The 2025 Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA) will host its annual conference this fall as a virtual conference from Thursday, October 9th, to Saturday, October 11th, 2025.

Virtual sessions will take place via Zoom throughout the day on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Registration will open up in mid-July.

We are looking forward to another engaging and rewarding conference for new and seasoned members alike. We are seeking proposals for panels and presentations for this year’s conference.

The Film & History Permanent Panel seeks papers for presentation.

From ancient epics to modern conflicts, filmmakers have always taken creative license with historical source material, transforming scholarly research, literary texts, and cultural memory into compelling visual narratives. This interdisciplinary conference examines how cinema doesn't simply depict the past but actively reconstructs it, creating new versions of history that often become more influential than the original sources themselves.

Some possible themes to consider:

• Mythic History on Screen: When Legend Becomes History
• Epic Translations: From Ancient Texts to Modern Blockbusters
• Archaeological Evidence vs. Cinematic Spectacle
• Contested Histories: National Narratives on Film
• The Historical Advisor's Dilemma
• Audience and Reception: How Films Become History
• The Female Gaze on Male History
• Technical Innovation and Historical Authenticity

We invite papers that explore the complex relationship between historical truth and cinematic storytelling, investigating how films negotiate between entertainment value and scholarly accuracy, between contemporary relevance and historical authenticity. How do filmmakers make the past speak to present audiences? What gets lost—and what gets gained—in these translations?

You can submit your proposal at this link.