Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS

@nontheatricalscms

Official page of the Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group of @SCMStudies. Sign up for our newsletter 'Nontheatrical News’ by emailing: nontheatricalnews@listserv.dfn.de

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Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Jul 13

🚨 New #nontheatricalfilm scholarship alert! 🚨 Hahkyung Darline Kim’s "Psychological Operations of Documentary (P)reenactment in USIS-Korea Films” @jcmsjournal.bsky.social vol. 65, no. 3 (Spring 2026): 33-53. doi.org/10.1353/cj.2...

Article title: Psychological Operations of Documentary (P)reenactment in USIS-Korea Films

Author: Hahkyung Darline Kim

Abstract:
Scholarship on Cold War US film diplomacy and the institutional history of US information agencies has largely focused on government documents and archivally preserved films. This article instead applies critical discourse analysis to the production contexts of both extant and nonextant state-sponsored films. It examines how US information operations in post-liberation and postwar Korea used the documentary format to project a free world imaginary. I argue that the simultaneously backward-casting and forward-projecting performance of (p)reenactment in films by the United States Information Service in Korea (USIS-Korea) and its predecessors was central to shaping new norms of South Korean citizenship.

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Jun 17

ATTN active @scmstudies.bsky.social members of the Nontheatrical Film & Media Scholarly Interest Group. Elections for our new co-chair are now underway. Polls upon through 30 June. We are lucky to have three stellar candidates. Check your email for candidate statements and voting link! 🗳️

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Jun 1

CFP alert! "Filmstrips, slides and beyond: Entangled histories of projected images in Europe, 1945–2000” for TMG: Journal of Media History. Abstract deadline 1 October 2026. tmgonline.nl/announcement...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· May 13

The Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television has issued a call for an Editorial Assistant. Great opportunity for a PhD Candidate! Interested candidates should contact the journal co-editors at hjfrt.1981[at]gmail[dot]com before 25 May. See visuals (with alt text) for more details!

Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television — CALL FOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

The Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television is one of the leading academic journals concerned with all aspects of media history from circa 1900 to the present. It is international and interdisciplinary in scope, and explores the institutional and ideological contexts of film, radio and television; analyses the evidence produced by the mass media for historians and social scientists; and considers the impact of mass communications on political, social and cultural history. It is the official journal of the International Association for Media and History (IAMHIST), co-published by IAMHIST and Taylor & Francis. All articles published in the journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editorial screening and the opinion of at least two anonymous referees.

ABOUT THE ROLE
The Editorial Assistant will be expected to assume the following responsibilities:
- Providing administrative assistance to the journal’s editorial team, including preparing and circulating the team meeting agenda and taking minutes at the monthly editorial meetings.
- Assisting the editorial team with managing manuscript peer review within a reasonable timeframe, using an online submission system (training will be provided)
- Checking whether submitted manuscripts meet the stylistic requirements of the journal
- Answering author queries and communicating with authors and reviewers
- Preparing, in collaboration with the co-editors, semi-annual reports on the journal for the IAMHIST council – including, among other aspects – metrics on journal performance, impact factors, activities of the editorial team, themed issues, marketing activities and future directions).
- Promoting the reputation, success and prosperity of the journal together with the editorial team and IAMHIST.

The ideal candidate will be expected to satisfy the following criteria:
- Be a PhD candidate, in a discipline concerned with media history and archival research
- Proficiency in English with very good writing skills
- Exceptional organizational skills and collaborative team-oriented approach
- Basic understanding of the peer-review procedure

WHAT WE OFFER
The benefits of the role include:
- Full training and support in the online submission and peer review system
- Free access to the journal
- Inclusion of your name in every issue of the journal and on its website
- Early access to cutting-edge research
- A chance to expand your professional network in media history
- An annual honorarium from IAMHIST
- Invitation to IAMHIST conferences and gatherings

The successful candidate is expected to serve in the role for at least one year. This role will require 2-3 hours of work per week.

