HitchCon ‘25:
A CENTURY OF HITCHCOCK
Festival & conference
October 3-5, 2025 • Online
One hundred years ago, Alfred Hitchcock launched a directing career that changed the course of cinema. Join an international lineup of authors, educators and filmmakers for a three-day festival of talks, panels, special screenings—all with audience participation. Let’s celebrate Hitchcock’s films and examine their impact then, now and on what lies ahead.
What’s in store
Join speakers from around the world online for fresh takes on Hitchcock—his influence on directors from Almodóvar, Kubrick and Lynch to his impact on global culture. Get a first look at new research into his films, music and collaborators and re-examine his legacy from The Conversation to Severance, from Vera Miles to Bernard Herrmann. Celebrate the 100th anniversary of his first feature film, The Pleasure Garden, and don’t miss our free 90th anniversary screening of The 39 Steps!
Meet Your HitchCon ‘25 Speakers
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Joel Gunz
ORGANIZER & HOST
What is Pure Cinema?
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Elizabeth Bullock
CO-HOST
Vertigo Bardo: Spectral Rebirth and Death in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo
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Steven DeRosa
CO-HOST
Beneath the Masks: Love, Identity, and Class Divide in Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief
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Sidney Gottlieb
CO-HOST
Introduction to The Pleasure Garden
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Elisabeth Karlin
CO-HOST
A Sea Change: Is Lifeboat Improving with Age?
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Pat McFadden
CO-HOST
Chadwick and Danvers: Hiring the Help in Hitchcock
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Walter Raubicheck
CO-HOST
Something’s R.O.T.ten in the State of South Dakota: Roger Thornhill’s Matchbook Redemption
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Cassidy Alexander
SPEAKER
#hitchcockmask
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Erin Bradfield
SPEAKER
“Is it Future or Is it Past?”: Trauma, Repetition, and Tragic Heroes in Vertigo and Twin Peaks
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Tifenn Brisset
SPEAKER
Hitchcock Before Cahiers: Postwar Auteurism in L’Écran Français
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Stella Castelli
SPEAKER
Notes on Vertigo: Camp Sensibility & Madness
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James Chapman
SPEAKER
Hitchcock and Theatre
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Katy Coakley
SPEAKER
There’s Always Someone Watching: The Hidden Hitchcockian Influence in The Skin I Live In and The Substance
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Colleen Glenn
SPEAKER
Scottie on the Analyst’s Couch: A View of 1950s Psychology in Vertigo
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Nick Haeffner
SPEAKER
“Dissociation of Sensibility” in Vertigo and Severance
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Robert Kapsis
SPEAKER
Hitchcock's Worldwide Reception
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Dona M. Kercher
SPEAKER
Hitchcock in Argentina: Seeing Psycho through Taxidermy
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Marshall Leicester
SPEAKER
Hitchcock’s Social Class: The British Silent Years
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Thomas Leitch
SPEAKER
Hitchcock the Entertainer
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Rebecca McCallum
SPEAKER
Looking Out/Listening In: Masculinity in Crisis in Rear Window and The Conversation
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Christopher McKittrick
SPEAKER
Overlooked Gems: The Curious Incident of Hitchcock's "Incident at a Corner"
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Daisuke Miyao
SPEAKER
Invisibility and Hypervisibility: Hitchcock in Japan
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Oisin Queally
SPEAKER
Dual Versions and Visions of The Man Who Knew Too Much
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Barry Sandler
SPEAKER
My Memories of Working with Kim Novak and Anthony Perkins
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Nathan Seckinger
SPEAKER
Esoteric Realism in three Masters of Suspense: Hitchcock, Kubrick and Lynch
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Steven Smith
SPEAKER
Hitchcock and Herrmann: Their Friendship and Film Scores
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Caroline Young
SPEAKER
The Conflict of the Single Woman in Hitchcock’s Films
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Revisit events past
HitchCon ‘23
Hitchcock Unbound: Reimagining the Art of the Story
No one knew better than Alfred Hitchcock when to obey the rules of cinema and when to break them. HitchCon ‘23 will explore the ways in which he pushed the boundaries of his craft, thrilling audiences and blazing new trails for storytellers today. See the lineup and videos.
HitchCon ‘22
Hitchcock in a Time of Crisis
Four decades have passed since Hitchcock’s death, and we face a range of crises such as climate change, pandemics and political unrest. Nevertheless, his films remain perennially fresh and wise. On October 1-2, 2022, 22 speakers gathered to discuss the Master’s films in light of current events and trends. See the lineup and videos.
HitchCon ‘21
What’s It All about, Alfie? Alfred Hitchcock’s Lessons in Love
What can Hitchcock’s films teach us about love and life and love? On October 1-3, 2021, 21 speakers from Canada, England and the United States gathered to share their insights on the poignant, wise and honest depiction of love and its entanglements in Hitchcock’s films. See the lineup and videos.
TESTIMONIALS
What they’re saying
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED | I have learned so much with this group of great minds! — Ana Roland, Attendee
“Do yourself a favor and participate in the annual deep dive that is HitchCon. As a filmmaker, I find these conferences inspiring and illuminating.”—Norman Buckley, Executive Producer & Director, “Sweet Magnolias”
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED | I have learned so much with this group of great minds! — Ana Roland, Attendee “Do yourself a favor and participate in the annual deep dive that is HitchCon. As a filmmaker, I find these conferences inspiring and illuminating.”—Norman Buckley, Executive Producer & Director, “Sweet Magnolias”
"HitchCon is a wonderful forum of wonderful people eagerly sharing their observations about The Master's movies and more."—Chris Kochmanski, Attendee
"Coming from Eastern Europe, HitchCon is a dream come true: a gathering of experts, cinephiles and energetic thinkers who enjoy exchanging observations about all things Hitchcock. —Sebastian Smoliński, Film Scholar & Podcaster, “Foreign Correspondents”
"HitchCon is a wonderful forum of wonderful people eagerly sharing their observations about The Master's movies and more."—Chris Kochmanski, Attendee "Coming from Eastern Europe, HitchCon is a dream come true: a gathering of experts, cinephiles and energetic thinkers who enjoy exchanging observations about all things Hitchcock. —Sebastian Smoliński, Film Scholar & Podcaster, “Foreign Correspondents”
“I was so inspired by this community of scholars, fans and Hitchcock admirers that I crafted a new course at my university for this coming fall. Hitch, here we come!” —Karen Ritzenhoff, Professor in Communication, Central Connecticut State University.
"HitchCon has been a must-attend event for me since its inception. These Hitchcock fans and scholars truly open up his work and world to me in whole new ways!"—Professor of Film Studies, Producer and Director, “Listen, Darkling” and “Highway”
“I was so inspired by this community of scholars, fans and Hitchcock admirers that I crafted a new course at my university for this coming fall. Hitch, here we come!” —Karen Ritzenhoff, Professor in Communication, Central Connecticut State University. "HitchCon has been a must-attend event for me since its inception. These Hitchcock fans and scholars truly open up his work and world to me in whole new ways!"—Professor of Film Studies, Producer and Director, “Listen, Darkling” and “Highway”
You never know who you’ll run into.
The legendary salon. Insightful talks. Interactive, fun-filled screening nights. Join now, get all that and help the community thrive.