by AK Hansen   INTRODUCTION Byen Brænder – an urban projection experience In 2002, there was an all-city exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark called Byen Brænder (The City is Burning). Street art bloomed and everybody was in love. Graffiti writers were … Read More

Lingyun Zheng May 2016   Under China’s quota system, it’s difficult for foreign films’ theatrical opening in China. Since 2012, China’s quota system allows foreign movie imports to 34 titles every years, and 14 of the 34 movies must be … Read More

By: Mary Grueser     The decolonization of the filmmaker and of films will be simultaneous acts to the extent that each contributes to collective decolonization.  The battle begins without, against the enemy who attacks us, but also within, against … Read More

by Anna Lia The focus is on questioning and dismantling the idea of gender binary. I want to bring awareness to how these constructs, maintained and upheld by systems of power, can damage both trans and cis people’s minds.  

by Mariam Bolkvadze Georgia is my homeland which remains full of complex identity and cultural heritage even for me. This blog has become a fantastic chance to explore modern cinema hidden from me and explain political paradigms and cultural mosaics … Read More

Activist Filmmaking that Keeps People out of Prison by Charlotte Carpenter – Rebecca Grace, Founder of Complete Picture The United States is the world’s leader in incarceration. Currently, there are over two million people locked away in U.S. prisons and … Read More

by Yaching Cheung In 1964, a series of events in Brazil led to the overthrow of president Joao Goulart by the US-backed military dictator Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco. The military regime lasted 21 years until 15 March 1985. In … Read More

 by Prisca Edwards “In Pennsylvania, we are also blessed with an abundance of natural resources: gas, timber, coal, sun, wind, fresh water, open spaces, agricultural land, beautiful scenery, and an opportune location that made us the Keystone State… To fulfill … Read More

by Claire Kinnen     This video explores the vibrant and active world of experimental film festivals in Mexico and their importance in distributing the work of independent filmmakers and creating alternative spaces for film and emerging media. It features … Read More

by Shira Kresch   Early Third Cinema filmmakers wielded their cameras as weapons against neocolonial violence and Western Imperialism—and they proved it to be an effective strategy. But, what happens when the same tactics are used to uphold the very … Read More

by Camila Eiras Marchon My research departs from the revolutionary Cinema Novo movement in Brazil during the military dictatorship from 1964 until 1985, when there was an atmosphere of industrialization and modernization in the country, which demanded a variety of … Read More

by PJ Rountree In an effort to understand how the ideas that define Third Cinema can be applied in contemporary practices, this video essay reimagines the themes and strategies introduced by Third Cinema as individual tools in a tool kit. By … Read More

by Satoko Saito My project was inspired by a Nisei of Japanese descent, Mitsue Yamada (born in 1923). She is an activist and one of the first Japanese Americans to publish a personal account of internment during WWII. When she … Read More

by Alvin Seenauth   Through chatting via zoom, Rae Wiltshire explains the growth of the film industry in Guyana – where filmmaking is a true rarity. From organizing educational filmmaking workshops to being accepted to several international film festivals, Wiltshire … Read More

by Júnia Caldeira Simão I am half Portuguese and half Lebanese. But maybe I should say half colonizer and half refugee. I was born and raised in Brazil, the biggest country of South America and also one of the worst … Read More

by Krause A.S.   Whitney Dow and Marco Williams on the set of Two Towns of Jasper (2002). Since Robert Flaherty’s groundbreaking film Nanook of the North, the ethics of documentary filmmaking have been a central conversation surrounding documentary filmmaking … Read More

Anna Ozbek May 17, 2016   My research explores film and video within the Arabic-speaking nations of the Middle East and North Africa region, and specifically the evolving relationship patterns between funding and distribution methods, national and regional political context, and … Read More

Nadia Mohamed May 2016   I am focusing on existing independent media production and grassroots distribution and engagement with people living in the ‘rust belt’ of the United States. Rust belt cities have borne the brunt of globalization and de-industrialization … Read More

Crystal Waterton May 2016   If interested in making LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transsexual, Gender non-conforming) films, one may be interested in a journey of more than only filmmaking, but of also being a civil rights activists. The places that … Read More

by Jordan Lord   Introduction For my final project, I wanted to think about disabled artists, activists and filmmakers who don’t just represent disability in their work but who also underscore disability as the means by which it appears and … Read More

a case study in social media storytelling, self-distribution, and community activation   As we have seen over the course of this semester, “Third Cinema” is a broad and inclusive term for any form of storytelling done outside of/in opposition to … Read More

1987 was a critical year for Taiwan. After being ruled by martial law for forty years, Taiwan was finally released from its constraints and pushed its society toward democratic development. In 1996, the President of Taiwan was elected directly by … Read More

Kaija Siirala May 2016   When I began this research, I was not expecting the project to go in this direction. I wanted to look at how cinema (a traditional conception of film) had been used in the Idle No More movement, … Read More

Dori Cohen May 2016 I focused on distribution options for a film I am currently working on. The film focuses on the ride sharing app Uber but also looks at larger issues related to labor in the on-demand economy. I … Read More

