Program in Film and Media Studies Spring 2026 Colloquium Series

This talk outlines an approach to writing a new history of early cinema in the Russian Empire, one that moves beyond the familiar canon, incorporates newly accessible archival materials, and draws on current film and media studies methods to revisit a body of work that remains understudied. Unlike many other early cinema traditions, early Russsian cinema still alcks a comprehensive history in English, and existing narrative depned heavily on a small group of canonical films by Evgeny Bauer and Piotr Chardynin, whiile many surviving titles and the much larger lost corpus receive very little or no attention. Using new archival findings alongside the recently launched Daydreams database, which brings together production data, plot summaries, personnel networks, and censorship records, I employ large-scale analysis of narrative patterns ("distant viewing") to trace broader trends, reconsider transnational contexts, and highlight the often-overlooked contributions of women in the industry. The goal is not the offer a definiitve account, but to suggest how reent evidence and methods may support a revised and more inclusive history of this period.