Silvia Turchin

Silvia Turchin serves as an Associate Professor in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at California State University, Monterey Bay, specializing in film production and visual theory. Her academic appointment centers on advancing celluloid-based cinematographic practices within contemporary media education.

Her research explores:

• Cinematography as embodied perception
• Celluloid film's material resistance to digital saturation
• Experimental documentary forms for existential inquiry
• Historical and contemporary contributions of women in cinema

Through this work, she investigates how collaborative filmmaking enables participants to 'see through each other's eyes,' framing cinema as both technical discipline and philosophical practice.

Professor Turchin teaches core courses including Women Filmmakers, Introduction to Filmmaking, and Cinematography, where students engage with her philosophy that 'filmmaking is a way of learning to see.' Her creative output is publicly accessible through Sleeping Tree Pictures (sleepingtreepictures.com), though specific grant funding details remain unpublicized.

As an active mentor, she guides students through Capstone Completion projects and experimental sound work, maintaining office hours by appointment in CAHSS 504-2215. Her production company serves as the primary vehicle for disseminating her cinematic research, offering students direct exposure to professional film practice grounded in analog techniques.