In the context of a frantic world that celebrates instantaneity and speed, a number of cinemas steeped in contemplation, silence and duration have garnered significant critical attention in recent years, thus resonating with a larger sociocultural movement whose aim is to rescue extended temporal structures from the accelerated tempo of late-capitalism. Although not part, of a structured film movement, directors such as Carlos Reygadas, Tsai Ming-liang, Bela Tarr, Pedro Costa and Kelly Reichardt have been largely subsumed under the term 'slow cinema'. But what exactly is slow cinema? Is it a strictly recent phenomenon or an overarching cinematic tradition? And how exactly do slow cinemas interrelate on an aesthetic, technical and political level? Deploying the concept of slowness as an umbrella category under which filmmakers and traditions from different historical, and geographical backgrounds can fruitfully converge, this innovative collection of essays interrogates and expands the frameworks that have generally informed slow cinema debates. Repositioning the term in a broader theoretical space, the book combines an array of fine-g rained studies that will provide valuable insight into the notion of slowness in the cinema, while mapping out past and contemporary slow films across the globe.
About the AuthorThe Editors: Tiago de-Luca is Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Liverpool. Nuno Barradas Jorge is PhD candidate in the Department of Culture, Film and Media at the University of Nottingham.
Book InformationISBN 9780748696048
Author Tiago de LucaFormat Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Edinburgh University PressPublisher Edinburgh University Press
Weight(grams) 547g