Round Table Discussion: PETER WATKINS: MOCKUMENTARY, DOCUMENTARY, DOCUDRAMA, THE MEDIA CRISIS
Sun Nov 9, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Round Table Discussion:
PETER WATKINS: MOCKUMENTARY, DOCUMENTARY, DOCUDRAMA, THE MEDIA CRISIS
Sunday Nov. 9 - 4:30pm-6:00pm
Cinematheque - 100 Arthur St.
Download the essay here
With films like Culloden (1964), The War Game (1965), Privilege (1967) and Punishment Park (1971) among filmic canon, fiercely individualistic director Peter Watkins is considered a pioneer of the genre now colloquially referred to as “mockumentary”. In his films, Watkins frequently addresses issues such as authoritarianism, militarism and public mass-manipulation, and has prepared a 10-page essay exclusively for this conference that speaks to ‘The Media Crisis’ - the heavily counter-productive role played by the global mass audiovisual media since their marked expansion following the development of TV in the 1950s. Copies of this essay are available throughout the festival at the box office; please pick one up and read at your leisure so that you may join us for what is sure to be an enlightening and provocative round table discussion.