The Edges of Cinema: Essays on Twenty-First Century Film Culture

Explore the vibrant and often overlooked corners of contemporary film culture with Erika Balsom's insightful collection, The Edges of Cinema. This book challenges the notion of a crisis in mainstream film, arguing instead that the moving image is most dynamic at its intersections with visual art, documentary, and experimental practices.

Key Themes and Content:

• A decade of critical essays examining how contemporary filmmakers engage with the world.
• Analysis of subjects including computer-generated animation, digitization's effects, observational cinema, and long takes.
• Bold engagement with debates on the "female gaze."
• Exploration of how filmmakers address critical issues like climate change, race, gender, violence, and technology.
• Consideration of works at the nexus of documentary, experimental film, and auteur cinema.
• Features discussions on directors such as Peggy Ahwesh, James Benning, Aria Dean, Mati Diop, Harun Farocki, Albert Serra, Brett Story, Tsai Ming-liang, and Wang Bing.
• Makes a case for the political, provocative, and pleasurable aspects of less conventional cinema.

Specifications:

• Author: Erika Balsom
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication Date: September 8, 2026
• Language: English
• Page Count: 352 pages
• Binding: Paperback
• Dimensions: 15.24 x 2.01 x 22.86 cm
• Weight: 472 g
• ISBN-10: 0231221339
• ISBN-13: 978-0231221337

The Edges of Cinema offers a compelling argument for the vitality and importance of experimental and marginal film practices, making it an essential read for scholars, critics, and cinephiles interested in the evolving landscape of moving image culture.