Leicester University, 16-19 July, 2003
(The Conference Programme is now available as an Adobe PDF file.)
Conference Aims
Conference Structure
Plenary Speakers
Other Panels
Prices and Locations
Booking the Conference
About Leicester
Getting to Leicester
Conference Dinners

CONFERENCE AIMS
The aim of this conference is to focus scholarly attention on and generate new research into one of the enduring obsessions of film, radio and television: The Future. To this end we will examine the ways in which the future has been depicted and that representation has been manipulated in various media cultures. We have accepted 103 papers from speakers from at least 21 nations. We will also consider the emerging digital future and its likely impact on media history.

CONFERENCE STRUCTURE
The conference will be subdivided into a key strands each of which will run in parallel, with the entire conference coming together for plenary sessions such as those outlined below. These strands will be

1. The Future on Film, panels dealing with the comparative history of science fiction film around the world, including Australia, Poland, Norway, Spain, Italy, France and Russia.
2. Re-thinking Images of the Future panels applying ideas from critical theory to most Hollywood depictions of the future. Subjects considered will include time travel.
3. Towards a digital future panels dealing with the historical implications of the new technologies and the process by which they have been introduced.
4. Future of War, panels analysing the history of images of weapons of mass destruction and their effects.
5. Treasures from the Archives, panels presenting rarely seen archival images and introducing new methods of archival research (such as new on-line archives).
6. National Media Histories: single panels focused on the developing media history of particular counties and peoples: this year panels will consider Ireland, Canada, Belgium, Russia and issues in Jewish media history.

IAMHIST conferences provide an environment in which media historians and media practitioners can mix and such exchanges will be an important part of this conference. They also pay attention to younger scholars and about 15% of papers will be by graduate students, presenting for the first time. There will also be workshops sessions and a special session for graduate students to share experiences and guidance from older colleagues on matters like book reviewing and publishing.



PLENARY SPEAKERS
There will be an exciting range of plenary speakers at IAMHIST XX, mixing media practitioners with top scholars. Conformed plenary speakers include:

- Gerry Anderson, MBE
‘Thunderbirds and other visions of the future’
Gerry Anderson is a legend in British television history – creator of such well-loved science fiction series as Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and UFO. He remains an active television producer and will be joining the conference on 19th July to discuss his life, work and inspiration.

- Prof. Sue Harper,
‘Visions of the Future in British Cinema’
Prof. Harper is Professor of Film History at the University of Portsmouth and is the author of Women in British Cinema: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know’ and Picturing the Past: the Rise and Fall of the British Costume Film.

- Dr. Roberta Pearson,
‘Star Trek’s Future and the shaping of the present.’
Dr. Pearson is Reader, School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Cardiff University and author of numerous books including Worlds Apart: Essays on Cult Television (University of Minnesota Press) and Small Screen, Big Universe: Star Trek and Television Studies (University of California Press) both in progress.

- Dr. James Chapman,
‘Quatermass and the origins of British Television Science Fiction.’
James Chapman is senior lecturer in film and television history at the Open University. His books include The British at War: Cinema, State and Propaganda, 1939-1945 and Saints and Avengers: British Adventure Series of the 1960s.

- Dr. John R. Cook,
'In the near future - the Screen Dystopias of Peter Watkins’
John Cook is senior lecturer in mass media at Glasgow Caledonia University and author of Dennis Potter: A Life on the Screen. He is presently writing a biographical study of Watkins with Patrick Murphy. The conference will include a screening of Watkins’ Punishment Park (1972).

- Dr. Ian Q. Hunter,
‘Joseph Losey’s The Damned.’
I. Q. Hunter is senior lecturer at DeMontfort University, Leicester and editor of British Science Fiction Cinema. He is presently writing a book on Hammer studio’s sci-fi and fantasy films.

- Christine Whittaker,
‘Tomorrow’s World: anticipating the future on BBC TV.’
Christine Whittaker is president of the International Association for Media History and a distinguished expert on film archives. She has contributed to numerous landmark documentaries but is best known as archive producer for The People’s Century. She will attend the full conference.

- Dr. Luke McKernan,
‘The presentation of the future in British newsreels.’
Luke McKernan is Head of Information at the British Universities Film & Video Council. He is a noted authority on newsreels and editor of Yesterday’s News: The British Cinema Newsreel Reader.

- Dr. Amy Sargeant,
‘ Maurice Elvey’s High Treason (1929)’
Amy Sargeant is lecturer in the history of film and visual media at Birkbeck College, University of London. She is well known as a historian of both Soviet and British cinema. She will introduce a screening of Elvey’s pioneering but seldom seen British science fiction film.



