department of film & media...

Volume 10, Issue 6 March 2020

T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f K a n s a s

Department of Film & Media Studies

Inside this issue:

U E 2‐3

R A

5‐7

A N 15

A ! 16

O A 8‐14

S C 4

Department of Fi lm & Media Studies March 2020

Upcoming Events

FMS Scholarship Applica on for 2020‐2021

Applica ons for FMS scholarships for 2020‐21 are due back to FMS by March 2. Don’t miss the deadline!

Special Showing of “Fellini: A Directors Notebook" March 3, Burge Union Forum A&B

7:00 p.m. – Ron Wilson analysis “Fellini’s Mockumentary on the Art and Ar fice of Film”

7:15 p.m. – “Fellini: A Directors Notebook” — Fellini colorfully examines his unorthodox filmmaking

8:15 p.m. – Review and discussion of the film with Ron Wilson and audience.

Undergraduate students in the Department of Film and Media Studies are encouraged to apply for the Brosseau Crea vity Awards sponsored by the Spencer Museum of Art. Open to all undergraduate students, the awards recognize outstanding crea ve scholarly work in any discipline. Recipients receive a $500 cash prize. For more informa on, please see the SMA website. The deadline to apply is Thursday, March 19, 2020 at midnight.

h ps://spencerart.ku.edu/brosseau‐awards


Upcoming Events

Kansas City Underground Film Fes val

KCUFF is a new event dedicated to bringing unseen and underappreciated films to Kansas City from around the world, including documentaries, short films, and features.

The inaugural fes val will take place March 12 through March 22 at the Westport Coffee House. Forty hours of programming will be spread across six nights: March 12, 14, 15, 19, 21 and 22.

The complete list of films can be found on the KCUFF website. Admission to all fes val events is free. Dona ons are encouraged but not required.

Congratula ons to the FMS alum and current FMS students who have films screening in the fes val!

h ps://www.kcundergroundfilmfest.com/2020‐films

The Thing About Miller House

Director – Claire Biles

Every Quiet Moment

Director – Lourdes Kalusha‐Aguirre

Keith’s Bread Saga

Director – Forest Kinsey

Royal Crest Lanes

Director – Jack Schlo eld


Student Clubs

Twi er/Instagram: @KUScreenwriters

Facebook: search for KU Screenwriters


Recognitions & Accomplishments

Page 8

FMS Student Receives Gilman Scholarship

Four University of Kansas students received the Benjamin A. Gilman Interna onal Scholarship to fund overseas study during the 2020 winter and spring terms. Gilman Scholars are selected from a group of highly compe ve undergraduates for study abroad funding. Recipients are awarded up to $5,000 to apply toward the cost of study or internships abroad during an academic year, semester, winter or summer term. A key goal of the Gilman scholarship program is to broaden the student popula on that studies and interns abroad by suppor ng undergraduates who might not otherwise par cipate due to financial constraints.

Ryan Verbenec, a junior film and media studies major and history of art minor, received one of the four Gilman Interna onal Scholarships awarded to KU students and is studying abroad in Valparaíso, Chile.

For more informa on about the Gilman Scholarship, go here: h ps://www.gilmanscholarship.org/

Danyelle Greene, FMS GTA, will be leading the Career Week trip to LA during spring break this year. Congratula ons to the students who were selected in the highly compe ve process!



Professor Ma Jacobson and KU alumnus Jeremy Osbern have received an Indie Series Awards nomina on for Best Cinematography for their webseries THE SQUARE ROOT.

Many of the crew members who worked on THE SQUARE ROOT are also KU FMS alumni, and were also nominated for ISA awards. Jeremy and KU FMS alumnus Mis Boland also received an ISA nomina on for Best Wri ng (Drama) for THE SQUARE ROOT; KU FMS alumnus Stephen Deaver received a Best Edi ng nomina on; and KU FMS alumnus Nathan Towns received a nomina on for Best Original Score.

The winners in each category will be announced, and the ISA crystal award presented, as part of a gala evening of celebra on at The Colony Theatre in Burbank, CA on April 1st.

THE SQUARE ROOT, an experimental four‐part webseries, premiered online on January 1st. THE SQUARE ROOT will have its fes val premiere at Cinequest in San Jose, CA, then play as an Official Selec on of the Bogotá Web Fest in Colombia and the Apulia Web Fest in Terlizzi, Italy.

