Orphan Film Panel at FSAC Conference

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

At the past Film Studies Association of Canada (FSAC) Annual Conference (Carleton University, Ottawa / May 28-31, 2009) we presented a panel titled “Orphan Films: Rethinking and Recovering Canada’s National Cinema”. It dealt with how orphan films might force us to reexamine our ideas of Canadian cinema, and the possibility to redefine the idea of a national cinema to include orphan films. Gerda Cammaer presented a general introduction to orphan films and a quick survey of some issues related to the study of orphan films. Zoe Druick explored the 1960s Vancouver film scene and recounted her search for the many orphans of that era. Joseph Clark introduced the so far unknown amateur films of James Smith that document life in Canada’s North in the 1940s and 1950s. JoAnne Stober told the story of the Dunclaren productions, three short animated sponsored industrial films that were orphaned for a while, and the work of the Library and Archives Canada to save them. The panel was followed by a screening of Canadian Orphan films that included some of the films you can see clips from on this website.

For more info about FSAC, please visit their website at:
www.filmstudies.ca

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Orphan Film Panel at FSAC Conference