FTVMS 208

New Zealand Film since the Mid-1980s

Please note: this is archived course information from 2017 for FTVMS 208.

Description

This course traces a thematic history of filmmaking in Aotearoa New Zealand from the mid-1980s until the present day. While examining a range of films as individual texts, we also locate them in their historical, social and political contexts. This course is as much a journey through New Zealand history and culture as it is a study of the films themselves, raising many questions about what it means to be a New Zealander. Topics include the country’s colonial history and its connections with Britain and the United States; the effects of settlement; the struggle to create a bicultural nation; gender and sexuality; our film industry’s relationship with Hollywood and the production of "blockbusters"; changes in the concept of nation in an age of increasing internationalism; the emergence of "Fourth Cinema". We will look at ways in which New Zealand films have explored these themes and helped us "imagine" our nation.

Availability 2017

Semester 2

Lecturer(s)

Coordinator(s) Professor Laurence Simmons

Reading/Texts

Assessment

Coursework + exam

Points

FTVMS 208: 15 points

Prerequisites

30 points from COMMS 100, 104, FTVMS 100, 101, 110

Restrictions

FTVMS 300