Third World Cinema

Black Studies 161 Winter Quarter, 2021.
THIRD WORLD CINEMA

Third World Cinema
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INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Jude G. Akudinobi Lectures: Online, Tues. & Thurs., 8:00am-9:15am, PST/Calif. Time, as scheduled on GOLD. Location: Virtual classroom, through ZOOM, using valid link, ID or access code to participate. Film Lab: Virtual, screening on Wednesdays, through GauchoCast, before Thursday lectures. Office Hours: Online, Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00am – 12: 30pm, PST/California Time and, when practical, by special arrangements. OUTLINE: As a generic term, the Third World includes Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia (excluding Japan and, depending on your yardstick, China). Despite their differences, these societies, cultures, peoples are, in dominant understanding, homogeneously marked as backward, exotic, chaotic, and even, dangerous. Interestingly, these cliches about the Third World not only constitute the preponderant elements of its Western filmic representations but, more importantly, foster rigid frameworks which define dominant spectatorial expectations and interpretations. This course will, therefore, explore the social constructions of Third World realities from their own (Third World) perspectives, the relationship of Third World Cinema to dominant (Hollywood) cinema, globalized popular culture, new media technologies, post- colonial diasporas, and so forth.
FORMAT: Instruction and communications will be synchronous, through ZOOM, engendering a real-time presence, connections with each other, comments, and feedback that approximates face-to-face communications, and recreates the classroom experience, virtually, in ways that foster vibrant atmospheres for pedagogical rapport, instantaneous thinking and effective learning.
In this panoramic survey, we will, through lectures and discussions, not only examine the representational territories of the Third World but also establish links between it and the larger history/cultural politics of the West. As such, sample films from the regions indicated above, articulating the Third World realities, will be scrutinized to illuminate the social relations the films (in)form, their internal logic and the distinct forces which constitute them. In tandem with social, cultural and aesthetic analyses, the class will contemplate the complex dynamics through the Third World constructs notions of society, identity and representation, as well as theoretical developments in the analyses of Third World Cinema.
REQUIREMENTS: Attendance of all lectures, viewing scheduled films, familiarity with assigned materials before class meetings, and conscientious class participation. Other requirements include (1) mid-term (2) final examination (3) term paper of about 8 pages which must be finely edited, using brief quotations used to support the thesis, include full bibliographical annotations, using the MLA format, show originality and demonstrate mastery of pertinent issues on a specified or, approved, chosen topic.
GRADING: Evaluations will be according to the following percentages: consistent attendance, informed and thoughtful class participation 25%, mid-term 25%, final exam 25%, and term paper 25%. All categories are weighed equally. Penalty will be exacted for irregular class attendance and missed exams, except in the event of a natural disaster, religious obligation, ill-health (doctor- certified), proven extenuating circumstances or unforeseen personal calamity.
REQUIRED TEXT: Course Reader. Santa Barbara, CA: SB Printer, UCEN, 2021. Course Reader. @ SB Printers, Santa Barbara, CA, and available for purchase through https://sbprinter.myshopify.com/products/bl-st-161-akudinobi
SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS: Armes, Roy. Roots of New Arab Film (Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press, 2018). Devasundaram, A. I. Indian Cinema Beyond Bollywood (NY & London: Routledge, 2020). Langford, Rachel. Film Genres and African Cinema (London & New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020). Tierney, Doroles. New Transnationalisms in Latin American Cinema (Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, 2019).
