日本映画学研究会

[Peter B. High]

Sorry to be so late in getting this information out to you:

ANNOUNCEMENT: NATION-WIDE GRADUATE STUDENT FILM STUDIES RESEARCH             
ORGANIZATION TO BE LAUNCHED ON SATURDAY, JUNE 3rd 


The first meeting of the Nihon Eigagaku Kenkyukai (the Japan Film Studies 
Research Circle)  will be held at Nagoya University, under the auspices of 
the Graduate School of International Linguistic Culture, on June 3, 2000. 
The purpose of the Circle is to provide a forum for young Japanese 
scholars (mostly, but not limited to, graduate students) specializing in 
film studies. 

The past half-decade has seen a remarkable growth in the number and 
quality of students specializing in the field, spurred in part by the 
Ministry of Education's decision to promote media/visual image studies on 
the university level. The number of young Japanese film scholars, 
graduating from domestic universities or returning home with degrees from 
film programs in the U.S. or Europe, has now reached "critical mass," and 
there seems to be a consensus that the time has come for an  organization 
dedicated to addressing the needs and aspirations of the next generation 
of researchers. Although several  scholarly organizations with a focus on 
cinema already exist in Japan, the Nihon Eigagaku Kenkyukai will be the 
first of its kind designed specifically to carry out this function. 

At this stage, the bulk of the participants are members of various 
graduate departments at Nagoya University and Kyoto University (with 
specially selected "delegates" sent from Waseda and Meiji Gakuin Daigaku), 
but it is hoped that the Circle will quickly develop into a nation-wide 
organization.

Since this will be the foundational meeting of a brand new research 
organization, much of the time will be spent in a plenary session 
discussing organizational matters. These include 1) election of officers, 
2) setting up a Circle website for  the exchange of information,
3) the establishment of a Circle *kikanshi* or journal. 4) a calander of 
future meetings and events. 

In addition, there will be three presentations: 1) "Film Studies In the 
United States Today"--Fujiki Hideaki (Lecturer, Nagoya University); 2) 
"*Kojima no Haru* Considered As A 'Bunka Eiga'"--Fujii Jinshi (Graduate 
Student, Kyoto University); 3)  "The Function of 'Testimony' In the 
Documentaries of Tsuchimoto Noriaki"--Yokoyama Akiko (Graduate Student, 
Nagoya University).

Although proceedings will be carried out in Japanese, foreign film 
scholars residing in Japan (or who frequently come to Japan) are welcome 
to join and/or attend the meetings of the Japan Film Studies Research 
Circle. 

For further information please contact me (phone# 052-782-9243, or see 
e-mail address at the end of this announcement) or Associate Professor 
Izumi Yoshida (Nagoya Women's University--e-mail address: 
izumiym at mxb.mesh.ne.jp).


Peter B. High
j45843a at nucc.cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp