Willson Center Cinema Roundtable

The Willson Center Cinema Roundtable meets to discuss topics of film history, criticism and theory. Richard Neupert, Wheatley Professor of the Arts, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and film studies coordinator in the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, organizes and moderates one roundtable each semester. Audiences are invited to participate and the events are free and open to the public.

Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood: Gender, Genre, and Nostalgia in Tarantino’s 9th Film

October 4, 2019

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood offers a stylish tribute to 1960s American movie culture along with a fantasy about Sharon Tate, hippies, and the Manson family, all bathed in the retro colors and sounds of the era. As with every new Tarantino film, there have been immediate debates around his brash storytelling, revisions of history, representations of women, and his troubling, satirical treatment of a wide range of targets.

This Willson Center Cinema Roundtable confronted the themes, visual style, and critical reception of Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood. The audience was invited to join the discussion. The panelists included Kate Fortmueller (Entertainment and Media Studies), film scholar David Lerner, Michele Schreiber (Emory), and Christopher Sieving (Theatre & Film Studies).

Little Women Revisited

February 28, 2020

Little Women Revisited addressed the story and style of Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and the tale’s cultural significance within literary and cinematic heritage. Panelists included Antje Ascheid (Theatre and Film Studies), Kristin Nielsen (Research & Instruction, UGA Library) and Nancee Reeves (English), and Kate Fortmueller (Entertainment and Media Studies).

RBG: Documenting Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her Cultural Legacy

February 15, 2019

The award-winning documentary RBG, by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, details the rise of Ruth Bader Ginsburg from law school to her ground-breaking legal cases on gender rights to her rare “cult status” as a Justice on the Supreme Court. This roundtable discussed the RBG movie, assessed Ginsburg’s significance for constitutional law and gender, and evaluated the media frenzy around her today. Panelists included visiting Federal Judge James D. Peterson (PhD in Film Studies), Matthew Bernstein (Chair of Film and Media Studies at Emory University), Sonja R. West (UGA Law School / Grady College), and Kate Fortmueller (Entertainment and Media Studies).

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, and Cinematic Adaptations

October 19, 2018

In recognition of the international celebrations surrounding the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein, the Willson Center presented a roundtable gathering together panelists from literature and film. Participants included Roxanne Eberle, Nancee Reeves, and Holly Gallagher from the English department, Christopher Sieving from theatre and film studies, and special guest Eddy von Mueller, co-editor of Frankenstein: How A Monster Became an Icon (2018) and former senior lecturer in film and media studies at Emory University. The panel addressed the core themes of Shelley’s work and Frankenstein’s cinematic legacy.

This roundtable was followed on October 31 with a day-long “Frankenread,” beginning at the UGA Main Library and culminating with a screening of Bride of Frankenstein that evening at Ciné.

Women, Hollywood, and the #METOO Era

February 23, 2018

The year preceding this roundtable saw many dramatic revelations within the American cinema, from the Harvey Weinstein scandals and the #ME TOO plus #TIMESUP movements, to highly popular movies by women writers, directors, and producers, including Wonder Woman, First They Killed My Father, Mudbound, and Lady Bird, among many others. This panel addressed the current state of American filmmaking, assessing ongoing hurdles and notable triumphs for women in Hollywood today. Panelists included Antje Ascheid (Film Studies), Maryann Erigha (Sociology), Kate Fortmueller (Entertainment & Media Studies), and Rielle Navitski (Film Studies).

1967: How The Graduate and Bonnie and Clyde Changed Hollywood

October 13, 2017

This roundtable marked 50 years since 1967, a year that marked major shifts in Hollywood storytelling and censorship. Two lower-budget “youth pix,” The Graduate and Bonnie and Clyde, led the way, proving there was a big audience for new, daring content. Both films exploited elements from modern European Art Cinema to update American cinema with their radical themes, stunning visual style, and popular music scores. They also challenged the outdated Hollywood censorship and ratings system. Roundtable participants discussed the stories, styles, and historical significance of these two movies for the 1960s and beyond. Panelists included Matthew Bernstein and Michele Schreiber, both of film and media studies at Emory, as well as Christopher Sieving and Richard Neupert from film studies at UGA.

Writing Film and Media Criticism in the Digital Age

February 24, 2017

The internet has brought dramatic challenges and opportunities to film, media, and arts criticism. Major news outlets no longer enjoy the same authority and control over “expert” opinions during an era of interactive blogs and online criticism, and fewer local and regional newspapers can employ film or television critics. Meanwhile, many students are interested in how to participate professionally in this changing media landscape with its shifting economic models. This panel discussion offered a variety of perspectives on changes to film and media criticism over the past decade and assessed new media opportunities moving forward. Panelists included Charles Judson (TERMINUS film festival and CineATLMagazine), Nate Kohn (Entertainment and Media Studies; Roger Ebert’s Film Festival), Dave Marr (Willson Center), and Andrew Shearer (Online Athens & Athens Banner-Herald).

