Li Zeng
Professor of Cinema Studies
Sch of Theatre Dance and Film
Office
CVA Center For The Visual Arts 211e
Office Hours
Tuesday & Thursday 3-4pm or by Appointment
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Research
Biography
Li Zeng is an Associate Professor of Film Studies. She received her doctoral degree in Radio/Television/Film from Northwestern University in 2008. Her research interests include Asian cinema, film history, feminist theory, genre studies, and adaptation.
Current Courses
THE 370.001 History Of The Cinema
THE 470.001 History of the Cinema
THE 273.001 Topics in Film Criticism: Film Noir
THE 275.001 World Arts: Film FA
Teaching Interests & Areas
Film genre (film noir, horror, fantastic);
Film theory (feminist theory, cultural theory, adaptation, etc.);
Asian cinema;
Film history (American film history, European film history)
Research Interests & Areas
Representation of history in visual media
Women and gender studies;
Film genres;
Horror films;
Film adaptation;
Asian cinema and television
PhD film studies
Northwestern University
Evanston IL
MA Film Studies
Northwestern University
Evanston
University Outstanding Service Award
Illinois State University
2025
Impact Award
Illinois State University
2025
College Outstanding Service Award
Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts
2022
College Outstanding Researcher Award
Wonsoo Kim College of Fine Arts
2021
College Outstanding Teaching Award Nomination
Illinois State Uiversity
2020
University Outstanding Teaching Initiative Award
Illinois State University
2013
College Service Initiative Award
College of Fine Arts ISU
2011
Research Initiative Award
College of Fine Arts
2010
Grants & Contracts
Faculty Development Grant. CFA. Illinois State University. (2025)
Dean's Faculty Professional Development and Travel Award. CFA. Illinois State University. (2024)
Dean's Faculty Professional Development and Travel Award. CFA. Illinois State University. (2022)
Dean's Faculty Professional Development and Travel Award. Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts. Illinois State University. (2021)
Journal Article
Zeng, L. Ghost of Gaslight: The Female Experience in Two in the Morning ( 1987). MAI: Feminism & Visual Culture (2024)
Zeng, L. The Voice Within: Chinese Muslims, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Representation in Hui Short Films. Journal of Cinema and Media Studies 63.5 (2023)
Presentations
Grieving through Genre: The Maternal Embrace in Horror and Melodrama. Cinema and Media Studies Conference. Society for Cinema and Media Studies. (2026)
Introducing Lingua Franca. Queer Women Filmmakers. Queer Coalition. (2025)
Q&A on Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee. “Bruceploitation” Film Series. Severin and the Normal Theater. (2025)
Representing Grief in Contemporary Asian Horror Films. Asian Cinema Studies Conference. (2025)
Whimsical Representation of Aging and Motherhood in Miss Granny (Sarah Geronimo, 2016) and Leonor Will Never Die (Martika Ramirez Escobar, 2022). International Association for the Fantastic In The Arts (IAFA). (2024)
Women on the Road: Mother-Daughter Journeys in Rakhshan Banietemad’s Gilaneh (2004) and Mainline (2006). Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS). (2024)
“After I kill every living thing…I will Join you”: Kingdom: Ashin of the North as a Feminist Zombie Manifesto. The Virtual International Conference on the Fantastic In The Arts. International Association for Fantastic in the Arts. (2023)
The Title Sequence and The Teaser Aesthetic in the 1980s Chinese Horror Films. Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference. Society for Cinema and Media Studies. (2023)
Representing Trauma in Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman (2021). Candyman 30th Anniversary Conference. The Centre for the History of the Gothic, the University of Sheffield (UK) and University of California, Riverside (USA). (2022)
The Sound and Sight of a Hui Muslim Town: Longing, Belonging, and the Hui Youth in Bai Yong’s Hometown Trilogy. Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference. Society for Cinema and Media Studies. (2022)
Why do we like horror. Dark History & Horror Convention. (2022)
Mermaids as Mediators Between Humans and Nature in Asian Eco-Fantasy Films. International Association for Fantastic in the Arts 2021 Conference. International Association for Fantastic in the Arts. (2021)
The Voice Within: Chinese Muslims, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Representation in the Hui Filmmaking Movement. Society for Cinema and Media Studies 2021 Conference. Society for Cinema and Media Studies. (2021)