This course explores the video essay as a "minor" mode of thinking and creating (in the Deleuze-Guattari sense), an "accented" approach that foregrounds vulnerability, affect, and care. By positioning the video essay in relation to traditional (i.e., accent-less) scholarship, the course emphasizes its imperfect mode of production and the affective engagement of the "cinephiliac" video essayist with the media object. Students will read foundational texts on video essay theory, engage with critical, affect and accent studies, and discuss concepts of vulnerability, disability, and resilience.

The works of Italy's most influential filmmaker in the most crucial years of Italy's recent history (1953-1973) are examined to understand the persuasive power of the mise-en-scene that, while presenting itself as totally false, induces a powerful sense of experiential truth in the audience. By understanding how Fellini persuade us with his stories, we understand how we are made of stories ourselves.

This course introduces students to the history, practice, and cultural impact of film festivals, with a special focus on UMass Amherst's long-standing tradition of festival curation and programming. UMass has been home to a vibrant festival culture for decades, including the Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival (MMFF, now in its 30+ years), the Catalan Film Festival, and the Latin American, Indigenous, and Lusophone film festivals, among others.

We will view, analyze, and discuss films by modern documentary masters such as Michael Moore ("Sicko"), Chris Paine, ("Revenge of the Electric Car"), Seth Gordon ("The King of Kong - A Fistful of Quarters"), Pamela Yates ("Granito") and many others to further the understanding of the documentary craft and art from a filmmaker's perspective. Students will also do preproduction (research and treatment) for their own short documentary, along with shorter hands-on exercises in writing narration, interview techniques, etc.

We will view, analyze, and discuss films by modern documentary masters such as Michael Moore ("Sicko"), Chris Paine, ("Revenge of the Electric Car"), Seth Gordon ("The King of Kong - A Fistful of Quarters"), Pamela Yates ("Granito") and many others to further the understanding of the documentary craft and art from a filmmaker's perspective. Students will also do preproduction (research and treatment) for their own short documentary, along with shorter hands-on exercises in writing narration, interview techniques, etc.