Expressions of interest, including a short bio can be sent to the journal co-editors (hjfrt.1981@gmail.com) before 25th May 2026.

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· May 5

We hear the latest issue of THE MOVING IMAGE— @amianet.bsky.social's peer review journal—just dropped! A special issue on Government Film edited by Brian Real. Nine new peer-reviewed articles spanning 1920s to ‘80s (if the TOC is any indication). 1/

Cover of THE MOVING IMAGE journal, Spring/Fall 2024. Orange cover with image of global map.

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Apr 4

Blog post on another #Orphans2026 presentation next week! @orphanfilm.bsky.social Wua Ling Wu on Digitizing Portuguese Revolutionary Home Movies 🇵🇹 #nontheatricalfilm #homemovies wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Apr 1

And from a few days ago! Blog post by Gu Xue (FamilyLens) on his upcoming #Orphans2026 presentation about home movie archiving in contemporary China. He’ll present with Ann Lyuwenyu Zhang (NYU) + Dwight Swanson @orphanfilm.bsky.social wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Apr 1

Another #Orphans2026 preview just dropped. Andrea Callard & Ana Marie on video works from New York City artists’ group Collaborative Projects Inc. (COLAB) + Monday/Wednesday/Friday Video Club (MFW). Works preserved by XFR Collective. 📼 @orphanfilm.bsky.social wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Apr 1

Another preview for #Orphans2026. Owen Gottlieb will present his work on ‘orphaned television,’ specifically an episode of the series "Inside/Out” produced by the The Agency for Instructional Technology (AIT). The episode is held at Indiana U’s Moving Image Archive. wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Apr 1

Another @orphanfilm.bsky.social blog post we missed! John Morton of the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound on his upcoming presentation of newly restored 16mm color films from 1939 made in "The Volunteer State.” Symposium starts in one week! wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Apr 1

ICYMI the @orphanfilm.bsky.social blog has been rolling out loads of essays about films featured in their upcoming symposium. Here’s one from a past SIG co-chair @martinlj.bsky.social about a 1960s work made by the North Carolina Film Board #Orphans2026 wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Mar 18

We’re hosting an off-site event at @scmstudies.bsky.social 2026 — a field trip to the Chicago Film Archives on Friday, March 27 from 10:00am to 11:00am! Limited space available. Please RSVP by March 24 via email to azborowska[at]uchicago[dot]edu. Image and 🧵for more details. 1/

OFF-SITE EVENT @ SCMS2026
 Site Visit to Chicago Film Archives, Friday, March 27, 2026, 10:00-11:00am, Chicago  

Join the tour of the Chicago Film Archives, a non-profit regional film archive dedicated to identifying, collecting, preserving, and providing access to films that represent the Midwest. It was established in late 2003, originally to preserve and catalog over five thousand 16mm films donated by the Chicago Public Library. CFA currently holds over 40,000 films and other media, including works by avant-garde and experimental artists, documentary, industrial films, as well as amateur and home movies. This visit is hosted by the SCMS Nontheatrical Film and Media SIG.

Chicago Film Archives Director of Communications & Operations Becca Hall will give us a tour of the facilities and talk about CFA's history, collection, and approach to working with nontheatrical materials.

Space at Chicago Film Archives is limited and can accommodate approximately 20 participants. Please RSVP by March 24, via email to Agata Zborowska (azborowska@uchicago.edu).

The organizers will welcome participants on site, in front of the Chicago Film Archives building. Each participant will receive detailed information about public transportation, including a map showing how to get to the archive on their own (it takes about 30 min, is easy, and convenient!).

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Mar 6

New(ish) book of note for the amateur film fans! Ciara Chambers’s OUTSIDER CINEMA: INDEPENDENT AND AMATEUR FILMMAKING IN NORTHERN IRELAND, 1929-1989 from Edinburgh University Press. www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Feb 4

New batch of essays on Film Atlas. Latest batch of essays published includes 8mm sound-on-disc system, 16mm nitrate film, Ukrainian optical sound, some of the earliest photographic moving images shown to the public and an inventive amateur widescreen format. www.filmatlas.com

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Feb 4

🔊👂Listen up! New podcast of interest just dropped! Dr. Zoë Viney Burges on women amateur filmmakers featured on Infinite Women podcast. #amateurfilmmaking #womenmakemovies #nontheatricalfilm creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

Picture: Filmmaker Grace Allington, pictured using a cine camera. Grace made films with her husband Jack Allington and her work was discovered as part of the Women in Focus/Empowering Archivists project. Image courtesy of University of East Anglia.

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Jan 29

Looks like physical copies of A CENTURY OF 16MM: THE REMAKING OF CINEMA are circulating! Editors Gregory A. Waller + Haidee Wasson assembled a ⭐ list of contributors. academic.oup.com/book/61621?l... Photo credit: @tepperman.bsky.social A door stopper at 28mm in width, apparently. IYKYK.

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Jan 28

Congrats to all the @scmstudies.bsky.social award winners! We’re especially excited to see that TWO of the three student award recipients seem to be working on #nontheatricalfilm and adjacent topics! (No shade intended towards Dorothy Arzner, we love her too!)

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Dec 30

Spotted: Mr. and Mrs. DeWinter (the 2nd) watching their honeymoon home movies in Hitchcock’s REBECCA.

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Dec 16

This spring Liz Czach published on Judith Crawley’s FOUR APPLE DISHES (1940) in @femmediahist.bsky.social issue on “Nontheatrical Medias” ed. by @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social + @tanyagoldman.bsky.social. We’re excited to learn more abt. her in new issue of Canadian Journal of Film & Media Studies!

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Dec 11

Educational film existed in a much broader multimedia ecosystem that often included film strips — a ubiquitious mid-20th century form that has been neglected! Thus we’re very excited to learn of this exciting EU project, a collaboration between scholars in UK + Germany! relocatingfilmstrips.eu

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Dec 7

( #Nontheatrical ) Movie Theaters Forever. ❤️ Source: Ida Lupino and 16mm projector in The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine, Twilight Zone Episode S01E04 (1959)

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Dec 5

Our SIG meeting will be starting in 20 minutes! @scmstudies.bsky.social members, check your inbox for agenda + details on how to access the symposium platform. All welcome!

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Nov 30

Spotted by @orphanfilm.bsky.social from Prelinger Archives @archive.org. YOUR FAMILY — a 1948 Coronet Film about how families should watch home movies together! Love to see it! 📽️🎞️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=0faq...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Nov 13

Now available online! A CENTURY IN 16MM: THE REMAKING OF CINEMA (eds. Gregory A. Waller + Haidee Wasson) from @oxfordacademic.bsky.social. Featuring 23 essays on diverse uses and applications of the small gauge format worldwide! Available in print in early 2026. academic.oup.com/book/61621

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Oct 14

More CFP details in alt-text visual.

Submissions should be e-mailed directly to the issue editor. Manuscripts should include the title of the contribution, name of author(s), postal address, e-mail address, and a phone number for the author who will work with the editor on revisions. Contributions should not exceed 5,000 words. Please include a brief abstract and author bio for publicity purposes.

Articles submitted should not be under consideration by any other journals.

Authors should send copies of their work via e-mail as electronic attachments. Files should be formatted in the latest version of Microsoft Word and endnotes should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style.

Upon acceptance, a detailed format/style sheet will be forwarded to all contributors as to the requirements for the submission of images and text.