Congratula ons to Robert Hurst, associate professor of film and media studies, who received a grant through the Dean’s Research Excellence Fund for producing a documentary about diversity in Garden City. In part, the grant supported hiring an undergraduate student who researched immigra on policy and provided other produc on assistance.



FMS Lecturer Ron Wilson was invited to contribute a post on Columbia University Press blog concerning an aspect of his current research on Quen n Taran no. He is currently working on a volume for the Director's Cuts series on Taran no.

h ps://www.cupblog.org/2020/02/04/for‐hollywood‐and‐miss‐sharon‐cinetextuality‐in‐quen n‐taran nos‐once‐upon‐a‐ mein‐hollywood‐by‐ron‐wilson/

Germaine Halegoua, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies and Humani es Research Fellow, discussed her ongoing research for a book‐length project about the poli cal economic, cultural, and

socio‐technical histories of dark fiber networks within the United States on February 26 at the Hall Center. Dark fiber networks are fiber op c networks purposefully constructed as inac ve and are prac cally invisible to urban and rural popula ons – not only are they dormant and hidden under layers of concrete or dirt, but their exact loca ons are only available on proprietary maps. In many metropolitan areas, only a frac on of the cable installed underground is actually ac vated or “lit” for internet service to urban residents and businesses. Dark fiber cables also run through under‐served rural areas where subpar internet access like satellite internet and other costly, data‐capped services are the only op ons for internet connec on.

Assistant Teaching Professor, Laura Kirk, co‐founded mentoring organiza on Women of Lawrence Film with FMS alum Mis Boland. They are featured in the current issue of L magazine. WOLF trains and supports young women in film to promote gender equity in film produc on.


Out & About

Lights, camera, ac on: Ishan Parikh releases his third feature film ‘Ego’

Steven Spielberg released his first full‐length film at the age of 25. Hitchcock made his debut at 26. Ishan Parikh, a film & media studies major and business minor at KU, just launched his third feature during his junior year.

The concept for “Ego,” which released on YouTube in November 2019, had been simmering in Ishan’s mind since high school. But the logis cs of developing the movie, which features a complex story with interweaving plot points, from scratch – assembling a cast, securing funding, and a myriad of other produc on challenges – had le plans of tackling the project just out of reach.

Then years later as a student in the College, Ishan found resources and mentorship that soon opened doors to new opportuni es for crea ve partnerships and helped bring “Ego” to life. Now, he has received a $950 Arts Research Grant from the The School of the Arts Student Advisory Board to green‐light a new project tled “Rainbow Boulevard.”

Why did you choose your major?

From a very early age I always loved films and their ability to entertain. I can’t remember the exact moment, but from very early on I decided that I wanted to be a movie director because I was fascinated by the job and all its responsibili es, and so from there on, I made films in high school with friends and did my best to develop my cra , and the journey has basically led me here.

Please tell us about your newly released film, Ego. Where did the idea of the film come from, and how did development and produc on come together? What was it like collabora ng with the team to create the film?

Ego is a film I’ve had in my head for a while now. It takes the disparate stories of a failed private inves gator, a married couple, and a successful internet blogger and connects them through the themes of self‐pride and narcissism. It taps into large themes about human nature and basically acts as an allegory for the en re philosophy on egos.

I spent a lot of me last fall prepping the film, figuring out the cast, crew, loca ons, and all the logis cs of how we were going to go about this. We began shoo ng in February of 2019 and went straight un l the end of April when we finished. Even though how fast we were moving in terms of filming, the process was incredibly rewarding in terms of working with actors, and bringing to life such a dense and complex story.

Lots of amazing friends within the film department helped out on the making of this film and they couldn’t have been more generous, lending their me and help making this happen. This is by far the most ambi ous and hardest thing I’ve yet to do when it comes to filmmaking and the amount of help I was able to get is the only reason we were able to pull this off.

(con nued on the next page)


Out & About

Lights, camera, ac on: Ishan Parikh releases his third feature film ‘Ego’ (con nued) What is the benefit of being in the KU College alongside students studying sciences, arts and humani es?

KU has an excellent standard for students being able to develop their projects. I think it’s quite a welcoming place for people who need the aid to not only get be er at what they want to do, but also to meet others with the same interests.

