The Futurities conference series returns with its second installment, Futurities II, a dynamic forum exploring the evolving dialogues between Chinese and American film and media theories. This year’s program brings together scholars, researchers, and practitioners to examine how cinematic languages, and cultural imaginaries circulate across national and linguistic borders.
The conference will take place from 3:30–6:30 PM in Dodge 511. The evening will conclude with a reception (6:30–8:30 PM in Dodge 512), offering a space for participants and audience members to continue the conversation.
Conference Coordinator: Eve Guo (student)
Schedule
3:30 PM
Keynote Speech
Xiaoxi Shi, Associate Professor, Nankai University.
“Understanding Chinese Film Cultural Criticism”
3:45–4 PM
Guest Lecture
Jim Cheng, Director C.V. Starr East Asian Library, Columbia University
“Newly Available Library Streaming Service of the China Study Film Collection”
4–5 PM
Panel 1 | “Envisioning: A New Spatiality of the Future”
Chair, Haoze Guan
“A Marxian Critique of Non-place”
Juntao Yang
“An Unsettling Ground: The Making of Earthquake-Media, a Rupture—Geological, Political, and Temporal—in Wenchuan, 2008”
Jiaze Li
“Punches, Kicks, and Cuts: Cinematic Language in Chinese and American Action Sequence”
Elliot Gong
“Translating the 'Bandung Spirit,' Combating Diplomatic Isolation: On the Organization and Invitation Process of the 1957 Asian Film Week”
5–5:45 PM
Panel 2 | “Emerging: Transnational Images and Imageries”
Chair, Eve Guo
“Manufacturing (In)Difference: Chinese Female Labour Images as a Modality in Transnational Documentaries”
Hilary Chew
“Hong Kong Futurities: The Power of Undead Monsters in Juno Mak’s Rigor Mortis”
Sherry Song
“Margins and Myths: Anna May Wong, Oriental Femininity, and the Transnational Visual Economy of Early Hollywood”
5:45–6:30 PM
Panel 3 | “Encountering: The Intermediacy of Film and Beyond”
Chair, Sidnee Lim
“The Fan Video Edit as Queer Informal Pastiche”
Jingyi Zhang
“The Visibility and Invisibility of the Operational Image”
Matthew Huh
“Pastiche and Nostalgia in Lion King and Spider-Verse”
6:30–8:30 PM
Reception
The reception will take place in Dodge 512
Registration
School of the Arts alums will need a QR code to enter campus. The QR code is valid for same-day use only.
Please email Program Assistant Andrew Castillo ([email protected]) no later than August 25, 2025, including the following information in your message:
- UNI
- First Name
- Last Name
- Email Address
- Visit Details (purpose, date, and time of visit)
If you have any questions, please reach out by email. If you experience any issues entering the building, you may contact the Program Assistant at 212-854-2815.
To ensure smooth entry, please plan to arrive 30 minutes to 1 hour early.
