The University of Toledo Department of Theatre and Film will screen “Stone Street” from filmmaker Dr. Elspeth kydd on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the UToledo Center for Performing Arts Theatre.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Department of Theatre and Film’s ticket website or at the box office before the screening. All proceeds benefit UToledo film student scholarships.
Filmmaker and former UToledo film professor Elspeth kydd during the time she was researching and creating her film, “Stone Street.”
There also will be a free, public reception following the screening. Visitor parking requires payment. Visit parkutoledo.com to purchase a parking permit or use the ParkMobile app to pay for hourly parking.
An experimental documentary incorporating home videos, photographs and interviews, “Stone Street” documents the life and experiences of former UToledo film faculty member kydd’s Trinidadian diaspora family and their enduring connection to the home on Stone Street in Port of Spain.
“Dr. kydd was instrumental in establishing Film/Video as a new degree program here,” said Holly Monsos, chair of the Department of Theatre and Film, who was a colleague of kydd’s throughout her time at UToledo. “I believe she would have been pleased to be instrumental again in helping us establish our first scholarship devoted specifically to Film/Video students.”
UToledo film professor Tammy Kinsey, a colleague of kydd’s, said that “Elspeth loved this department and the film students; she fought for them throughout her tenure here. She was instrumental in bringing the annual international conference of the UFVA (University Film and Video Association) to UToledo in 2004. It was an enormous event that took over various parts of campus for several days, bringing academics, students and world-renowned artists together.
“She was engaged with the local community as well and was a member of Da’ Coloured Gurlz Collective, a theater troupe that explored challenging themes of contemporary life. Professor kydd’s impact on the University, the department, the film degree and all those who knew her cannot be overstated. She is greatly missed.”
Dr. kydd died in 2013 after a long battle with cancer. She finished “Stone Street” during her illness. The screening is a celebration of her life and work in memoriam of the 10th anniversary of her passing.
In addition to her teaching and film work, kydd also was an accomplished author. She wrote a film textbook, “The Critical Practice of Film: An Introduction” (2011), and contributed articles to professional journals such as the Journal of Film and Video for which she wrote “X-files, Race and the White Norm.” She also researched and published on elements of race and gender within the context of films and television shows such as “Star Trek” and “Torchwood.”
kydd taught at The University of Toledo 1993-2005. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Warwick and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University. Her teaching career spanned 16 years and included not only the UToledo Department of Theatre and Film but positions in the School of Cultural Studies at the University of the West of England Bristol, England; and in the Film Programme of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus, Trinidad, W.I. Elspeth also was a long-time member of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies and a frequent participant at the Society’s annual conferences.
If you’d like to support film student scholarships, visit the UToledo Foundation website and search the Friends of Film Fund (2400831).
