After a six-year hiatus, the film and media studies speaker series has made a comeback. Presentations have been given to students by a range of prominent scholars from various backgrounds, each bringing their distinct viewpoints and areas of expertise to the floor. Three presentations are part of the series this semester.

On Sept. 27, Lalitha Gopalan, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, provided a presentation regarding the book, “From Archive to Gallery.” A wide range of topics and strategies were discussed, such as the specifics of interacting with movies, when to step away from the realm of video and how to move around an immersive gallery setting.

On Wednesday, assistant professor Pardis Dabashi from Bryn Mawr College visited to talk about her book, “Losing the Plot: Film and Feeling in the Modern Novel.”

“She’s a super interesting interdisciplinary scholar,” Katherine Groo, associate professor of film and media studies, said. “Her book is looking at the way that classical Hollywood cinema influenced the modern novel writers at the early part of the 20th century.”

Paige Mathieu ‘24, a film and media studies major, is excited about the future of this series.

“I think they’re just really exciting opportunities to get to learn about research that’s happening in the film world,” Mathieu said. “But just to get that outside perspective and get a wider idea of what’s kind of going on in the film world is really, really exciting.”

“I really appreciate that our professors took the time to organize these events for us,” Mathieu continued. “They’re not always easy to coordinate and so just the fact that they really see the value in them for us and then take the time to make sure they happen is just greatly appreciated.”

The last event for the semester will take place on Nov. 8, where assistant professor Kartik Nair from Temple University will be giving a talk on his forthcoming book, “Seeing Things: Spectral Materialities of Bombay Horror.” It will take place from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at 248 N. Third Street in the Media 2 room.

Groo encourages all individuals to attend the upcoming events.

“For undergraduate students, I think this is an interesting way for them to see when to sort of see someone demonstrate Film and Media Studies research,” Groo said. “I also think for students beyond film and media studies, there’s this sort of array, this wide spectrum of research that’s unfolding out there. I just think you should try to take advantage of as much of it as you possibly can.”