“This research is useful to understand our current globalized culture, since it establishes a historical genealogy of transnational cultural collaboration well before the invention of the internet, social media or satellite communications,” Fibla Gutierrez says.
Working under the supervision of Masha Salazkina, associate professor in the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Fibla Gutierrez recently published his findings in Screen. He describes winning the prize as a huge confidence boost.
“The fact that the award evaluates our scholarly work — by people from different disciplines — is fantastic since it helps us realize that what we are doing matters beyond the scope of our specific area of research,” Fibla Gutierrez says.
While accessing primary materials from the 1930s can sometimes prove difficult, Fibla Gutierrez notes how he was always able to lean on his program’s caring and committed community for support.
“There is a whole universe of moving image initiatives that have been barely analyzed by scholars,” he says. “Our department at Concordia is certainly a leading node in this scholarly re-examination of film history.”
Find out more about awards available for graduate students at Concordia.