107-409 Indigenous Film, Television & New Media

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth-year honours in cinema studies, see Honours entry.

This subject examines Indigenous film, television, photography and new media from the three distinct but interrelated perspectives of aesthetics/theory, pragmatics, and history. Aesthetic responses to the conventions of different forms of screen culture and photography will be considered in relation to an engagement with current theoretical frameworks drawn from psychoanalytic, post-colonial, post-structural and queer theories. This aspect of the course is designed to generate new critical responses to the material studied. The pragmatic perspective focuses on the realities of filmmaking and television production, which are explored through an examination of funding, access and policy issues. How are indigenous film, television and new media fostered? What techniques and devices are employed in their promotion and distribution? How do the changing ideologies of arts industries reflect notions of Indigeneity? Finally, the historical perspective will provide a background on which to base the aforementioned analyses. Each week will cover a different aspect of the history of Indigenous involvement in film, television and new media, beginning with photography.

• be skilled in research;

• possess advanced skills of critical thinking and analysis;

• possess an ability to communicate knowledge intelligibly, economically and effectively;

• have an understanding of social, ethical and cultural context.

Written work totalling 5000 words.

A subject reader will be available.