<em>Kinoculture</em> - An Introduction

By Annette Insdorf

I am pleased to introduce readers to Kinoculture, a new venture created by Columbia University film students. The publication offers the opportunity for informed cinephiles to discuss motion pictures, their creators, and the questions raised onscreen. Whether from a historical, theoretical, or close-analytical perspective, this publication invites serious consideration of how cinematic language is used to tell a compelling story. 

When I was on the Jury of the Berlin Film Festival in 1998, our disparate group of artists and critics needed some shared criteria for judging excellence. With the support of Jury President Ben Kingsley, I proposed the following standards, which we adopted:

1) a meaningful and/or entertaining story, worth the proverbial price of admission;

2) the appropriate cinematic language used for the tale being told and, in the best of cases, a stretching of form that widens cinematic storytelling;

3) a resonance that continues after the film is over---a philosophical or spiritual illumination of behavior that makes us better human beings. My approach—anchored in film history as well as close analysis of cinematic texts—is hardly the only one offered in our classes. My esteemed colleagues engage with areas that range from “Cult and Exploitation” to (increasingly) New Media. 

Having taught in the Film Program of Columbia’s School of the Arts for four decades, I am aware of our students’ vibrant curiosity, dedicated work ethic, and passionate embrace of international cinema. Kinoculture can be seen as another step in the evolution from a high-class film fandom to sophisticated writing. Here’s to a robust launch!

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Columbia University Film Professor Annette Insdorf served as Director of Undergraduate Film Studies for 27 years. Her books include Cinematic Overtures: How to Read Opening Scenes.