ARTS

PROJECTING THE

Collectively, the pandemic brought us into the unknown, and over this past year, film, television, and media have looked different. Tufts’ Film and Media Studies Program kept its students prepared and informed on those changes and hopeful for the future.

BY CHRIS PANELLA ’21

The COVID-19 pandemic closed many of the movie theaters and venues we’ve come to love, making the past year more focused on streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ than ever before. And while there’s hope for movie theaters as lockdowns lift and reopening occurs, it’s important to question the impact of COVID-19 on entertainment. That’s the mindset of Tufts’ Film and Media Studies Program, which has organized a handful of virtual events about the pandemic and filmmaking. “We wanted to bring people who could talk knowledgeably about this topic,” says department director Malcolm Turvey, “and perhaps other changes in filmmaking that might occur, or have already occurred, as a result of the pandemic.”

The first talk focused on theatrical distribution, highlighting its history and status before COVID-19. The speakers discussed possible futures for movie theaters and streaming platforms, which provided insight for students and faculty interested in the topic. “As experts, they might have some thought[s] about what’s going to happen to theatrical exhibition and

FUTURE OF FILM

what was already happening to it prior to the pandemic,” Turvey explains. It’s an excellent way to contextualize what Film and Media Studies students are learning in classrooms—as they study in classes like Global History of Cinema and Art of the Moving Image, students are invited to think more about the industry’s current situations.

Turvey looked forward to inviting filmmaker and professor Dehanza Rogers to speak with Tufts students about representation in film. It’s an important topic regardless of COVID-19. “Rogers has a podcast called ‘Color Correcting the Narrative,’ and can speak to diversity, inclusion, and equity in filmmaking,” Turvey says. He adds that Rogers’ talk would be particularly useful for students who are interested in documentary filmmaking and how the medium has and will change as a result of COVID-19. These talks, along with the Film and Media Studies Program’s “FMS COVID-eo Film Festival,” show faculty’s commitment to providing exciting opportunities to students despite the pandemic. The festival, which occurred in December 2020, was the program’s first student film festival and competition. It allowed students to produce and showcase work that directly responded to life during COVID-19. This all ties into a sort of positive of the COVID era—with technologies like Zoom, more people can attend virtual events and visit campus, without having to leave their homes. “The great thing about remote forms of communication,” Turvey explains, “is that we can have people who are distant from Tufts interacting with our community.” Of course, that doesn’t replace the in-person interaction that’s currently missing during the pandemic. But as Turvey suggests, it is a great way for students to connect with experts and scholars who they might’ve not been able to before. “It’s always very helpful to have people from the industry, especially alums, come to campus. They show students that the transition from being a student to having a viable career in film and media is possible and rewarding.”