SAMPLE SUGGESTED READING: Armes, Roy. New Voices in Arab Cinema (Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press, 2015). Armes, Roy. Third World Film Making and the West (Berkeley: U. Of Calif. Press, 1987). Armes, Roy and Lizbeth Malkmus. Arab and African Filmmaking (London and New Jersey: Zed Books, 1991). Barlet, Olivier. African Cinemas: Decolonizing the Gaze (London: Zed Books, 2000). Braziel, Jana and Anita Mannur. Theorizing Diaspora: A Reader (Oxford: Blackwell, 2003). Ciecko, Anne Tereska. Contemporary Asian Cinema (Oxford & New York: Berg, 2006). Chakravarty, S. S, National identity in Indian Popular Cinema (Austin,TX: University of Texas Press, 1993). Bonetti, Mahen and Prerana Reddy (eds.) Through African Eyes: Dialogues with Directors (New York: African Film Festival, 2003). Cham, Mbye ed., Ex-iles: Essays on Caribbean Cinema (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, Inc., 1992). Chanan, Michael. Chilean Cinema (London: British Film Institute, 1976). Dabashi, Hamid. Close Up: Iranian Cinema Past, Present and Future (London: Verso, 2001). De la Mora, Sergio. Cinemachismo: Masculinities and Sexuality in Mexican Film (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2006). Devasundaram, A. I. Indias New Independent Cinema (NY & London: Routledge, 2016). Downing, John D. H. Film and Politics in the Third World (New York: Autonomedia, 1986). Dwyer, Rachel. Filming the Gods: Religion and Indian Cinema (London: Routledge, 2006). Esfandiary, Shahab. Iranian Cinema and Globalization: National, Transnational and Islamic Dimensions (Chicago & London: Intellect Books, 2012). Garritano, Carmela. African Video Movies and Global Desires: A Ghanaian History (Athens, OH: Ohio Univ. Press, 2013). Givanni, June (ed.) African Cinema: Symbolic Narratives (London: BFI, 2000). Gokulsing, K. Moti, & Wimal Dissanayake (eds.). Routledge Handbook of Indian Cinemas
(New York and London: Routledge, 2013). Guneratne, Anthony (ed.) Rethinking Third Cinema (London: Routledge, 2003). Hillauer, Rebecca. Encyclopedia of Arab Women Filmmakers (Cairo: American U. Press, 2005). Kaur, Raminder and Ajay J. Smith. Bollyworld: Popular Indian Cinema Through a Transactional Lens (Thousand Oaks and London: SAGE Publications, 2005). King, John. Magical reels: A History of Cinema in Latin America (London: Verso, 2000). Krings, Matthias, & Onookome Okome (eds.). Global Nollywood: The Transnational Dimensions of an African Video Film Industry (Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press, 2013). Lal, Vinay and Ashis Nandy.(Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). Manjunath, Pendakur and John Lent. Indian Popular Cinema: Industry, Ideology, and Consciousness (Hampton Press, 2003). Mirbakhtyar, Shahla. Iranian Cinema and the Islamic Revolution (Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2006). Nagib, Lucia. The New Brazilian Cinema (London and New York: I.B. Tauris, 2003). Naficy, Hamid. An Accented Cinema: Exile and Diasporic Filmmaking (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2001). Noble, Andrea. Mexican National Cinema (London & New York: Routledge, 2005). Pfaff, Francoise. Focus on African Films. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press, 2004). Pines, Jim & Paul Willemen, Questions of Third Cinema (London: BFI Publishing, 1989). Shohat, Ella, Israeli Cinema: East-West & the Politics of Representation (Austin,TX: University of Texas Press, 1989). Rego, Calcida. M, & Carolina Rocha (eds.). New Trends in Argentine and Brazilian Cinema (Chicago & London: Intellect Books, 2011). Shohat, Ella & Robert Stam, Unthinking Eurocentrism (London & New York: Routledge, 1994). Smith, Paul J. Mexican Screen Fiction (Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2014). Tapper, Richard. The New Iranian Cinema: Politics, Representation and Identity (London: I.B Tauris & Co Ltd, 2002). Teo, Stephen. Asian Cinema Experience (New York and London: Routledge, 2014). Tsika, Noah A. Nollywood Stars (Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press, 2015). Ukadike, Nwachukwu F., Black African Cinema (Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1994). Vasudevan, Ravi (ed.) Making Meaning in Indian Cinema (Oxford: Oxford U. Press, 2000). Viola, Shafik. Arab Cinema: History of Cultural Identity (Cairo: American U. Press, 1999). Warner, Keith Q. On Location: Cinema and Film in the Anglophone Caribbean (London: Macmillan Education, 2000). Wayne, Mike. Political Film: The Dialectics of Third Cinema (London: Pluto Press, 2001). Witt, Emily. Nollywood: The Making of a Film Empire (New York, NY: Columbia Global Reports, 2017).
