Thinking, recounting: the first Australian Screen Studies Association Conference (1982)

Across its history, a crucial component in the formation and maintenance of film studies in Australia has been the local and international exchange of ideas and critical formations facilitated by film studies conferences. Arguably one of the most important events to influence the direction of film studies in Australia was the First Australian Screen Studies Association (ASSA) Conference held at La Trobe University, Melbourne in December 1982. This was an international event which brought together leading film academics from around the country, prominent overseas keynote speakers, representatives from national film institutions, film critics and independent filmmakers and scholars. The ASSA Conference broke new ground, explored controversial topics, stimulated national debate and highlighted the future direction of Australasian film studies. Informed by archival documents, this essay describes the planning, preparations and hosting of the first ASSA conference to provide a record of the ecology of Australian film (and television) studies–its institutions, personnel, and critical positions–at a key historical moment in its development. This account contributes to an understanding of the institutional and intellectual foundations of film studies as a discipline and illuminates the contours of Australian and international traditions of film and media studies, past and present.