Welcome to our network newsletter! We are thrilled to share with you the latest developments in our mission to make a positive impact in our community. We invite you to share your news and relevant calls with us! | ||||||||||
In this newsletter you can expect: | ||||||||||
IFM Announcements | ||||||||||
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Conference | ||||||||||
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Book Series | ||||||||||
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Journal | ||||||||||
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Dr. Sonali Sharma Joined IFM2025 Organizing Committee | ||||||||||
Dr. Sonali Sharma has been an integral part of the IFM community for the past three years, contributing as both a presenter and panel facilitator. Now, she joins the organizing committee. Dr. Sonali Sharma teaches Digital Media Arts at A.J.K Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, India. | ||||||||||
Her practice-based doctoral research focuses on the intersection of documentary, mobility & interactive media practices. She has presented her work at conferences like Interactive Film and Media, i-Docs 2018, and Visible Evidence XXII. Before joining academia in 2010, she worked as a media practitioner with television broadcast channels NDTV Profit and Zee Sports. Some of her work as a cinematographer-editor includes audio-visual documentation for NGO Save the Children, editing India & Indian culture-centric features for FOXTEL, Australia, during the Commonwealth Games 2010; co-directing a short film, On the Verge (a film on the changing landscape of Delhi) for Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), India. To learn more about her work, you can explore her presentations from the #IFM conferences in 2022, 2023, and 2024. | ||||||||||
#IFM's Decision to Leave X (formerly Twitter) | ||||||||||
Over the past several months, we have witnessed a troubling increase in right-wing extremism and a sharp decline in the quality of constructive dialogue on X. This environment directly contradicts the core values of #IFM — values that center on inclusivity, equity, and accessibility. | ||||||||||
At IFM, we are committed to fostering a space where diverse voices are heard, and where meaningful, respectful dialogue can flourish. Moreover, democracy thrives on open participation, mutual understanding, and the ability to engage with different perspectives. Inspired by the insights of Dr. Daron Acemoglu, recent Nobel laureate in Economics, on the importance of democracy, we recognize that platforms like X (formerly Twitter), which contribute to polarization and demonization, undermine the principles of dialogue and collaboration vital to our global community. In light of this, and in alignment with our commitment to fostering an inclusive and empowering space, we have decided to terminate our presence on X. As we move forward, we will focus on cultivating community through platforms that align with our mission of promoting thoughtful engagement, meaningful dialogue, and collective action. We invite you to join us in building an inclusive, empowering environment through the IFM discussion boards on WhatsApp and Discord. These platforms provide a protected and positive space where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but celebrated, fostering thoughtful engagement and collaboration. Unlike platforms like X, which often contribute to polarization by amplifying extreme views and creating echo chambers that distort democratic discourse, our IFM boards and groups are designed to move away from such divisive environments. Here, we offer a space for meaningful dialogue, mutual respect, and shared values, where we can collectively work toward understanding and collaboration. Let’s come together to promote constructive conversations and build a stronger, more inclusive community. | ||||||||||
#IFM Discussion Boards on Discord and WhatsApp Groups | ||||||||||
Based on the experiences of past conferences and your valuable feedback from IFM2024, we are excited to announce the launch of two new platforms for ongoing community engagement: IFM Discord discussion board and IFM WhatsApp groups. These platforms are designed to create a continuous, long-term space for conversations and connections that extend beyond the annual event. Why Discord and WhatsApp? Discord offers a structured, safe environment for meaningful discussions, networking, and knowledge-sharing among our global community. It is divided into several boards such as CFP, collaboration, ongoing projects, etc. It allows us to stay connected, foster debates, and create deeper relationships throughout the year, reinforcing the bonds built during the conference. Likewise, WhatsApp provides a more accessible and direct channel for interaction, with the option to engage with specific groups tailored to different interests. We invite you to join us by following the links provided to these platforms, where we can continue building a stronger, more connected IFM community together. Your participation is key, and we look forward to continuing our journey with you in this new, dynamic space. | ||||||||||
CFP: IFM2025 Resonances Conference | ||||||||||
June 10-13, 2025, via Zoom Submission Deadline: November 25th, 2024 | ||||||||||
The 7th IFM Annual Virtual Conference invites you to engage with the theme RESONANCES, exploring how media fosters deep and meaningful connections in our daily lives. This year’s conference delves into how personal and communal experiences shape our interactions and understanding of the world. We encourage submissions that critically engage with the theme and its subtopics, including:
We welcome proposals for papers, research-creation projects, and new book presentations from academics, artists, filmmakers, and media practitioners. Submission Details:
The conference promotes inclusivity and equity, with no fees for participation or publication. | ||||||||||
Call for Chapters: Interactive Narratives Anthology Book | ||||||||||
The transformative potential of interactivity within novels, films, games, and digital media has created a dynamic dialogue between human creativity and technological innovation. From the epistolary novel to immersive digital media, interactive storytelling has evolved, challenging traditional, linear modes of narrative while fostering new relationships between creators, audiences, and interactive platforms. | ||||||||||
