about

Dr. Yannis Tzioumakis

Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
University of Liverpool

In 1989 my parents bought me a VCR as a present for passing my exams and going to university. One of the first films I saw on video was David Mamet’s House of Games. The film initiated a magnificent obsession with the cinema of David Mamet – an obsession that remains strong even today – and eventually opened the doors to a more serious engagement with cinema that found its natural outcome in my decision to become a film and media scholar. After a number of years in the Screen Studies department at Liverpool John Moores University, since 2007 my professional home has been the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool.

Following the completion of my PhD, which examined the relationship between David Mamet’s films and independent filmmaking in the US during the 1980s and 1990s, my research continued to revolve around American independent cinema. My focal points have included: independent film companies; the work of specific independent filmmakers; the way academic discourses have shaped definitions of independent cinema; and a history of independent filmmaking in the US. Furthermore, since 2009 I have been co-editing with Gary Needham the “American Indies” book series for Edinburgh UP.

More recently, I have developed a strong research interest in global media industries, the ways in which digital technologies have been shaping the landscape of contemporary global entertainment and the role of the Hollywood majors in the new transnational media economy. I also have an emerging interest in Greek cinema and media and have recently co-edited the book Greek Cinema: Texts, Histories, Identities.

I welcome inquiries for research supervision and for collaborations, commercial research and consultation in all the above areas.