Give a shout‐out to a professor, mentor, advisor, or someone at KU who has helped you.

I have found a lot of support in many of my professors here at KU, but chief among them would have to be Tamara Falicov, who is the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Tamara was my professor for my Introduc on to Film class my freshman year and she was not only a great teacher, but an incredibly produc ve and approachable professor. She immediately heard my pitch to make my film and was nothing but suppor ve and encouraging the whole way through the process. She gave me the freedom to pursue it how I wanted to and was a great resource and sounding board for me in the process. I couldn’t possibly run out of things to say about Dr. Falicov and how great she is.

Do you have any ps for KU students who want to launch their own crea ve projects?

The only p I can give is the one that is given many mes, which is go out there and do it. There are probably so many others with similar goals as you, and I would say go out and find them. Collaborate with them. Make stuff. Put it out there. And the more you do it, the be er you get at it.

Read the full story and watch Ego (2019) in its en rety on the College Blog: h p://blog.college.ku.edu/ishan‐parikh‐makes‐his‐movie‐debut‐with‐ego/


Out & About

Smartphones are 'replace‐ing' the city, book argues

As we run around the world, pos ng selfies, coun ng our steps and checking in on our smartphones, we’re leaving digital traces of our ac vi es. And a new book by a University of Kansas professor argues that all this digital placemaking is actually changing the city – "replace‐ing" it, in her coinage.

Germaine Halegoua, associate professor of film and media studies at the University of Kansas, has just published “The Digital City: Media and the Social Produc on of Place” (New York University Press, 2020).

But it’s not all hearts, flowers and likes. Halegoua casts a cri cal eye on the “smart city” movement, arguing that urban planners are considering only the well‐connected — literally and figura vely.

“Maybe it’s not that the nature of place is changing, but what place means now within the digital era is changing,” Halegoua said. “Part of the way that it's changing is because place is not necessarily about sta c pause, or even an exact loca on, but it's more of an event. It's more of a performance. So place itself is becoming a li le bit more mutable, more changeable, more fluid in the sense that its meaning is becoming more changeable, mutable and fluid through the use of digital technologies.”

Halegoua said she is challenging what has come to be the defini on of “placemaking.”

“I'm pu ng forth 'replace‐ing' as a way to think about digital placemaking,” she said. “Usually, when people talk about digital placemaking, they mean ci zens or professional planners using social media to get feedback about a par cipatory planning endeavor, or what people think about a given place that some developer wants to redevelop.

“I'm trying to say in this book that it's something a li le bit different ... that every day, people use digital media of all sorts to create a sense of place for themselves and others. Some mes these things are very posi ve for the general public. Maybe it's neighborhood ac vists ge ng together and crea ng a Wi‐Fi network. But it can also be very strategic and very top‐down. ... I think people also use digital media technologies to build a sense of place that is corporate and exclusive and privileged.”

Halegoua’s book examines the “smart city” experience of nearby Kansas City, Missouri – the na on’s first to implement a high‐speed Google Fiber network to homes and businesses.

“The imagined user of smart ci es is not usually people living with disabili es,” Halegoua said. “It's not somebody from a low‐income household who has never had an internet connec on or somebody who has opted out of a broadband or high‐speed connec on.”

Rather, she said, smart‐city plans tend to privilege “people who are already networked, people who already have access to a lot of the resources of the city, and they're layering that with another layer of privilege, which is digital connec on, and they're not really thinking about the city as a space for everyone.”

That’s the 50,000‐foot view. But down on the ground, Halegoua argues, the majority of folks who carry smartphones (81% of Americans, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center study) are using them, in large part, to build up “loca onal capital.” That might mean showing off the fact that one is ea ng a gourmet meal at that hot, new restaurant or a ending a ballgame at the stadium.

(con nued on next page)


Out & About

Smartphones are 'replace‐ing' the city, book argues (con nued)

“I'm thinking about it as forming some sort of emo onal a achment or meaningful connec on to a geographic loca on,” Halegoua said. “Taking something that feels abstract or overwhelming like a city and making it familiar or crea ng a sense of emo onal a achment to that loca on that is personal or collec ve. It could be that you're a member of a community and you have a certain history and experience within this given loca on, or you're just trying to make a part of the city — or the city as a whole — meaningful to you.

