Gender and Race in the South African Film Industry: A Comparative Analysis of the Representation in South African Film Festivals

The role and representation of female filmmakers globally have been topics of discussion but have not been researched in depth to help garner significant change, especially in the South African film industry. The role of film festivals like the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) and Encounters help female filmmakers by giving them the platform to showcase their work as well as gain more recognition. However, the number of female filmmakers, and black female filmmakers in particular, are not recognised substantially at these festivals. South African box office reports also indicate that the film industry is dominated by white male directors and that not enough films are produced locally to meet up with the amount of international films that are screened at local cinemas, which is further indication that a gender and race discrepancy is prevalent. There is also the issue of female filmmakers being limited in the fiction film genre and as a result the film industry in South Africa and globally have more female filmmakers making non-fiction films than fiction films. This article will explore the issue of gender and race in the South African film industry, by focusing on the two biggest film festivals: DIFF and Encounters.     

Civil Servants on the Silver Screen: The Depiction of Government in American and Australian Cinema

With the prevalence of government, it is unsurprising to find it frequently represented on the silver screen. But, with the ability of film to influence perceptions and attitudes, questions arise, including: how is government portrayed on the silver screen? Are government bureaucrats berated or praised? This research examines the representation of government—and civil servants in particular—in a comparative setting. The top 100 box office grossing films of all time in the United States and Australia were selected to address the question: how do these films in the United States and Australia depict government? This study analyzes these 200 films and the more than 400 government characters in these films and suggests that government in both American and Australian films does not fare well. However, despite the generally negative—or at best mixed—depictions of government overall, individual government characters fare better.     

THE HEROIC AND THE BANAL: CONSUMING SOVIET MOVIES IN PRE-SOCIALIST CHINA, 1920S–1940S

Abstract

Soviet cinema as part of the socialist cultural landscape in Maoist China has been well recognized and extensively researched. This article looks at the earlier exhibition history of Soviet movies in pre-socialist China (from the 1920s to 1940s). It demonstrates that the early Chinese consumption and reception of this film culture involved two intertwined attitudes. On the one hand, Soviet movies were greeted as a much-needed Hero in the Chinese nationalist and anti-imperialist discourses. On the other hand, the exhibition of Soviet movies operated commercially, and commercial sectors promoted the popular appeal of these movies to fulfill the carnal desire of spectators. By examining film reviews, advertisements, and censorship reports, this article explores the ways in which the Hero image and the banal side of the Hero were constructed in the pre-socialist milieu of China.     

Visual rehumanisation: torture and terror in In the Name of the Father and Fifty Dead Men Walking

This article explores the use of torture by both state and non-state actors during the Northern Irish Troubles as visualised in two films, Jim Sheridan’s In the Name of the Father (1998) and Kari Skogland’s Fifty Dead Men Walking (2009). Using the concept of “acknowledgement” as developed by Stanley Cohen, this article argues that the visualisation of torture not only draws the issue out from the shadows, but challenges the dehumanisation process which can facilitate passive acceptance of the use of torture where there exists a threat to the integrity of the political and moral community.     

Optimized Development of Sebaceous Fingermarks on Nonporous Substrates with Conformal Columnar Thin Films

A form of physical vapor deposition, called the conformal‐evaporated‐film‐by‐rotation (CEFR) method, was optimized for the conformal deposition of columnar thin films (CTFs) on sebaceous fingermarks. Relying on the surface topology of the fingermark, the CTF development technique is different from traditional development techniques. After the optimization of the development conditions, the CTF development technique was found to be superior to traditional development methods on several nonporous substrates: the smooth side of Scotch^® Multitask, Gorilla^®, and Scotch^® Duct tapes; clear and black soft plastics; stained and sealed walnut and cherry woods; partial bloody fingermarks on stainless steel; and discharged cartridge casings. It was equally as good as other development techniques on other substrates, but worse on a few. The optimization study is expected to assist in designing a mobile CEFR apparatus capable of on‐scene development of fingermarks.     

陕西省广播影视监管中心全面综合建设简论

我国广播影视正处于模拟与数字、传统媒体与新兴媒体并存发展的关键时期,"三网"融合已在积极推进之中。"十二五"期间,我省建设架构合理、配置合理、功能完善、安全可靠的安全播出调度指挥监测网系统,把模拟的、数字的、卫星的、地面的、以及手机电视监测、移动监测、数字电影机监测等监测内容相涵盖,从科学性、功能性、实用性、未来发展等多方面出发,满足全省广播电视监测监管实际工作的需要,实现对广播电影电视及互联网播出技术和播出内容的全面监管是省监测中心面临的紧迫任务。     

Graffiti goes to the movies: American fictional films featuring graffiti artists/writers and themes

Since the early 1980s, in addition to the increase in graffiti and street art in many urban contexts, a number of movies have been made that have either examined this phenomenon and the people who engage in this activity, or used graffiti and street art as a backdrop to tell a story. This article briefly reviews the scholarly literature that examines movies that portray criminals and criminal actions, and then analyzes seven American-produced fictional (drama) films using graffiti writers/artists as major characters and then draws generalizations about them. Although this is not a semiotic analysis of the films, to the extent possible, it delves into the settings, plots, characters, dialog, and how realistic the movies appear to be. In general, most of the films include unrealistic aspects and/or are of poor quality, and this contributes to misrepresentations of and stereotypes about graffiti writers/writing.