2009/09/14 by Robin Anne Reid · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Digital Games and Media #Cinema and Media Studies #Media Studies and Communication
paper · doi:10.3983/twc.2009.0162
openalex publication_date 2009/09/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
The fan-produced film The Hunt for Gollum (Independent Online Cinema, 2009) was released May 3, 2009, for free viewing on the Internet, garnering much interest from The Lord of the Rings fan communities and fan reviewers. Reviews of the film—whether in major science fiction fan communities, on the film's page in the Internet Movie Database, or in individual blogs and LiveJournals—have been positive to glowing. The consensus seems to be that the film is atypical of fan productions because of its professional production values. What the reviewers fail to consider are circumstances of production and reception that relate to gender differences in fan and mainstream culture. To address this lack, I first discuss the film as a fan production, then question how choices made by the creators regarding media and genre and the critical reception can be situated in the broader context of gender.