Professor of Art History Scott MacDonald recently participated in a panel discussion about the work of Amos Vogel, founder of the New York City-based film society Cinema 16.
He joined panel members from the University of Zagreb and the Academy of Dramatic Art in Croatia, and the University of Arts in Belgrade to discuss “Subversive film as a pedagogical principle and a method of emancipation.” The event followed a screening of Paul Cronin’s documentary Film as Subversive Art: Amos Vogel and Cinema 16 (2004) at the Subversive Festival in Zagreb; MacDonald participated via Zoom.
Among the topics covered were
- thoughts on what film and cinema are today and where we are “consuming” it
- how film’s status has changed since Vogel’s time
- the role of film education in contemporary academia
- should film be taught by converging theory and practice, can film be understood without having a practical knowledge of the medium?
- can film today be “subversive,” or has subversion been irrevocably co-opted (by art film festivals, institutionalization of film education)?