*** Other articles on specific films/issues may be given weekly or placed on GauchoSpace.
FILM SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNED READING:
WEEK 1/ Jan. 06: THE SECOND MOTHER (Anna Muylaert, 2015, Brazil) Read: Rego, pgs. 204-211; Dennison, pgs. 131-144 pgs; Pinho, pgs. 103-128.
WEEK 2/Jan. 13: HELI (Amat Escalante, 2013, Mexico) Read: Campbell, pgs. 60-77; Lantz, pgs. 253-269; Bunker & da Gruz, pgs. 702-716.
WEEK 3/Jan. 20: THE HARDER THEY COME (Perry Henzell, 1973, Jamaica) Read: Paddington & Warner, pgs. 91-108; Gaztambide-Fernandez, pgs. 353-376.
WEEK 4/Jan. 27: SUGAR CANE ALLEY (Euzhan Palcy, 1983, Martinique) Read: Demissiea, pgs. 101-110; Ebrahim, pgs. 146-152; Gaudry-Hudson, pgs. 478-493.
WEEK 5/Feb. 03: WADJDA (Haifaa Al-Mansour, 2014, Saudi Arabia) Read: Sakr, pgs. 214-233; Deb, pgs. 521-532; Garcia, pgs. 34-37.
WEEK 6/Feb. 10: THE PHOTOGRAPH (Nan Triveni Achnas, 2007, Indonesia) Read: Hanan, pgs. 107-121; Hughes-Freeland, pgs. 417-444; Michalik, pgs. 378-396.
WEEK 7/Feb. 17: THE CEMETERY OF SPLENDOR (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2015, Thailand) Read: Harrison, pgs. 321-338; Teh, pgs. 595-609; Marshall, pgs. 230-241.
WEEK 8/Feb. 24: THE SALESMAN (Asghar Farhadi, 2016, Iran) Read: Ganjavie, pgs. 11-20; Reichle, pgs. 64-76; Rugo, pgs. 173-187.
WEEK 9/Mar. 03: MASAAN (Neeraj Ghaywan, 2015, India) Read: Kumar, pgs. 1-14; Ray, pgs. 23-43; Chatterjee, pgs. 195-221.
WEEK 10/Mar. 10: THE GREAT KILAPY (Zeze Gamboa, 2012, Angola) Read: Apa 253-266; Stewart, pgs. 255-269; Buchsbaum, pgs. 153-166.
IMPORTANT ADVISORY: 1) To facilitate participation and collaborative learning, the class may be divided into caucuses or break-out rooms. Each member must belong to a caucus. All caucuses must, either collectively or through a spokesperson of their choice, present a position paper each week covering the assigned film, readings and other pertinent issues they want to raise or share with the class. Non-membership in a caucus, or perfunctory participation in caucus or class affairs will earn the erring member grade point deductions.
