Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The last decade has witnessed an explosion of interest in film festivals, with the field growing to a position of prominence within the space of a few short years. Film Festivals: History, Theory, Method, Practice represents a major addition to the literature on this topic, offering an authoritative and comprehensive introduction to the area. With a combination of chapters specifically examining history, theory, method and practice, it offers a clear structure and systematic approach for the study of film festivals.

Offering a collection of essays written by an international range of established scholars, it discusses well-known film festivals in Europe, North America and Asia, but equally devotes attention to the diverse range of smaller and/or specialized events that take place around the globe. It provides essential knowledge on the origin and development of film festivals, discusses the use of theory to study festivals, explores the methods of ethnographic and archival research, and looks closely at the professional practice of programming and film funding. Each section, moreover, is introduced by the editors, and all chapters include useful suggestions for further reading.

This will be an essential textbook for students studying film festivals as part of their film, media and cultural studies courses, as well as a strong research tool for scholars that wish to familiarize themselves with this burgeoning field.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Both the essays and their accompanying bibliographies provide an excellent sense of the latest developments in research and thinking about film festivals. Like Valck's Film Festivals: From European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia (2007), the present volume treats film festivals theoretically and comparatively, considering them as networked sites that negotiate cultural capital on local, national, and global scales. Contributors include many of the key researchers in the field, among them Cindy Hing-Yuk Wong, author of the terrific Film Festivals: Culture, People, and Power on the Global Screen (2011). Valck includes in this skillfully edited collection essays not only on Cannes and Asian film festivals but also on "identity-based community festivals." Although the essays are marked by an odd lack of interest in the films themselves--in the foreword, Dina Iordanova writes that "what is important" is that "the film festival is studied as a phenomenon complete in itself, emptied of specific content"--and although most contributors take celebratory rather than "against the grain" approaches, this book is required reading for anyone interested in the subject. Those interested in political film festivals will want to consult Sonia Tascón's Human Rights Film Festivals: Activism in Context (2015). Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Steven C. Dillon, Bates College