David A. Gerstner
| David A. Gerstner | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 💼 Occupation | Film scholar, author, professor |
| Known for | Queer theory, film authorship, French cinema |
| 🏅 Awards | Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2023) |
David A. Gerstner is an American film scholar, author, and Professor of Cinema Studies at the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York (CUNY). He also serves on the Doctoral Faculty in Theatre and Film at the CUNY Graduate Center. His scholarship explores film authorship, queer theory, and modernism. In 2023, Gerstner was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture for his contributions to cinema studies and Franco–American cultural exchange.
Early life and education
Gerstner studied film production and cinema studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts (1982–1985), earned a B.A. in Media Studies with High Distinction from the University at Buffalo (1986), and completed an M.A. in Humanities (1993) at the same institution with a thesis on Derek Jarman’s The Garden. He received his Ph.D. in Film and Television from the University of California, Los Angeles (1997). His dissertation, Queer Modernism: Vincente Minnelli, American Creativity, American Masculinity, established the foundation for his later scholarship.
Academic career
After teaching at the University of Otago in New Zealand (1999–2000), Gerstner joined the College of Staten Island in 2001. He became Professor of Cinema Studies in 2010 and served as Chair of the Department of Media Culture (2015–2018). At the CUNY Graduate Center, he is a Doctoral Faculty Member in the Theatre and Film Studies Certificate Program. He has also taught at New York University. Gerstner has designed and led faculty-directed study abroad programs in France, including partnerships with L’Université François-Rabelais de Tours (now University of Tours) and the EICAR International School of Film and Television (Paris), where students directed and produced several short films during these programs.
Scholarship and publications
Gerstner is the author of several influential works in film and queer studies. His 2023 book, Queer Imaginings: On Writing and Cinematic Friendship (Wayne State University Press) examines the role of friendship and authorship in queer cinema.[1][2] The book was also reviewed in New Review of Film and Television Studies (Summer 2023).[3]
Earlier works include Queer Pollen: White Seduction, Black Male Homosexuality, and the Cinematic (University of Illinois Press, 2011), which received both a Choice Outstanding Academic Title (2012) and an American Library Association Outstanding Academic Title (2013).[4]
He also authored Christophe Honoré: A Critical Introduction (with an interview by Julien Nahmias, Wayne State University Press, 2015), a study of the contemporary French filmmaker Christophe Honoré. The book was reviewed in CineJ Cinema Journal 5.2 (October 2016).[5]
He wrote Manly Arts: Masculinity and Nation in Early American Cinema (Duke University Press, 2006). In addition to his monographs, Gerstner co-edited Media Authorship (with Cynthia Chris, Routledge, 2012) and Authorship and Film (with Janet Staiger, Routledge, 2003), and served as editor of The Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture (2006), which was named a Best of Reference title by the New York Public Library.[6]
Honors and distinctions
- Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2023)
- Choice Outstanding Academic Title (2012)
- American Library Association Outstanding Academic Title (2013)
- Best of Reference, New York Public Library (2007)
- Multiple PSC-CUNY Research Awards (2001–2021)
Selected bibliography
Books
- Queer Imaginings: On Writing and Cinematic Friendship (Wayne State University Press, 2023)
- Christophe Honoré: A Critical Introduction (with Julien Nahmias, Wayne State University Press, 2015)
- Queer Pollen: White Seduction, Black-Male Homosexuality, and the Cinematic (University of Illinois Press, 2011)
- Manly Arts: Masculinity and Nation in Early American Cinema (Duke University Press, 2006)
Edited collections
- Media Authorship (with Cynthia Chris, Routledge, 2012)
- The Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture (Editor, Routledge, 2006)
- Authorship and Film (with Janet Staiger, Routledge, 2003)
External links
- Faculty profile at the College of Staten Island, CUNY
- David A. Gerstner at Wayne State University Press
- CSI Filmmaking in France – Faculty-led study abroad program
- EICAR International School of Film and Television (Paris)
- The New York Times – “With Striking Actors Off Limits, Directors Get Their Close-Ups” (2023)
- CSI Today – “Queer Imaginings Garnering Critical Acclaim” (2023)
- Los Angeles Review of Books – “Dispelling the Stink of Love” (2024)
References
- ↑ "Review of Queer Imaginings: On Writing and Cinematic Friendship". Publishers Weekly. December 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Review of Queer Imaginings". Library Journal. March 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Review of Queer Imaginings". New Review of Film and Television Studies. 21 (3): 310–313. 2023.
- ↑ "Choice Outstanding Academic Titles, 2012". Choice Reviews. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Review of Christophe Honoré: A Critical Introduction". CineJ Cinema Journal. 5 (2): 150–153. October 2016.
- ↑ "Best of Reference 2007". New York Public Library. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
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