This anthology, Interactive Narratives—The Evolution of Storytelling in the Digital Age, seeks to explore the multidimensional nature of interactivity across various narrative platforms in the XXI century. By tracing its historical roots and mapping its modern manifestations, this volume will investigate how the concept of interactive narratives is reshaping narrative experiences and the theoretical and practical implications for creators, audiences, and archivists. We aim to compile cutting-edge research and theoretical reflections highlighting interactivity as a narrative tool and a mode of user agency that adds complexity to storytelling while expanding the boundaries of narrative engagement. Focus Areas of the Volume: The book is tentatively organized into five core sections, each offering conceptual directions to help orient contributors regarding the thematic focus and structure. These frameworks are intended as points of reference to inspire proposals rather than prescriptive theories to be strictly applied. Contributors are encouraged to develop their ideas within these themes without needing to specifically reference or apply the outlined theories or authors: 1. Duality and Ethics of Active and Passive Engagement: Drawing on Žižek's theory, interactive narratives blend both active and passive user roles. While user choices may appear to guide the narrative, interpassivity reveals how users sometimes adopt passive modes in complex digital systems. This section invites contributors to explore how narratives shift between user participation and algorithmic controls, balancing user agency with predetermined outcomes. Or, contributors may reflect on the ethical implications of user manipulation in digital storytelling, questioning the boundaries of user freedom versus design control and potential biases created by algorithmic choices. 2. Technological Affordances and User Agency: Building on Janet Murray’s framework of procedural and participatory affordances, this theme will explore how technological design and procedural logic shape the boundaries of user agency in interactive storytelling. Contributors are encouraged to examine how technological innovation balances freedom and constraint within interactive narratives, enhancing narrative engagement through user-driven interaction and system-generated structure. 3. Perceptual and Affective Dimensions: This section focuses on how user perceptions of interactivity—including narrative complexity, emotional engagement, and user impact—create immersive and emotionally resonant narrative experiences. Contributors are invited to explore how interactive storytelling fosters emotional depth and audience attachment through perceived control and reactive content, where user actions seem to directly influence narrative outcomes. 4. Narrative Complexity and User Involvement: Drawing upon Henry Jenkins' concept of additive comprehension, this section will address how narrative complexity and user involvement are intertwined in interactive storytelling. Contributors are encouraged to examine how branching storylines, multiple endings, and user choices can deepen the complexity of narratives, creating richer and more immersive experiences without diminishing the overall structure. This section will explore how interactive narratives balance user participation and maintaining narrative depth. 5. Archiving Digital Culture: Drawing on Foucault’s insights alongside practical approaches by scholars like Lowood, Kirschenbaum, and Rinehart, this section critically frames digital archives as sites of preservation and power, shaping cultural heritage and access to interactive media. Contributors are invited to explore the preservation of virtual reality, multimedia installations, software, interactive fiction, and video game narratives. This area emphasizes innovative solutions for maintaining these media's interactive and experiential qualities for future research and accessibility. This volume will unite diverse perspectives and pioneering research, significantly contributing to the rapidly growing field of interactive media studies. Submission Guidelines: We invite proposals from scholars, researchers, and practitioners across fields such as Comparative Literature, Film and Game Studies, Digital Humanities, Cultural Studies, and Interactive Design. Abstracts should be approximately 500 words, include five keywords, a 50-word bio, and contact information. Please submit your chapter proposal as a single Word document to hmoura@torontomu.ca. Chapter Requirements: Final chapters should be 4,000-6,000 words, adhering to MLA 9th edition. Full chapters are due by 14 July 2025. Important Dates:
About the Volume: This volume will be part of the Interactive Film and Media (IFM) Book Series, published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis. The series aims to advance scholarly discussions on interactivity in film and media. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Hudson Moura (hmoura@torontomu.ca). We look forward to receiving your proposals and insights into this evolving field. | ||||||||||
Call for Articles: #IFM Journal | ||||||||||
Publish with the Interactive Film and Media Journal: Where Theory, Innovation, and Creativity Meet. Are you exploring new intersections in film, media, and digital studies? The Interactive Film and Media Journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access platform dedicated to publishing forward-thinking research and creative projects at the cutting edge of interactive and digital media. | ||||||||||
We invite submissions from scholars, practitioners, and artists engaging with themes across digital storytelling, interactive cinema, gaming, VR, AI, social media, activism, and much more. Our journal champions interdisciplinary and critical approaches to film, media, and technology, seeking contributions that challenge conventions and foster inclusivity, equity, and dialogue. By publishing with us, your work becomes part of a global conversation within a community of readers and creators. Submission Highlights:
To learn more about submission guidelines and become part of a journal that’s redefining film and media scholarship, visit our submission page. Make your contribution to the future of film and digital media studies—submit today! | ||||||||||
#IFM Newsletter | Issue 1 - November 2024 | ||||||||||
