Programming or curating is an aesthetic practice and an essential part of film culture that can be found in film clubs, program/arthouse cinemas, in exhibition contexts and most obviously in film festivals (Klippel 2008). Surprisingly the practice of programming is one that – like film festivals – has been neglected for study until very recently.
The vast majority of the pieces addressing the issue of programming assembled here are written from a practical point of view. They aim to explain the decision-making processes at work during the act of programming behind the scenes of film festivals (Krach 2003; Thomson 2003), explicate the ideas and ideals of curators: many are written by curators themselves (Czach 2004; Givanni 2004; Haslam 2004; Marks 2004; Sandlos 2004; Schulte-Strathaus 2004, 2008; Straayer/Waugh 2005, section 9.1.1); others are interviews with curators (Gramann 2008; Gregor/Gregor 2008; Han/Morohoshi 2004; Noll Brinkmann 1990) or biographies (Heijs/Westra 1996).
Beyond the specifics of the act of programming, there are more general concerns addressed. The context of film programming and film reception plays an important role for programmers (Lehrer 1999). On a broader scale the analysis of programming also gives insights into (economic) exploitation strategies that can be found in the dealings of film festivals, by industry and festival alike (Stringer 2003a, b), and how this influences film criticism, scholarship and canon formations (Stringer 2003, section 1.1; see also June 2004, section 9.1.1)
We administered a further distinction in the (7) Programming section. The category has now been divided into three subcategories: (7.1) Issues of Festival Programming; (7.2) Interviews with Programmers; and (7.3) Film Festivals and Questions of Aesthetics. The third subcategory responds directly to the recent trend among film festival scholars to scrutinize the ways in which festivals influence film production aesthetically. We believe that the new heading better represents the important work (in progress) on the notion of festival films and on the genre of international art cinema.
7.1 Issues of Festival Programming
7.2 Interviews with Programmers
7.3 Film Festivals and Questions of Aesthetics
Cherchi Usai, Paolo, et al., ed. (2008). Film Curatorship: Archives, Museums and the Digital Marketplace. Vienna: Synema – Gesellschaft für Film und Medien.
Klippel, Heike, ed. (2008). “The Art of Programming”: Film, Programm und Kontext. Münster: LIT.
(Last updated: 10 June 2011)