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Oct 14

CFP — “The Amateur Reconsidered: Media, Labor, Publics” Spectator Special Issue (Volume 46.2 Fall 2026) Essay submissions due December 1, 2025. See images with alt text here and in thread for CFP details. 1/

Spectator Special Issue: The Amateur Reconsidered: Media, Labor, Publics (Volume 46.2 Fall 2026)

The category of the “amateur” has long been marked by instability. Etymologically linked to love (amator), the amateur historically signified passion and connoisseurship, yet in modern usage it has oscillated between devotion and dilettantism. This semantic tension has shaped how amateur practice has been positioned within aesthetic discourse, labor history, and the formation of the public sphere.
Cinema and media studies has repeatedly returned to amateurism to both dismiss it and laud its critical and creative possibilities. Accounts of home movies and small-gauge film cultures once considered them part of the marginalia of personal or domestic life, but scholarship has since demonstrated their aesthetic, social, and historical significance. Scholarship, including Patricia Zimmermann’s foundational work, has situated amateur media within broader institutional and discursive frameworks, from the formation of aesthetic norms in clubs and contests to the intersections of labor history, expertise, and the public/private divide. Simultaneously, amateur practice has been examined as a counter-aesthetic and an alternative mode of production, as in Maya Deren’s “Amateur Versus Professional” (1959), which framed amateur film as resistant to the industrial logics of Hollywood. Yet amateurism has also been understood as politically mobilized: Soviet avant-garde circles and interwar Japanese movements such as Prokino envisioned the amateur as a figure of collectivism, workers’ culture, and social transformation. These diverse trajectories indicate that amateurism has never been a singular phenomenon, but rather a contested and heterogeneous category that both reflects and unsettles the boundaries of cultural production and consumption.

At a moment when digital platforms both amplify non-professional production and intensify regimes of credentialization, amateurism demands renewed critical scrutiny. How might the consideration of amateur practice illuminate shifting conceptions of authorship, expertise, and creativity? In what ways does amateurism negotiate or contest the professionalization of cultural life? And how might the figure of the amateur reframe our understandings of mediation, publicness, and the politics of work and play?

This special issue of Spectator seeks contributions that interrogate amateurism as a theoretical and historical category across media forms and cultural contexts. We welcome essays that draw from diverse archives and methodologies, including studies of amateur film and video, domestic and vernacular media, digital platforms, and transnational amateur practices.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
Histories and theories of amateur media
Digital platforms and amateur media
Amateur media in a transnational/global context
The politics of amateurism
The aesthetics of amateur media
Leisure, hobbies, audienceship, and labor
Home movies
Fandom
Preservation and archival practices regarding amateur media
Pedagogical approaches to amateur media
Book reviews of recent scholarship examining amateur media

Deadline for Submission: December 1, 2025

Spectator is a biannual publication by the University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Division of Cinema & Media Studies.
Manuscripts to be considered for publication should be sent to:

Issue Editor: Wakae Nakane
USC School of Cinematic Arts
900 W. 34th St. Suite 320
Los Angeles, CA-90089
wnakane@usc.edu

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Aug 19

Some exciting books from @ucpress.bsky.social of interest to our community are dropping this fall! The Development Film in the Americas by Molly Geidel + Pipeline Cinema: The Cultural Infrastructure of Oil Extraction in Iran and Iraq by Mona Damluji #FilmSky #AcademicSky

Cover of book: The Development Film in the Americas by Molly Geidel

Cover for book:
Pipeline Cinema: The Cultural Infrastructure of Oil Extraction in Iran and Iraq by Mona Damluji

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Jul 2

"A geographical film is cinema as much as Ben Hur. A film designed to teach children the alphabet has as much claim to be considered cinema as a grandiose production with psychological pretensions." — Jean Renoir, 1974

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· Jun 26

New issue of journal SCREEN includes essay by Georgie Carr on recruitment films produced, distributed, and exhibited by police forces in U.K. schools during 1960s and '70s. "Coercive Cinema Coercive cinema: police film in schools, 1966–75" doi.org/10.1093/scre...

Nontheatrical Film and Media Scholarly Interest Group SCMS@nontheatricalscms· May 1

New issue of THE MOVING IMAGE dropped a few weeks. It's devoted entirely to #16mm film! #nontheatricalfilm muse.jhu.edu/issue/54229