Cinema of Exploration: Essays on an Adventurous Film Practice

This book explores the century-long relationship between cinema and exploration, from colonial expeditions to decolonial radical cinemas, and its impact on imperial conquest and empirical expansion. It features interdisciplinary methodologies and considers filmmaking in cross-cultural contexts, with a focus on South America, Asia, Africa, Indigenous North America, polar, outer space, and underwater exploration.

Format: Hardback
Length: 338 pages
Publication date: 30 December 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Drawing together a remarkable collection of 18 contributions from esteemed international scholars, this comprehensive book delves into the intricate and multifaceted history of cinema's profound connection to diverse modes of exploration throughout its century-long journey. Spanning from colonialist expeditions to decolonial radical cinemas and the perceptual voyage of the senses enabled by the cinematic apparatus, this anthology offers a groundbreaking exploration of cinema's relationship to exploration from a global, decolonial, and ecological perspective.

As the first dedicated anthology to analyze this captivating relationship, it brings together leading scholars who employ innovative interdisciplinary methodologies, drawing upon insights from science and technology studies, postcolonial theory, indigenous ways of knowing, and film theory and history. This rich tapestry of perspectives allows for a comprehensive theorization of cinema's involvement in imperial conquest, as well as its cutting-edge role in empirical expansion and experiments in sensual and critical perception.

The collected essays in this volume examine filmmaking in diverse cross-cultural contexts, encompassing films made in or about regions such as South America, Asia, Africa, Indigenous North America, as well as polar, outer space, and underwater exploration. Prominent figures like Jacques Yves Cousteau join forces with amateur and scientific filmmakers, showcasing the rich diversity of cinematic voices and approaches.

This collection of essays is an invaluable resource for a wide range of scholars, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students in cinema and media studies, cultural studies, and related fields. It provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary framework for understanding the complex interplay between cinema, exploration, and the broader socio-cultural landscapes of our world. By exploring the historical, theoretical, and methodological dimensions of this relationship, this book offers a profound and thought-provoking exploration of the cinematic imagination and its role in shaping our understanding of the world.

Weight: 634g
Dimension: 162 x 237 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138602984