1916, Cinema and Revolution International Conference

Wed, 25 May 2016 00:00:00 IST - Fri, 27 May 2016 23:59:00 IST

At Huston School of Film & Digital Media

Organised by Huston Main room

How have the 1916 Rising and other revolutions – from France, to Greece, Romania, Russia and Cuba – being depicted in cinema? What impact did the Rising have on early Irish cinema? What role did women play in the emergence of this cinema? These are some of the questions to be examined as part of a major international conference on 1916, Cinema and Revolution to be held from 25-27 May at NUI Galway. The conference is part of NUI Galway’s programme of events to commemorate the 1916 Rising and will he hosted by NUI Galway’s Huston School of Film and Digital Media. 1916 marked the establishment of Ireland’s first indigenous film company, The Film Company of Ireland, whose co-founder James Mark Sullivan was arrested after the Rising and charged with complicity. Events in that year and subsequently have featured in a range of cinematic and televisual productions while there is also a significant international dimension to the relationship between revolutionary history and cinema. This conference will consider aspects of the representation of the Rising, as well as other revolutionary moments in Irish and world history. Plenary speakers will include leading experts on revolutionary and Irish cinema including: acclaimed filmmaker and academic Professor Michael Chanan, University of Roehampton; seminal film scholar Professor Charles Barr, Emeritus Professor, University of East Anglia; leading authority on early Irish cinema Dr Denis Condon, Maynooth University; and prominent contributors to Irish film, theatre studies, and visual culture such as Dr Díóg O Connell, Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology; Professor Adrian Frazier, Emeritus Professor, NUI Galway; and Dr Catherine Morris, University of Liverpool. In addition to the presentations, the conference will also feature screenings of relevant films from the revolutionary period in Ireland, including John Ford's adaptation of O’Casey’s classic play, The Plough and the Stars, as well as a special screening of the documentary 1916: The Irish Rebellion, which will be followed by an interview with the film’s writer and producer, Professor Bríona Nic Dhiarmada. The conference will also include a screening of the major production of the Film Company of Ireland, Knocknagow (1918) which will be accompanied by a specially arranged accompaniment by Irish pianist Morgan Cooke. The conference will close with a screening of Michael Chanan’s The American Who Electrified Russia (2009), a film concerning the extraordinary story of Solomon Trone (1872-1969), the communist revolutionary who became a director for General Electric (first in Russia, then the USA). Conference co-director and Lecturer with NUI Galway’s Huston School for Film and Digital Media, Dr Seán Crosson said: “We are delighted with the response to our call for papers on the topic of 1916, Cinema and Revolution. The 1916 Rising coincided with a vibrant period of film production in Ireland and it is important for us to reflect on this legacy and indeed the impact of the Rising on film subsequently. This is the only conference in Ireland this year dedicated to the topic of 1916 and cinema and it provides a unique opportunity to consider not just depictions of the Rising but also on how this moment connects with depictions of other revolutionary moments internationally, including in the US, France, Russia and Latin America.” A full programme of events during the conference is available online at http://www.conference.ie/Conferences/menu.asp?menu=2080&Conference=463. Attendance at the conference and all related events is free and all queries should be directed to sean.crosson@nuigalway.ie or 091 495687. 


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