Li Zeng
Professor of Cinema Studies
Office
CVA Center For The Visual Arts 211e
Office Hours
Tuesday & Thursday 3-4pm or by Appointment
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Selected 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 and Contracts
Faculty Development Grant
Li Zeng.
CFA. June 14 2025 - June 28 2025
Dean's Faculty Professional Development and Travel Award
Li Zeng.
CFA. January 2024 - March 2024
Dean's Faculty Professional Development and Travel Award
Li Zeng.
CFA. 2022 - 2022
Dean's Faculty Professional Development and Travel Award
Li Zeng.
Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts. March 19 2021 - March 21 2021
Journal Article
Ghost of Gaslight: The Female Experience in Two in the Morning ( 1987)
Li Zeng.
MAI: Feminism & Visual Culture, (13), (2024)
The Voice Within: Chinese Muslims, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Representation in Hui Short Films
Li Zeng.
Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, 63 (5), (2023), https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/cj.2023.a933158.
Presentations
Grieving through Genre: The Maternal Embrace in Horror and Melodrama
Li Zeng.
Cinema and Media Studies Conference, Chicago IL, March, 2026
Representing Grief in Contemporary Asian Horror Films
Li Zeng.
Asian Cinema Studies Conference, Hong Kong, May, 2025
Q&A on Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee
Li Zeng, Eric Wesselmann.
“Bruceploitation” Film Series, Normal IL, May 6, 2025
Introducing Lingua Franca
Li Zeng.
Queer Women Filmmakers, Normal IL, March 5, 2025
Whimsical Representation of Aging and Motherhood in Miss Granny (Sarah Geronimo, 2016) and Leonor Will Never Die (Martika Ramirez Escobar, 2022)
Li Zeng.
International Association for the Fantastic In The Arts (IAFA), Atlanta, March, 2024
Women on the Road: Mother-Daughter Journeys in Rakhshan Banietemad’s Gilaneh (2004) and Mainline (2006)
Li Zeng, Firozeh Irannezhad.
Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS), Boston, March, 2024
“After I kill every living thing…I will Join you”: Kingdom: Ashin of the North as a Feminist Zombie Manifesto
Li Zeng.
The Virtual International Conference on the Fantastic In The Arts, online, November, 2023
The Title Sequence and The Teaser Aesthetic in the 1980s Chinese Horror Films
Li Zeng.
Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference, Denver, April, 2023
Representing Trauma in Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman (2021)
Li Zeng.
Candyman 30th Anniversary Conference, online, October, 2022
Why do we like horror
Li Zeng.
Dark History & Horror Convention, Champaign, August, 2022
The Sound and Sight of a Hui Muslim Town: Longing, Belonging, and the Hui Youth in Bai Yong’s Hometown Trilogy
Li Zeng.
Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference, online, April, 2022
Mermaids as Mediators Between Humans and Nature in Asian Eco-Fantasy Films
Li Zeng.
International Association for Fantastic in the Arts 2021 Conference, online, March, 2021
The Voice Within: Chinese Muslims, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Representation in the Hui Filmmaking Movement
Li Zeng.
Society for Cinema and Media Studies 2021 Conference, online, March, 2021