Jeanine Basinger
Jeanine Basinger is Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies at Wesleyan University, founder and curator of the Wesleyan Cinema Archives, and the author of nine books on film, including Silent Stars (1999) and The Star Machine (2007). She is a trustee of the National Board of Review and a trustee emeritus of the American Film Institute. Basinger was also awarded an honorary degree by the American Film Institute in June of 2006–the first time it was awarded to an academic–for her contribution to film studies and for the number of her students who work in the field. Professor Basinger spearheaded the planning and fundraising for Wesleyan's new Center for Film Studies.