Full Text of CFP:
During the last decade, a revitalized film industry in Germany and Austria has put domestic film production back into a more prominent position within the cultural discourse. At the same time, German cinema in particular has received new impulses from revived realist traditions. Corresponding to trends in other European cinemas and as part of a diversified cinematic landscape, a number of film directors have rediscovered the social as a narrative focus and, with their films, respond to and comment on fundamental social changes, on contradictions and dilemmas of modern society.

The conference Cinema and Social Change in Germany and Austria will investigate contemporary cinema’s interaction with modern societal change. We invite proposals for any papers that focus on social change in German-speaking Europe and that address the following questions or issues related to this context:

How does contemporary film mediate societal change and represent or respond to the perceived disintegration of key concepts such as family, marriage, nation, nation-state, community? What are the tensions that dominate these film narratives? What visions for the future development of society are projected? What are the shifts in the representation of identity formation? How does contemporary German and Austrian film contribute to or contradict the ideas and debates on social change circulating in the public discourse? How do changed consumer habits affect the production, distribution, reception and marketing of the filmic product?

Prof. Paul Cooke from the University of Leeds will be the keynote speaker, and we hope to invite a filmmaker to speak as well. A festival of contemporary German-language film will be held in conjunction with the conference.

The conference will take place May 1st-3rd, 2008 at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (located about an hour’s drive southwest of Toronto). The conference website (www.wcgs.ca/filmconference) contains a longer version of this call for papers and will be updated regularly. Proposals (300-500 words) for 30-minute presentations will be assessed on an anonymous basis by an adjudication committee, therefore the author's name should not appear on the proposal itself. Include a separate page giving your name, affiliation, postal address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers, and the title of your presentation. Proposals can be submitted by letter, fax, or e-mail attachment (.rtf or .doc files to filmconf@wcgs.ca), the latter being the preferred method.

Important Information

Expressions of interest: June 15th, 2007 (a short paragraph expressing your interest and possible paper topic would be appreciated by this date to help us in our planning and in applying for grants to support the conference. Please be assured that if you miss this deadline and yet still wish to submit a proposal by the date below, that would be most welcome. Please send expressions of interest to filmconf@wcgs.ca)

Deadline for submission of proposals: September 15th, 2007 (300-500 words, with your name, paper title, and contact information on a page separate from the actual proposal. Preferred submission format is an .rtf or .doc file sent as an e-mail attachment to filmconf@wcgs.ca)

Notification of acceptance: November 1st, 2007

Deadline for accepting invitation to present: February 1st, 2008

Date of conference: May 1st – 3rd, 2008

Conference website: www.wcgs.ca/filmconference

Organizing Committee: Susan Ingram (York University), Gabriele Mueller (York University), Markus Reisenleitner (York University), James M. Skidmore (University of Waterloo)

Contact: filmconf@wcgs.ca