no. 5

Die Sonneninsel (The Sun Island): European Growth, Ideals, Aspirations, and Intricacies

Floris Paalman takes a considered look at Thomas Elsaesser's documentary Die Sonneninsel (The Sun Island). The construction of the European Central Bank on the site of Frankfurt's former wholesale market – a building designed by Elsaesser's grandfather, Martin – offers an opportunity to probe architectural and family history, in what Paalman terms "auto-media archaeology."

The Margaret Atwood Renaissance

In our continuing look back at the year that was 2017, Hunter Vaughan reflects on Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, and popular culture's potential as a tool for social responsibility and engagement.

Naz & Maalik

Concluding our look back at the year that was 2017, Amy Corbin reflects on the lessons learned from an evening at the cinema, and the audience conversation after a screening of Jay Dockendorf's Naz & Maalik.

Teach Me How to Dougie

In our ongoing look at the year that was 2017, Nina Cartier calls our attention to a seemingly-ephemeral moment in the wake of one of the year's biggest political surprises, exploring the racial and gender subtext of that time when Doug Jones taught us how to Dougie.

The Punch

When is a punch more than just a punch? In the next installment of our look back at the year that was, Nathan Holmes reflects on the "important semiotic damage" of a prominent white supremacist getting punched in the face with cameras rolling.

Moving Image Archives as Urban Palimpsest

In this installment of our From the Archives section, Nicholas Avedisian-Cohen explores the history of the Echo Park Film Center and its relationship to the city of Los Angeles, suggesting that we can observe the process of urban change at work through the holdings of film archives.