Guest editor: Parviz Jahed (parviz.jahed@cine-eye.com)
Associate editor Amir Ganjavie (ganjavie@yorku.ca)
Articles are invited for publication in an edited volume of Film International on the topic of Iranian independent cinema. Independent Iranian cinema consists of the low budget Iranian films with limited affiliation to the government and its financial resources that are critical of the mainstream commercial cinema. It includes the works of notable Iranian directors like Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Mohsen Makhbalbaf, and Asghar Farhadi as well as the underground movies that are produced and distributed without the permission of the authorities and are subject to censorship and intense pressure of the government. The contribution this journal strives to make is to generate critical debate regarding the historical and current situation facing Iran’s independent cinema and its major figures, the code of practice of the film censorship and the barriers facing independent cinema in Iran. The overarching aim of this special issue is to highlight current thinking on the problematic of independent Iranian cinema. As such, promising submissions will inevitably be analytical and interpretative, rather than primarily descriptive. Equally, all submissions should demonstrate grounding in the theories of cinema and Iranian studies (coming from within the discipline of Cinema, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Philosophy, Politics, Film Studies, Ethnography, Modern Languages and Literatures, as well as from cinema practitioners, such as filmmakers, photographers, musicians, and scriptwriters). Authors are also expected to be familiar with the developing literature on Iranian cinema.
If you are interested please submit a 500 word proposal/abstract (preferably in word.doc format) to Parviz Jahed (parviz.jahed@cine-eye.com) and Amir Ganjavie (ganjavie@yorku.ca) by 31 July 2013. Your proposal/abstract should clearly articulate why/how the essay explores/develops/articulates problematic of independent Iranian cinema.
More information on Film International, including Notes for Contributors, can be accessed here.