Directors Spotlight: Oliver Stone

Pitch Deadline: 23 February 2010

Final Deadline: 2 April 2010

Contact: Matt Mazur and Sarah Zupko

Email: mazur AT popmatters.com AND editor AT popmatters.com

After launching our inaugural Directors Spotlight Series with a distinctive bang last November with a look at Pedro Almodovar’s storied career, we think it’s time to cast our critical gaze on another notable filmmaker, Oliver Stone.

With this week-long special feature, PopMatters is excited to provide a platform for cinema scholars, film historians and/or social theorists of all varieties to help us and our readership reconsider the significance of the iconic American film director’s body of work.

This feature will run in late April, leading up to the release of the auteur’s newest film, a sequel to his landmark 1987 tale of greed Wall Street – Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Shia La Beouf and Carey Mulligan will star).

We are excited to work with our fine film features staff (as well as new friends!) to present a unique look at Stone’s body of work. Essays running between 1,000 and 3,500 words will be due no later than 02 April. Please do not commit if you cannot make this date. Earlier submissions are always appreciated, too. Quality is of the utmost importance with these features, I cannot stress this enough — this will be read by a savvy international audience of film lovers and attention to every detail is a must.

These are a few of the features we would like to see developed for the week-long series, and of course we’d love to hear your creative ideas for features that could tie in with our vision:

Stone at a Glance – The Canon: Exploring Stone’s Filmography (At least 500 incisive words on each film — I would also like to see something on Midnight Express here too)

Full Disclosure: Stone’s Role as a Curator of Modern Political History

The Look: Stone’s Unique Eye for Casting

War Child: Stone’s Perspectives on Vietnam

Presidential Suite: Male Leaders Through the Eyes of Oliver Stone

A History of Violence: What the Use of Crime Means in Stone’s Films

The Role of Drugs and Drug Use in Stone’s Films

Misfiring: The Negative Critical Response to Stone’s Films

All correspondence should be addressed to: Matt Mazur, PopMatters Contributing Editor, mazur AT popmatters.com AND editor AT popmatters.com.

We look forward to working with you.