I co-curated this one-day symposium and accompanying film screening programme alongside David Anderson (UCL) in June and July 2019. An international line-up of researchers, practitioners, artists and critics joined us for a series of conversations and screenings on the concept and practice of the urban essay film.

The global range of work showcased the liveliness of this form of filmmaking, which has travelled far beyond its largely European origins as an experimental form linked to the early twentieth-century ‘city symphony’. A new generation of artists are using the medium as research critique or celebration of the city.

This was explored in two keynotes by Nora M. Alter (Temple University) and Laura Rascaroli (University College Cork), who provided fascinating commentaries on how the essay film is used as a multi-sensory tool to explore aspects of our neoliberal condition. Further panels invited debate on Identities—both in the context of city branding and that of individual and collective experiences—and Peripheralities—the representation of cities’ margins and the experience of marginality itself.

The symposium was accompanied by a successful month-long screening series with our partners at Bertha DocHouse in the Curzon Bloomsbury, and with Deptford Cinema. An opening night presented an evening of exemplary urban shorts from Lisbon to London and New York to Buenos Aires, including three UK premieres. Other evenings highlighted the work of pioneering film essayists such as Chantal Akerman, John Akomfrah and Xialou Guo, paired with emerging artists including Ayo Akingbade, Max Colson, Sharone Lifschitz, and Manuel Ferrari.

We worked closely with graphic designer Matthew Chrislip to present a cohesive identity across our communication platforms.

Find out more: ucl.ac.uk/urban-lab/events/2019/jun/city-essay-film