Silence, Power and Making Do: Keywords for Philippine Cinema’s Archival Afterlives

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COLLOQUIUM:

Silence, Power, and Making Do: Keywords for Philippine Cinema’s Archival Afterlives

Bliss Cua Lim, Professor of Cinema Studies, University of Toronto, Canada

Date: April 12
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Hall of Languages 107

Drawing on postcolonial historiography, archival theory and the on-the-ground realities of the Philippines’ decentralized audiovisual archive advocacy, this talk examines three issues that emerge as keywords for the crises of moving image preservation in the Philippines. First, archival silences, which comprise not only the “lost films” of Philippine cinema but also the absences that are constitutive of the production of historical narratives. Second, archival power, which names dynamics of inclusion/exclusion in the production of historical narratives, as well as archival practices of appraisal that institutionalize a minute percentage of extant records. Finally, activism, advocacy and “making do” — creative workarounds that have emerged to ensure the archival survival of Philippine cinema — are also expressions of archival power.

Co-sponsored by Syracuse University Libraries, the Department of Film and Media Arts, the Department of Television, Radio and Film, and the Asian/Asian American Studies Program.

Accommodations can be requested through Terri Zollo (see contact info below).