OTHER PANELS WILL INCLUDE
Selling the Future in Nazi Newsreels, a panel of young scholars from Germany and the nations of once-occupied Europe presenting research into Nazi newsreels, including a screening of English language newsreels made for use in the Channel Islands.

The Future of Media History in the Digital Age, a panel mixing scholars and TV producers including Adrian Wood (archive film producer of The Second World War in Colour) and Michael Kloft, head of history at Spiegel TV, Germany.



PRICES & LOCATIONS
The conference will operate a flat registration fee for all participants of £100 with a special graduate student rate of £50 for the entire conference.

There will be two sites for conference proceedings. Registration and the afternoon and evening of the first day will take place at Gilbert Murray Hall close to the accommodation for the conference. The remaining days will take place on the University of Leicester’s main site. A free coach will transport delegates onto campus in the morning and a shuttle will operate during the day.

Accommodation will be available at the fixed rate of £150 for the entire stay (arriving Wednesday-departing Sunday). These rooms are en-suite with breakfast. As we have been obliged to book rooms for the entire period of the conference there will be no discount for shorter stays.

Delegates travelling with family or with special accommodation needs should get in touch with reservations at the Belmont House Hotel, on DeMontfort Street, Leicester (Fax 44+ (0)116-247-0874 or phone 44+ (0)116-254-4773). This excellent hotel is within walking distance of the main campus and is offering a special rate to conference delegates.



BOOKING THE CONFERENCE
Booking forms will be sent out in March 2003. While late booking will be possible, this will incur a surcharge and the supply of bedrooms at the hall of residence is limited.



ABOUT LEICESTER
Leicester is located in the East Midlands of England – about halfway between London and York. The city was founded by the Romans as a stronghold on the road north, and is the mythic home of Shakespeare’s King Lear. The city is the home to two universities – Leicester University of De Montfort. Leicester University is particularly well known for its contribution to genetics and space science research, and for its thriving School of Historical Studies, which is the host organisation for this conference. Leicester has had a thriving market since the middle ages, and by the turn of the century had become the wealthiest town per capita in the British Empire as a result of the shoe industry. It was said that Leicester was the town that ‘stood on its own two feet.’ The mansions built by Leicester’s entrepreneurs have become halls of residence for the University. Since the 1960s Leicester has been known for its multicultural population – the largest as a percentage in Europe – and as a result of this for its excellent Indian food. The city’s pride in its harmonious inter-communal politics and commitment to environmental issues as Europe’s first ‘ecological city’ makes Leicester an appropriate site for a conference focusing on ideas about the future.



GETTING TO LEICESTER
Leicester is well served by road and rail communications. It is located by the M1 motorway and around an hour from London by train. The train service (Midland Mainline) runs from St Pancras (next to King’s Cross Station) twice an hour, but is not priced for commuting so reckon to stay in Leicester rather than travel back and forth to the capital. We are close to East Midlands, Luton and Birmingham airports (Luton and Birmingham are both on the train line, and will therefore be cheaper for the ground travel portion of the journey). The journey to and from Heathrow can take a long time – you should be prepared for a 45-minute journey on the Piccadilly Underground Line followed by the hour on the train to Leicester, and possible waits in between. Leicester railway station is a cab ride from the conference accommodation and a short walk from the main campus.



CONFERENCE DINNERS
There will be two dinners held during the conference. The first night dinner will be held at the Stamford Hall of residence. The Last Night Dinner will be held at National Space Centre, and will be preceded by an opportunity to tour this wonderful attraction – recently voted the UK’s museum of the year. You will be asked to request the vegetarian option at time of booking for the whole conference. While the final dinner is included in your conference registration fee the first night dinner is tied to the accommodation charge. Non-resident delegates who wish to attend the first night dinner should notify us well in advance and will be asked to an extra £20 at the time of booking the conference.

The First Night Dinner (16th July)
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Salmon Terrine Salmon, cream cheese and chive mousse
with smoked salmon pieces
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Roast Breast of Duck with Orange & Herb Stuffing
Sliced breast of duck complimented by a rich herb stuffing
(v) Peppers au gratin
2 coloured peppers filled with pilaf rice
Seasonal Vegetables, Potatoes
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Raspberry Pavlova
A delicate combination of meringue, raspberries & fresh cream
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Cheese & Biscuits
with Grapes & Celery
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Coffee & Mints

The Last Night Dinner (19th July)
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Gazpacho
Classic Spanish chilled soup served with a crusty baguette (v)
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Char-Grilled Fillet of Salmon
with vegetable noodles served with a roast yellow capsicum sauce
(v) Asparagus, Orange and Pine-nut Risotto topped with Parmesan cheese
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Dark Chocolate Bomb
on a pool of white chocolate sauce, finished with warm hazelnut sauce
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Coffee, served with
homemade chocolates.
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