2006 Film & History Conference—“The Documentary Tradition”
8-12 November 2006 at the Dolce Conference Center – Dallas, TX
(www.filmandhistory.org)

FINAL DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 15, 2006.

For those of you have seen and considered this call, this is the final opportunity to join our many panelists who understand the importance of representing the vanishing or threatened natural world and who study environmental issues as expressed in documentary film.

We have lost Steve Irwin, who inspired so many through his television presentations to consider the importance of both the animal kingdom and the environment that nurtures us all. Perhaps there are some who would like to discuss his contributions to a popular understanding of the environment through the documentary films he produced.

We also welcome presentations or a round table discussion on An Inconvenient Truth and are surprised that there has been so little response to calls on that film.

The earlier postings have netted multiple panelists who will analyze Grizzly Man and the March of the Penguins. Other international panelists offer insight into the treatment of nature and the environment in a global community. Yet others will examine the historical treatment of nature and the environment in early cinema. This is an area with multidisciplinary perspectives, providing us all with new ways to approach documentary film studies in the classroom that focus upon nature and the environment. These panels offer a learning opportunity for all of us that we can translate into a richer experience for our students.

The original CFP is posted here to suggest topics (these are only suggestions).

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. Later, the filmic exploration of the natural world added support to the argument that movies (and television) 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 financial 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. We would welcome panelists or a round-table group who could discuss An Inconvenient Truth.

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.

Send a 200-word proposal to: