Besides the Screen: Geographies, Spaces, and Places Outside the Screen 

University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), June 10,11 & 12, 2021     

DEADLINE: April 9, 2021 

As a conclusion to the (slightly delayed) Besides the Screen 10th Anniversary programme of events, the 2021 conference builds upon the network’s previous work examining the continuing transformations of audiovisual practice, to investigate the reconfigurations of screen industries, cultures, spaces and places through examining sites of production, infrastructures of circulation, film festivals, film tourism, and city branding. In short, the way place/space intersects with the multiple sites of production, circulation, promotion and consumption surrounding screen (incl. Film/TV, games, interactive arts) industries and cultures. The conference will explore the more established scholarship related to these topics (film festivals, city branding, transnational co-production, film/TV tourism) as well as expanding the conversation to represent the newly established or emerging topics (e-sports, virtual concerts). 

The conference will be a hybrid (physical/virtual) event hosted at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (CN), in partnership with King’s College, London (UK) and Queen’s University (CA). As ever with BtSN events, the theme of the conference is deliberately expansive to bring together interdisciplinary perspectives and we welcome scholars emerging and established to submit proposals for papers, video essays, and short films dealing with topics such as: 

  • Sites of production, promotion, and consumption 
  • Infrastructures of circulation  
  • Transnational co-productions 
  • Media festivals and theatrical exhibition  
  • Film festivals 
  • E-sports 
  • Virtual events / concerts 
  • Film tourism 
  • Screen media & city branding 

Submission Details: 

Paper proposals should be made via the online form and require the following information: 

  • abstract (under 300 words); 
  • 3-5 keywords; 
  • short biography (150 – 200 words); 
  • your time zone (n.b. the conference will take place in Beijing Standard Time and so we will consider time zones when scheduling real-time panel discussions); 
  • whether you would prefer an in-person or pre-recorded presentation (due to current COVID-19 travel restrictions, we strongly anticipate that people from outside China won’t be able to attend in person). 

Video essay and short film submissions (under 20 minutes) should be made via the online form and require the following information:  

  • a link to the film/video essay;  
  • a short summary (under 300 words); 
  • 3-5 keywords; 
  • biography (150 – 200 words).   

If you experience an issues with the submission form please email besidesthescreen@gmail.com with the email header NINGBO21 –Submission issue. Please note, email submissions will not be accepted. 

Deadline – 9th April 2021. We will accept submissions up to midnight in the proposer’s timezone.  

Submission Form