![]() The notice will also include an invitation to the Zoom discussion.Īll films are available for rental on Amazon Prime (with membership), except for “The Wind Rises,” which is available for purchase only ($12). That notice will include a URL for the pair’s Vimeo introduction to the film and a PDF of that week’s Goldenrod Handout. 6.Īn email notification about each film will be sent out on the Saturday before the Zoom discussion date to students registered for Christian and Jackson’s “Film Directors” class (ENG 381), as well as to the English department’s discussion list and to the Buffalo Film Seminars’ listserv (email Jackson or Christian to get on the BFS listserv). The weekly discussions of the films this fall are taking place via Zoom at 7 p.m. “It’s a tradeoff,” he says of conducting the series remotely, versus in the theater. ![]() Jackson adds that UB alumni from all over the country are taking part in the series - alumni residing in Vancouver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New York City and elsewhere are now “remote BFS regulars.” “Many might not want to do the whole series but might check in for a favorite or new film.” “I think it could be a real alumni project,” she says. She notes that many former students and UB alumni want to stay in touch via serious film discussion. “And there has been such powerful interest in sharing them by Zoom that our audience has really expanded.” “People adjusted to seeing films separately from introductions and discussion,” says Christian, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the English department. And since the introductions and the discussions for the films are available on Vimeo, anyone can access them at any time. Jackson says he and Christian have found that students participate “much more vigorously” in the discussion when access is remote. Staying remote has allowed the class size to increase from 35 to 50 students, Jackson says, pointing out that when the series is held in the theater, student seating has to be limited to leave enough seats for the general public for the event to be economically feasible for the theater operator. “We miss the big screen, but we like the certainty of access remote provides.” We didn’t know if people would be wearing masks in theaters in the fall,” he says, noting that it would be “impossible” to have a discussion in a large theater with all, or much of the audience, masked. “There had been a recent spike in the numbers. “The COVID situation was still volatile” when it came time earlier this year to finalize the location for the class, explains Jackson, SUNY Distinguished Professor and James Agee Professor of American Culture in the Department of English. The unique environment for the Buffalo Film Seminars - the series traditionally has taken place in the Dipson Amherst Theatre across Main Street from the South Campus - played a role in the decision to remain remote this semester. While Bruce Jackson and Diane Christian maintain that movies are meant to be seen on the big screen, in the company of others, the series’ online screenings and discussions during the past two years have opened the series to viewers who would otherwise not have the opportunity to participate. The uncertainty of the pandemic is keeping the Buffalo Film Seminars remote again this fall.īut that’s not entirely a bad thing, according to the UB faculty hosts of the popular film series, which opens its 45th edition on Aug.
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