REVISTA LAIKA is an academic journal produced by the Laboratory of Audiovisual Research and Critique (LAICA) of the Department of Film, Radio and Television, located at the School of Arts and Communications of the University of São Paulo, in Brazil. We invite contributions in Portuguese, English, Spanish and French for the special issue dedicated to Amateur Cinema.

Thinking Amateur Cinema (Pensar o Cinema Amador)

In recent years, archivists, film historians and researchers have dedicated special attention to amateur cinema. One could relate this growing interest to the discovery of great amount of those artifacts (i.e. home movies) in a variety of formats (17.5mm, 9.5mm, 16mm, 8mm, Super 8, VHS, Hi-8) in archives and private collections, and their recognition as sources for historical research and creative material for filmmakers and artists. On the other hand, the massive popularization of portable cameras and the dissemination of those images in different sharing platforms through the internet create a new chapter in the history of that cultural practice: the production of films by non-professionals like weekend filmmakers, avant-garde artists, parents that shoot their family events or anonymous cameras that capture and share the daily life on the streets, etc. Between the historical and the contemporary, thinking amateur cinema and filmmaking means to address a complex universe of issues and theoretical perspectives like the place of memory and remembrance through the moving image, the specific aesthetic of the amateur image and its authenticity effect, the technological development and the massification of moving image equipment, the anti-establishment discourse of artists, movie clubs and amateur film festivals and the activity of filmmakers outside the commercial and industrial realm. Revista Laika invites submissions of articles, essays, and home movies which could bring theoretical contributions, analysis and research elements that address one or many of these perspectives regarding amateur cinema in Brazil and around the world.

Deadline for submissions: November 30th. Please send submissions to laika@usp.br
www.revistalaika.org/como-colaborar