Dear friends of the Hollywood Memories research project,

Welcome to our second newsletter of the Hollywood Memories research project that explores whether Hollywood remakes, sequels, and franchises create a shared film repertoire that shapes viewers’ memories, lived experiences, and generational identities in a globalized world. Hollywood Memories is based at Leibniz University Hannover (Germany) and conducted by us: Kathleen Loock, Stefan Dierkes, and Alejandra Bulla.

Today, we are excited to share with you some of the highlights of this year, as  well as what is in store for Hollywood Memories in the coming months. We have a lot of exciting events coming up in the next few months, and we can’t wait to fill you in on all the details.  Keep reading to learn about all our latest news!

 

Trip to Mexico

At the top of our agenda for Hollywood Memories this year was Kathleen and Alejandra’s visit to Mexico in February, with stops in Guadalajara and Mexico City. The aim was to promote the project and encourage participation in our main study with Mexican audiences. We were thrilled with the positive response from everyone who attended the presentations, which were held at various venues. These included the REDIC group in Guadalajara, the Azcapotzalco campus of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), the Tecnológico de Monterrey, El Colegio de México and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). El Colegio de Mexico also recorded Kathleen’s talk and made it available on their YouTube channel.

Alejandra has also put together a report with photos of our trip.

 

Mexican Case Study

We are thrilled to announce that Hollywood Memories launched the main study in Mexico on March 27th. It will continue until May 15th this year. We are still recruiting Mexican participants for the main study. If you know someone who might be interested in participating in our study, please share the link to our Spanish website. We greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word!

 

German Case Study

Meanwhile, Stefan continues to analyze data from the main study with German audiences, going through the well over 1,000 responses from 84 participants. Moreover, Kathleen and Stefan are currently co-authoring a journal article with first results from the German pilot study.

 

Upcoming: Citizen Science Talk on May 11, 6:30 p.m.

On May 11, Kathleen will give the talk “Movies: Memories for a Lifetime” as part of the Citizen Science Lecture Series at Leibniz University Hannover (Bielefeldsaal B305). The lecture series aims to showcase various examples of Citizen Science, inform attendees about the different forms of this kind of research, and encourage participation by bringing together citizens, researchers, and students. For more information about the lecture, please click here (only in German).

 

Upcoming: Visit from Nanjing University

This year also marks the start of the China case study. Our future team member Zhang Yining from Nanjing University will be visiting Hannover in May. This will be our first face-to-face meeting and we are very much  looking forward to showing Yining around the university campus, giving her a taste of the city, and discussing her work in the project in more detail. We can’t wait to get started on this exciting new chapter of Hollywood Memories!

 

Upcoming: Hollywood Memories at HoMER Conference in Mataró, Spain (July 4-7, 2023)

The Hollywood Memories project will be presenting a panel at this year’s HoMER conference, “Openings: Rethinking Centers and Peripheries in Historical Research about Moviegoing, Exhibition and Reception,” to be held at TecnoCampus Mataró from July 4-7. Our panel, entitled “Hollywood Memories: Film Consumption and Reception Practices in Germany and Mexico,” will feature Kathleen, our associated member Fabiola Alcalá (Universidad de Guadalajara), Stefan, and Alejandra, each presenting their research on German and  Mexican audiences and their respective results. We’re excited to engage with HoMER’s international network of researchers and fellow scholars interested in understanding the phenomena of cinema-going, exhibition, and film reception. For more information about the network, please visit their website.

 

Upcoming: Workshop “Global Hollywood, Global Audiences” in Hannover (July 14)

Immediately following the HoMER conference, the Hollywood Memories project will be hosting its annual workshop on Friday, July 14. This year’s workshop will focus on “Global Hollywood, Global Audiences,” and will be attended by the Hollywood Memories team, Fabiola Alcalá (Universidad de Guadalajara), Philippe Meers (University of Antwerp) and Ana Rosas Mantecón (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Mexico).

We’ll be posting updates about the event in the news section of our website, so be sure to check there for the latest information. We’re  looking forward to a productive and engaging workshop, and can’t wait to  share our findings and insights on the global reach of Hollywood.

 

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the support you have shown our project thus far. To stay up-to-date with our progress and events, please visit our website, where you can find more information. Additionally, you can  connect with us on social media by following our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts.

 

Greetings from Hannover!

 

Your Hollywood Memories Team,
Kathleen, Alejandra & Stefan