Nat Turner’s Rebellion and the (New) Birth of a Nation

November 11, 2016

The Birth of a Nation is a provocative new movie on every level. Nate Parker wrote, directed, and produced the film, in addition to starring as Nat Turner. His movie won both the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and its Audience Award. The movie has been celebrated for its powerful treatment of religion and slavery, though concerns over Parker’s own personal history accumulated as the movie approached its national release. As Variety’s review stated: “The Birth of a Nation will provoke a serious debate about empathy, the morality of retaliatory violence, and the ongoing black struggle for justice and equality in this country.” This panel addressed the themes, style, and reception of Parker’s adaptation of Nat Turner’s story.

The panel included Valerie Babb (Institute for African American Studies and English), Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin (African American Studies and Theatre and Film Studies), Ed Pavlic (English and Creative Writing), and Christopher Sieving (Theatre and Film Studies).

Animated Comic Attractions & Early Cinema

January 29, 2016

From its beginnings, cinema was influenced by other popular arts, especially caricature and comic strips. Many key filmmakers, including Emile Cohl in France and America’s Windsor McCay, adapted comic strip traditions into stunning motion picture “attractions.” This roundtable discussed how silent cinema reworked some of the graphic traditions and story content of comic strips from their era.

Visiting scholar Tom Gunning (University of Chicago) joined panelists Rielle Navitski (Film Studies) and Chris Pizzino (English), for this roundtable moderated by Richard Neupert (Film Studies). Gunning’s visit was sponsored by a Willson Center Short Term Visiting Fellowship and the Interdisciplinary Modernism/s research cluster.

Amy Schumer: Queen of Comedy

October 16, 2015

By any reasonable standard, 2015 was comedian Amy Schumer’s year.  She hosted MTV’s Video Music Awards, graced the covers of magazines from GQ to Glamour to Entertainment Weekly, and was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People.  Her cheerfully profane, sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer won a Peabody Award and was renewed for a fourth season on Comedy Central.  And her subversive romantic comedy Trainwreck, which she wrote and starred in, was released in July to stellar reviews and an eventual gross of $100 million-plus.

The cultural significance of Schumer’s remarkable career trajectory was the subject of a Cinema and Media Studies Roundtable, “Amy Schumer: Queen of Comedy.”  Panelists discussed a variety of issues related to Schumer’s recently attained status as, in the words of Entertainment Weekly, “comedy’s funny, filthy, fearless new voice.”  What does her crossover success — on stage, on screen, and online — mean for the acceptance of women in comedy and in entertainment media in general?  Does her current ubiquity represent significant gains for feminist ideas in the arena of popular culture?  And is her work genuinely transgressive, or does her irresponsible party girl persona weaken her effectiveness as a feminist role model?  These and related questions were addressed by panelists Christine Becker (University of Notre Dame), Jeffrey Jones (Director, Peabody Awards, UGA), Caren Pagel (Georgia State University), and Ethan Thompson (Research and Teaching Fellow, Peabody Awards, UGA).  Christopher Sieving (Theatre and Film Studies, UGA) moderated.

Roland Barthes at 100: Theory / Culture / Legacy

October 23, 2015

Roland Barthes (b. 1915) was one of the 20th century’s most influential theorists. His work shaped literary theory as it shifted from structuralism and semiotics to psychoanalysis and cultural theory. His many important books include Mythologies, On Racine, S/Z, Image / Music / Text, The Pleasure of the Text, and Camera Lucida. This panel discussed the continuing relevance of Barthes for theoretical research on literature and culture today. Panelists included Doris Kadish (Romance Languages), Jed Rasula (English), and Andrew Zawacki (English).

Toy Story Turns 20: How Significant Was Pixar’s First Feature Film?

April 3, 2015

When Toy Story premiered in 1995 critics celebrated it as the dawn of a new era for motion picture animation. Toy Story also helped launch Pixar as the top brand for quality animation. Twenty years later it may be hard to fathom just how revolutionary Pixar’s first feature film was technically, but also culturally.

This roundtable discussed the significance of Toy Story for computer animation and Hollywood storytelling today. Panelists included Michael Hussey (Theatre and Film Studies), David Nix (Animator, College of Education), and Joelle Arp-Dunham (Theatre and Film Studies).