Contemporary Cinema

If you are more interested in the current social and political issues relating to cinema then maybe you could choose a more contemporary topic. Have a look at these suggestions:

Example contemporary cinema dissertation topic 1:

The maligned medium: ‘Biopics’ in contemporary cinema. Bingham (2010) asserts that the ‘biopic'(or biographical film) is a grievously maligned film genre that deserves more recognition. This thesis examines the role of biopics in the popular imagination as well as critical views of the genre, and explores whether the genre has developed in sophistication, or whether films of greater quality have redeemed the genre. In so doing, the paper examines three films over three decades in detail: Coal Miner’s Daughter (on Loretta Lynn, Apted, 1980), Nixon (on Richard Nixon, Stone, 1995) and I’m Not There (on Bob Dylan, Haynes, 2007). Consideration is given to the decline of the biopic from the late 1930s until the early 1980s, and speculation as to the future of genre is entertained. Suggested initial topic reading:

• Bingham, D. (2010) Whose lives are they anyway? The biopic as contemporary film genre. New Brunswick, NJ; Rutgers University Press.
• Custen, G.F. (1992) Bio/Pics: How Hollywood constructed public history. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
• Spirou, P. (2011) The musical biopic: representing the lives of music artists in 21st century cinema. Published PhD thesis, University of Macquarie, NSW, Australia.