In Hutchison Hall's Hubbell Auditorium on the UofR Campus is a film program and discussion by Genevieve Yue titled China Girls in Experimental Film featuring New Improved Institutional Quality: In the Environment of Liquids and Nasals a Parasitic Vowel Sometimes Develops (Owen Land, 1976, 16mm, 10 min), Film in Which There Appear Sprocket Holes, Edge Lettering, Dirt Particles, Etc. (Owen Land, 1965–66, 16mm, 4 min), Standard Gauge (Morgan Fisher, 1984, 16mm, 35 min), China Girls (Michelle Silva, 2006, 16mm, 3 min), To the Happy Few (Thomas Draschan, Stella Friedrichs, 2003, 16mm, 5 min), Killing Lena (Jamie Allen, 2006, DV, 2 min), and Releasing Human Energies (Mark Toscano, 2012, 16mm, 5.5 min).

The "China Girl," sometimes called a "China Doll" or "girl head" is a type of reference image used in commercial film laboratories since the late 1920s and continuing in limited used today. The China Girl has appeared in more films than any actress, though, outside of the film laboratory, she is rarely seen. Behind the scenes, however, she is essential to setting the appearance of a film, determining exposure, image density, and color balance. While the China Girl is a crucial part of the film production process, her essential role in film history has been most often overlooked. This program gathers a selection of 16mm experimental films that consider the China Girl from various perspectives, including that of celluloid materiality, the behind-the-scenes workings of the film industry, and the often marginal role of women in film history. The screening is organized and will be preceded by an introduction by film scholar and Humanities Center fellow Genevieve Yue.

[source: Facebook, 2016-Mar-21]