Fernanda Faya   May 17, 2016   Latin American film production is living a creative and prolific moment. Countries like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Mexico are producing films with strong identity, reflecting on contemporary themes of those countries’ realities.  … Read More

by Amy Jones   Crowdfunding has gained significant traction over the past decade as an alternative to dominant financing models, not only for film production, but for a variety of projects requiring startup capital. Much has been made of the … Read More

By Katherin Machalek The Eurocentric concept of the nation-state has disoriented the identities of peoples subjected to colonial rule. In an effort to slice up and own vast parts of the globe, colonialist powers constructed ethnically and politically awkward unions, … Read More

At a time when movie theaters are closing almost everywhere in Africa due to different economical or political reasons varying from nation to nation, other venues started to proliferate in West and East Africa in order to bring films to … Read More

Amanda Katz 14 May 2018   INTRODUCTION At the end of El Elefante y La Bicicleta (Dir. Juan Carlos Tabío, Cuba, 1995), the island villagers time travel from 1925 to their present-day of 1995. For the first hour we witness … Read More

by Sarah Johnsrude In our Third Cinema class, we have studied the theoretical frameworks and political histories that contextualized Third Cinema works internationally. It has been a journey of wide berth and great depth, since Third Cinema encompasses a wide … Read More

by Michelle Ermolenko From guerilla films to film as a keeper of memory, third cinema has always adapted itself to become a meeting ground for conversations to occur. Community building and sharing resources have always been a staple of disability … Read More

by Suzanne Schulz “It is a noble thing, the rearing of warriors for the revolution.” –Toni Cade, 1970 I approach this project as a newish parent, steeped in the magic and potentiality of children’s books and movies, but also hesitantly … Read More

by Lidiya Kan The question of whether Soviet cinema can be considered Third cinema has been lingering in my mind during the class. The films I had not seen before looked strangely familiar, the ideas that the readings raised felt … Read More

by Katherine Doyle Storytelling is cathartic and therapeutic for young and old alike who are living with chronic conditions, no matter their age at diagnosis. Young people in particular can experience heightened benefits from using their storytelling capabilities on digital … Read More

by Yehui Zhao   Introduction Trinh T. Minh-ha introduced and expounded on the concept of interval, a sense of betweenness, where you are free without having to define or locate oneself, in part allowing oneself to not be here or … Read More

by Robin Smith Introduction This research provides a look at various contemporary alternative film distribution and access activities in Central Appalachia, with a special focus on films and distribution models that help to represent some of the regional challenges historically … Read More

by Nahee Kim   What’s the difference between glitch and error? By the definition of Urban Dictionary, a glitch is an error in a structured system. So they are the same but we can sense the difference between them in … Read More

by mega(n) daalder “Our eyes have grown. / White people see Black people / Hawks see Doves / Poor people see President Nixon / Fat people see hunger / Hungry people see food / Everybody sees Chicago / Soldiers see … Read More

by Nate Dorr     Political subtexts are common enough in science fictional first cinema. But first cinema is foremost a product to be consumed. All its elements, whatever their apparent values, become subordinated to this purpose. Ideas, then, risk … Read More

by Dena Kopolovich Screenshots from How to Grow Plants in Prison, Hito Steyerl My research is an intentional mess of thoughts and ideally, I’d like it to keep evolving. This semester, I latched onto Hito Steyerl’s essay “In Free Fall: … Read More

by Sholeh Dalai I am interested in a multidisciplinary work that is in part autobiographical and it is Concerns about social issues and intersectionality. This idea easily could expand to collaborative and collective making in the community and imaginative educational … Read More

by Fredgy Noël This video essay focuses on the concept of Do It With Others filmmaking. In an industry focused on financing mainstream films with big budgets, independent filmmakers are not guaranteed distribution deals. In 2010, Ava Duvernay organized a … Read More

by Sara Carter Conley How do you make Third Cinema from within the empire of capitalism? How do you make Third Cinema when, today, mainstream studios and distributors have co-opted many of the methods, themes and techniques that originated out … Read More

by Robyn Duncan   In 1947, as an attempt at an artistic renaissance post-WWII, an international festival of the arts was planned in Edinburgh. Several hoity-toity ballets, orchestras, and opera companies were invited to perform, yet poorly funded but thriving … Read More

by Fahim Hamid For independent South Asian artists who struggle to find platforms for their work, one would think that the age of streaming would make it easier than ever before for all artists to find their audience and distribute … Read More

by Kiara Holley The essence of spirit extends religion; for religion is rigid while spirit is fluid. As an African American, I can testify to the importance of spirit within and across the diaspora. Nature provides solace, music heals, and … Read More

by J. Shane   Over the past seven years, the media landscape has seen a boom in podcasting. What was once a marginal means of content distribution has become recognized as a lucrative investment opportunity; large and dedicated audience potential, … Read More

by Crystal Noelle Rand Purpose statement: This project idea was born out of a self-actualizing transformation of my own individual power after bouts of feeling estranged from my own community/family. I recognized that feeling powerless can cause a form of … Read More