KU to host conference on adaptation of literature to film

LAWRENCE — Big Screens, Small Screens: Size Matters (In Adaptation) is the theme of the upcoming conference of the Literature/Film Association. Events will take place Thursday, Oct. 10, through Saturday, Oct. 12, at the University of Kansas.

The conference’s focus will be how new imaging technologies and modes of dissemination are altering traditional approaches to adaptation from literature to film, and it will feature expert panels, roundtable discussions, workshops and a free screening of a film directed by a KU alumnus.

“We in Film and Media Studies are proud of our ongoing agenda to promote adaptation studies as part of our interdisciplinary program. Courses in literature and film, theater and film, and music and film are part of our rotating curriculum,” said John Tibbetts, organizer for the event and an associate professor of film at KU.

KU’s strong focus on adaptation studies partially stems from the many KU faculty and alumni actively involved in film production and interdisciplinary film studies, both locally and in Hollywood. Additionally, Tibbetts is a former vice president of LFA, and the organization’s founder, James Welsh, received his doctorate from KU and taught at the university. Both Tibbetts and Welsh have published various books on adaptation studies, including The Encyclopedia of Novels into Film and The Encyclopedia of Stage Plays into Film.

The conference’s theme will address how the proliferation of screens in modern society, from the “big screen” to mobile screens, has increased the images people see on a daily basis and how that change in visual culture is influencing adaptation.

During the LFA conference Hollywood filmmaker and KU alumnus Mike Robe will present “Innocent,” his newest film, based on Scott Turow’s best-selling novel. The film will be screened at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Kansas Ballroom. A question-and-answer session will follow. The event is free and open to the public.

Robe also will present during a luncheon Oct. 11 to participants of the LFA conference. Robe is the chair of the Professional Advisory Board for the KU Department of Film and Media Studies.

The Literature/Film Association, established in 1989, encourages a variety of scholarly studies in cinema, focusing on the relationship of literature and film. It supports and promotes cinema studies, largely through an annual conference of film scholars from around the globe.

In addition to the Kansas Union, conference events will take place at at the Oread Hotel in Lawrence.

The Department of the Film and Media Studies is one of four departments in the School of the Arts and is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.