Essay Film

Catalog description

In this hybrid theory/practice seminar, we analyze the category of films referred to as essay films. Described as resisting classification, interrogating boundaries between fact and fiction, and transgressing dominant ways of seeing and thinking, essay films draw from and subvert a range of established practices, including nonfiction, narrative, and avant-garde cinema. What is the history of essayistic filmmaking? What does the essayistic mode offer filmmakers and scholars today? Through readings, screenings, student-led presentations, and exercises, students will gain both a conceptual foundation and hands-on experience with the essay film. The course culminates in a final independent project.