2) The caucus presentations are opportunities for you to apply or critically engage all assigned materials, including films, and, preferably, initiate debate. As such, aim for discernment and be prepared to take questions afterwards (as the class is expected to critique or evaluate your presentation). You may, also, illustrate certain critical issues or apply materials pertinent to the class, in skits, for example, to stimulate further critical reflection. Overall, your presentations would be judged on content, perceptiveness, and contributions to prevailing issues or materials
3) Your term-paper must be organized around the concerns of the syllabus. In analyzing a film or group of films, for instance, pay attention to how the narrative unfolds – structure, thematic concerns, stylistic devices, dramatic shifts, gender roles, characterizations, etc. – substantive
issues raised in the film(s) and demonstrate sophisticated understandings of the historical, cultural, political and aesthetic considerations which frame the film(s). Studies of distinguished directors, specific national cinemas, as well as the interactions and exchanges between the disparate film cultures that constitute Third World Cinema are, especially pertinent. As such, Third world films not in the current roster are encouraged for term-papers. Since this is not a film appreciation class, whether you like or dislike a particular film, director or country, for example, is peripheral.
4) Your paper should embody perspectives that are original; in other words, be capable of engendering fresh understandings. Hence, while ideas from the class, readings and/or other sources may be used as premises or supporting materials for the paper, premium should be placed on exploring the not-so obvious. The library has a trove of online research resources, scholarly journals, and databases like Google Scholar, Project Muse, Art Full Text, MLA, JSTOR, Proquest, Academic Search Complete, International Index to Film Periodicals (FIAF), etc.
5) The term paper fulfils the universitys writing requirement. So, please, acknowledge and reference all materials derived elsewhere (other than own original ideas). Copying or using other peoples ideas, works, sentences, even phrases, without proper acknowledgment is plagiarism.
Further, your term paper must derive from individual effort and cannot be jointly-authored. Passing off someone elses work as yours, whether bought from online term-paper mills, obtained for free or traded as a favor constitutes cheating and carries very serious penalties.
Hence, any work, plagiarized or proven not to have been an original endeavor of the student would receive an automatic failing grade as well as be reported to the appropriate administrative quarters for further disciplinary sanctions. Referencing and properly citing all appropriated works, in writing a paper, is a valued feature of discerning scholarship.
6) Papers and take-home assignments (if given) are due on the specified dates and by email. In other words, any work received via other means or portal, irrespective of reasons, will NOT be accepted or graded.
7) Your papers, whether term-paper or responses to take-home exams (when applicable), must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman fonts and double-spaced, with one inch margins. All term-papers must have titles. In each instance, your papers must be paginated, collated and stapled, with your name on the cover page (at least).
8) For very practical purposes, particularly of keeping up with assigned materials, all are advised to keep their copies of the syllabus, securely; more so, as subsequent requests, given the current circumstances, would be denied.
9) It is each students responsibility to view all assigned films prior to class meetings. As the syllabus shows, each films screening is virtual and as scheduled. A second screening may, at the instructors discretion, be arranged as a courtesy to help consolidate issues raised in class but NOT as an option for the initial, Wednesday evening, screening of which commitment is required, especially for class, the next day. The Film Studies and Black Studies Departments do
not consider requests for extra screening or videos (if any) from their libraries. So, please, utilize all scheduled, virtual, screening.
10) A $16 lab fee is required and must be paid by the drop deadline, Monday, February 01, 2021. This one-time fee covers you for all film classes this quarter. Missing the deadline, however, would result in $16 charged to your account for each film class.
11). Talking on cell phones, text messaging, or emailing on laptops during class is expressly prohibited. Similarly, NO recording (taping, filming, or photographing) of class proceedings, whether by camera, cell phone, or other means, without prior and express permission, will be allowed, as they may be distractive, infringe on privacy, copyrights, and a conducive learning atmosphere. Use of electronic devices during class is, therefore, restricted.
12. This class satisfies the following GE requirements: Area F (Arts), and World Culture.
13. All Black Studies courses must be taken for letter-grades. As such, the P/NP option is unavailable for this course, not even by petition.
IMPORTANT DATES: Midterm: Thursday, February 04, 2021. Paper topic due: Thursday, February 11, 2021. Term-paper due, by email: Thursday, March 11, 2021. Final Exam: 8:00am – 11:00am, Thursday, March 18, 2021.
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