Arctic Cinemas: Essays on Polar Spaces and the Popular Imagination - Paperback

by Kylo-Patrick R. Hart (Editor)

Arctic cinemas represent a noteworthy new subfield of film studies, and in the current era of unprecedented global warming, interest in the Arctic region and its cinematic portrayals has never been greater. Individually and collectively, films pertaining to Arctic inhabitants and experiences have substantially influenced viewer perceptions of the region throughout the world, often serving as blank slates for the fantasies and projections of individuals elsewhere with regard to its challenging landscape and perceived "otherworldliness."

Written by a blend of academic scholars, artists, and filmmakers, this collection of essays provides a transnational overview of the variety of works--ranging from art films and documentaries to horror and road movies--that fall under the conceptual rubric of "Arctic cinemas," and examines their contributions to past and present perceptions of the Arctic. Theoretical and analytical approaches represented here include critical theory, cultural studies, ecocriticism, ethnography, gender studies, genre theory, historiography, and indigenous studies.

Author Biography

Kylo-Patrick R. Hart is chair of the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media at Texas Christian University, where he teaches courses in film and television history, theory, and criticism and queer media studies. He is the founding co-editor of the academic journal Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture and the author of several books about media.