“That can't be the same for everybody. And that's where we see these sorts of conversa ons and dissension. When people are using things like Instagram or blogs or Snapchat or Twi er and they're laying claim or making a bid for the meaning of a given loca on, there's always going to be somebody else who says, ‘No, that's not what it means to me, and I don't like the way you're making this very public.’ ... We have a chance to push back on the meanings of loca ons.”

All of this, Halegoua said, is meaningful. In other words, we are not being distracted from our physical or emo onal environment by what we do with our mobile devices. Rather, we are using those devices to create meaning in space.

“We express our iden es through place, and that has always happened,” Halegoua said, no ng that since the inven on of wri ng, people have kept travel diaries and sent le ers and postcards.

“We've always had these analog ways of expressing the spa al self ... and making that part of our iden ty,” she said. “But we’ve seen that exponen ally explode and also become more public with things like Instagram and Snapchat and Facebook Places and Twi er places and check‐ins.”

Halegoua said the cri que of mobile users as distracted from their environment rankled her, leading to the book.

“I was sick of hearing about that,” she said. “I was thinking that the rela onship between digital media and people, place and technology has got to be more complex than just that we use a cell phone while walking down the street, and we're distracted — that we must be doing something else. Or at least I wanted to believe that. The five case studies that I have in this book show that we are doing something other than distrac ng ourselves while walking down the street.”

Copied from KU News Service: h ps://news.ku.edu/2020/01/28/smartphones‐are‐replace‐ing‐city‐book‐argues?utm_source=KU+Today+Newsle er+List&utm_campaign=6f87b564b6‐EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_02_05_04_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ec834ed00f‐6f87b564b6‐278656425

Photo: The Kansas City, Missouri, smart‐city ini a ve includes building a public Wi‐Fi network and installing internet‐enabled kiosks at streetcar stops downtown. Credit: Rick Hellman / KU News Service


Out & About

The 2020 FMS Graduate Student Symposium was a HUGE success! Across two days of programming, over 40 a endees interacted with Prof. Anahita Ghazvinizadeh (University of Iowa), listened to research presenta ons, and engaged with more than 10 student‐produced film and media works. Thank you to everyone who a ended and to the Department for your con nued support!

Planning Commi ee: Alex Adelmund, Gwen Asbury, David Gower, Danyelle Greene, Ka e Hinders, An Sasala

From le to right, Alex Adelmund (KU), David Gower (KU), Ryan Freels (SIU), Madeline Holland (KU), Anahita Ghazvinizadeh (UI), Abimbola Iyun (SIU), Tweesna Rose Mills (KU), Gwen Asbury (KU), Ka e Hinders (KU), and Taylor Thornburg (Independent Scholar) pose for a post‐Symposium picture on 7 February 2020 in Summerfield Hall.

Keynote speaker Anahita Ghazvinizadeh delivers her keynote address on 7 February 2020 in Summerfield Hall.

From le to right, FMS graduate students An Sasala, Tweesna Rose Mills, and Gwen Asbury (all KU) lead a post‐presenta on discussion on 8 February 2020.


Out & About

Kevin Willmo has had a wild and amazing year since winning an Oscar

It's a moment Kevin Willmo will never forget.

On Feb. 24, 2019, the KU professor and screenwriter won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for "BlacKkKlansman."

He won along with writer/director Spike Lee.

"You kind of get the feeling of how fortunate you are that this happened to you," Willmo said.

While some might change their approach a er that caliber of a win, Willmo is not one of them.

"I don't pay much a en on to it,” Willmo said. “Occasionally, I kind of go, ‘Yeah, I guess that happened.’ But most days you are back in the grind.”

And that grind is teaching screenwri ng classes at the University of Kansas. His students, like Lourdes Kalusha‐Aguirre, said the Oscar win is inspiring.

"Being on stage, accep ng that award made it a lot closer to me and thinking like wow somebody from Kansas can make it in that sense," Kalusha‐Aguirre said.

While helping the next genera on of writers, the Academy Award winner con nues to add to his own resume.

"Wrote another movie with Spike. It's called ‘Da Five Bloods,’" Willmo said. "That's about black soldiers in Vietnam."

That just scratches the surface for him.

