Tickets are now available for the Autism Through Cinema conference. It will take place on the 13th & 14th January 2023 at BLOC Cinema, Queen Mary University of London. Entry is free but places are limited so make sure to book ahead:
We're very excited to welcome Remi Yergeau as our keynote speaker. Remi's book Authoring Autism: On Rhetoric and Neuroqueerness (Duke University Press) has been an essential read ever since its publication in 2018 and has transformed the way many of us think about autism and neurodivergence. The details of Remi's keynote are still underwraps for now, but we're very excited to hear their take on the presence and expression of autism on the screen.
Joining Remi are a whole host of our collaborators and colleagues from across the four years of the Autism Through Cinema project. The whole podcast gang are in action with presentations from Georgia Bradburn, Ethan Lyon, Lillian Crawford, Alex Widdowson and David Hartley. We'll also hear from two former podcast special guests, the performance artist Alicia Radage and voice actor Sumita Majumdar, as well as Maggi Hurt and Benjamin Brown from our 'relaxed screenings' episode. We're also delighted to welcome Peter Bonnell, artistic director of Derby QUAD, Professor Ginny Russell from the University of Exeter, as well as our own project leads Professor Janet Harbord and Professor Steven Eastwood.
The panel topics will include:
Collaboration and Co-creation
Cinema Through Autism: Autistic Aesthetics & Presence
Atypicality in a Typical Industry
Re-screening Empathy
We're also delighted to include a curated programme of short films created or co-created by autistic filmmakers, and a specially selected feature film chosen by Citizen Autistic. All of this will take place in our shiny new BLOC Cinema venue on campus at Queen Mary, University of London, which has been purpose built with neurodivergent accessibility in mind.
The conference will be open and suitable for anyone interested in the intersections of autism and screen media, from film fans to scholars, creative practitioners and those who work in the industry. Grab your ticket now and join us in January for a celebration of the autistic transformation of the cinema screen!
