhistory.org
Deadline: July 20, 2006

AREA: Nature and the Environment in Film and Television Documentaries

Early filmmakers often traveled the globe to introduce audiences to views of far away places. Niagara Falls and scenes of the Holy Land shared the screen with the dancing Carmencita and boxers Corbett and Fitzsimmons. Later, the filmic exploration of the natural world added support to the argument that movies were educational tools.

Walt Disney brought the natural world into 1950s living rooms. Jacques-Yves Cousteau invented equipment to better film underwater scenes during the 1960s and 70s, and in the 80s, Carl Sagan took his audience into the Cosmos.

The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and PBS continue the tradition of nature film. NASA, too, has a television channel. Moviegoers and television viewers continue to share a fascination for the natural world, as witnessed by the success of The March of the Penguins (2005).

Environmentalist and preservationist groups use the power of film and television to disseminate information, create public awareness, and activate change.

Presentations are invited on individual documentaries, television programming, or on particular directors and cinematographers. A survey of movies analyzing our cultural fascination and identification with nature films and the ways in which nature and the environment are filmed and anthropomorphized would be welcomed.

Panel proposals, for up to four presenters, are also welcome, but each presenter must submit his or her own paper proposal.

Deadline: July 20, 2006

Send a 200-word proposal to:

Deborah Carmichael
Department of English
Oklahoma State University
205 Morrill Hall
Stillwater OK 74078
Email: debcar6569@aol.com
Phone/fax: 405.372.1883

This Area, comprising multiple panels, is a part of the Film and History League’s “The Documentary Tradition” conference for 2006. See the Film & History web site (www.filmandhistory.org) for details about the upcoming meetings and about other areas of scholarship.

Conference Speakers will include guest artists DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus and the plenary scholars will be Betsy McClane and Ray Fielding. In addition to notable guest speakers and presentations by scholars from around the world, film screenings will be offered daily.