"I'm also wri ng something for President Obama's company on Fredrick Douglas," Willmo said. "So, I got to meet President Obama and talk about Fredrick Douglas with him. That's almost as good as winning an Oscar."

But despite his Hollywood accolades, Willmo said his heart will forever live with his students and the state of Kansas.

"The thing that, the lesson I kind of taken out of all of this is that I stayed focused on the things I care about and that's the thing that has kind of go en me where I am at today," he said.

Willmo 's movie with Spike Lee will be out on Ne lix this summer and will premiere at the Cannes Film Fes val.

Copied from: h ps://www.kshb.com/news/local‐news/ku‐professor‐reflects‐one‐year‐a er‐oscar‐win?utm_source=KU+Today+Newsle er+List&utm_campaign=788a0232a1‐EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_02_10_04_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ec834ed00f‐788a0232a1‐278656425


Out & About

Kansas City is making its mark in the movie‐making business, according to MovieMaker magazine. The City of Fountains ranked No. 17 on the magazine's list of best places in North America to live and work as a moviemaker. The ranking is based on several factors, including surveys, tax incen ves, recent produc ons and personal visits.

Kansas City did not rank among the top 20 big‐city markets in 2019.

According to the magazine, "the film‐friendly city that brought you Robert Altman, Don Cheadle, Ellie Kemper, Janelle Monae, Dianne Wiest and Mickey Mouse is also home to eight equipment rental houses, nearly three dozen produc on facili es and 15 film fes vals."

The KC Film Office, which reopened in 2014 as a part of Visit KC, is a key part of the area's growing reputa on. It offers a film rebate incen ve program, assistance with hotel bookings and other services to moviemakers.

However, the state currently does not offer film incen ves.

"Kansas City has great crews, wonderful loca ons both country and urban and some of the best food in the country. Everything that makes a film engine run!" Oscar winner Kevin Willmo told the publica on. "I have found everything I have ever needed in Kansas City!"

Willmo is a University of Kansas film professor and filmmaker who co‐wrote the screenplay for "BlacKkKlansman," which won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay last year.

KC Film has assisted with projects ranging from feature films to web series with an es mated $41 million in local economic impact, the organiza on told the industry publica on.

"The region also breeds funny people with solid Midwestern values: Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, David Koechner and Eric Stonestreet's Big Slick is an annual fundraising event that raises millions for Children's Mercy," MovieMaker wrote. Copied from: h ps://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2020/02/04/best‐places‐to‐live‐and‐work‐moviemaker‐kcmo.html


Alumni News

Brooke Ambrosio, FMS BGS 2019, writes that she is interning in London, United Kingdom for Millenium Resurrec on. She is working on a new music docuseries and is involved in the wri ng and producing process of the show.

Jordan Wright, FMS BGS 2017, reports that he is an Assistant Editor at FBE, Inc. in Burbank, CA.

T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f F i l m a n d M e d i a S t u d i e s T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f K a n s a s

Department of Film and Media Studies

Summerfield Hall, Suite 230

1300 Sunnyside Avenue

Lawrence, KS 66045

Phone: 785‐864‐1340

E‐mail: [email protected]

Send your news items and

updates to Karla Conrad at

[email protected].

Academic Calendar

March 2 — Undergraduate Application for Graduation deadline

March 9 — First Day of Spring Break

March 15 — Last Day of Spring Break

Equipment Check‐in: 10:00 a.m.— 12:00 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Equipment Check‐out: 1:00 p.m.— 3:00 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Sign‐up to check‐out equipment in the binder on the counter in 230 Summerfield.

Sign‐up for edi ng rooms by signing the edit room schedule posted on the edi ng room door (418b Summerfield). Pick up the key in the FMS office (230 Summerfield).

Check with your instructor or John McCluskey, Assistant Technical Director, for more informa on.

For Academic

Advising:

Schedule an appointment with

Chelsea Lantz‐Cashman by calling 785‐864‐3500 or check your Jayhawk

GPS!

Follow us Check out the College Blog: h p://blog.college.ku.edu/

Are you a Film & Media Studies alum? We’d love to hear from you. Go to h ps://

film.ku.edu/alumni‐submissions to update your

informa on with us, so we can add you to the impressive

ranks of our alumni.

Twi er: @KUFMS, @KUSchoolofArts, @KUCollege

March 2020

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