ILAE Centenary Celebrations

ILAE was founded in Budapest on 30th August 1909, during the XVIth International Medical Conference. At the 2009 congress, the centenary of our society will be celebrated. Few if any societies in the field of neurology have such a long history and the centenary is indeed an extra-ordinary achievement for ILAE, and is a tribute to the great contribution of the ILAE to epilepsy. At the congress, there will be various centenary events including a centenary reception, an historical exhibit, centenary lectures, a film festival (100 years of epilepsy in film) and the launch of a centenary history book. It is hoped all attendees will join to celebrate the ILAE’s first 100 years and help launch the society into its second century.

Centenary Committee
Simon Shorvon, UK  (Chair)
Howard Goodkin, USA
PéterHalász, Hungary
Judit Jerney, Hungary
Giselle Weiss, Switzerland  


ILAE CENTENARY EXHIBITION AND HISTORICAL TIMELINE - ILAE AND EPILEPSY 1909 - 2009

The exhibition consists of 65 posters to celebrate the 100 years of ILAE and the progress in epilepsy. The posters are based on the ILAE Centenary History Book. The exhibition starts in 1909 in the Hotel Bristol and finishes with an allegorical arch symbolizing the next 100 years. A historial timeline is also on show to give context to the audience.
 
DISPLAY OF HISTORICAL BOOKS – 1909-2009

A display of approximately 30 books of importance to the cultural history of epilepsy, and published between 1909-2009, will be on show at the exhibition, and linked to the special session ‘Epilepsy and literature’. The display will be of the original editions, in their original languages, and demonstrates the importance of epilepsy in the development of the novel during the twentieth century.

THE CENTENARY OF THE ILAE JOURNAL – EPILEPSIA

2009 is also the centenary of the Journal Epilepsia. The first edition was published in March 1909 and Epilepsia  was then formally adopted as ‘the official organ’ of the ILAE in September 1909 and from thenceforward ILAE have owned and run the journal.  Over the years, it has published many important papers in the field of epilepsy and the journal has been a crowning achievement of the league. 

Wiley Blackwell, the current publishers of Epilepsia, will have a stand at the conference to which all participants are invited. Amongst the items on show at the stand will be the historical supplement, which was published with the Epilepsia centenary issue in March 2009. This supplement contains 10 chapters covering aspects of the history of epilepsy during the 100 years.

On Monday 29th June, there is a special session at the conference devoted to four landmark papers in the journal and the impact these had on the subsequent course of epilepsy (10:30 - 12:00 - 100 years of Epilepsia - landmark papers and their influence).

100 YEARS OF EPILEPSY IN FILM THE CENTENARY FILM FESTIVAL AND FILM COMPETITION

It is fitting that the ILAE should celebrate their centenary with a film festival. Epilepsy has featured in films for almost 100 years and continues to be a strong plot device for modern film makers. Whilst many of these films are not award winners, they often vividly convey the social and medical mores of the era in which they were made. Four films have been selected for screening as part of the ILAE centenary celebrations to showcase the history and development of the representation of epilepsy on the silver screen from the 1920’s to the 21st century. The four films are: To What Red Hell, Dr. Kildare’s Crisis, A Matter of Life and Death, and Control. The showing of each film will be preceded by a brief introduction and followed by a short debate about the way epilepsy is depicted.

Against the backdrop of this historical overview, the ILAE has also held a Centenary Film Competition, as part of its centenary celebrations, in order to encourage fresh perspectives on epilepsy and seizures in film. The competition was for the best film, in the opinion of the judges, made since January 2000 which was inspired by or related to epilepsy or seizures. The competition was not for educational or clinical films, but rather for creative or artistic works which used epilepsy as a theme directly or tangentially. The judging criterion was creative merit.  The competition attracted entries from Europe, Asia, North & South America, Africa and the Middle East, representing many different film genres. These films were judged by a distinguished panel and at the congress the award will be presented to the overall winner of this competition.  The world premier screening of the winning film will be held during the congress.
There are also winners for the best full-length feature film of the competition and the best documentary. These films will also be shown along with some of the runners-up, as part of the festival.

The schedule for the ILAE Centenary Film Festival is as follows:

Sunday 28th June

14:45  – 16:15     
Welcome and Introduction to the Festival: Early Cinematic Representations of Epilepsy             Sallie Baxendale
 Screening: To What Red Hell (1929)

16:15 – 16:45    
Debate 

Monday 29th June

10:00 - 12:00
ILAE Centenary Award for Film: Shorts Screening
Runners-up of the ILAE Centenary Film Competition

14:00 - 14:10
Epilepsy under wraps             
Sallie Baxendale

14:10 - 15:45
Screening: A Matter of Life & Death (1946)

15:45 - 16: 15
Debate

Tuesday 30th June

10:30 – 12:00   Epilepsy and literature
Peter Wolf,  (Denmark) Chair

Epilepsy reflected in works of writers with epilepsy
Peter Wolf,  (Denmark)

Literary descriptions of seizures
Peter Rajna, (Hungary)

Margiad Evans, centenary of an artist with epilepsy
Jim Pratt, (Scotland) 

This session ’Epilepsy and literature’ connects an art film that was submitted to the cinema competition with an analysis of epilepsy and seizures in literature as it is described by writers with and without epilepsy. It specifically highlights the Centenary of a writer and artist who was born in 1909, the foundation year of the ILAE.

14:00 - 14:20
1930's: The Eugenics Movement        
Simon Shorvon

14:20 - 15:45
Screening: Dr Kildare's Crisis (1940)

15:45 - 16:20 
Debate  

18:00 - 20:00
ILAE Centenary Award for Film
Screening of the Overall Winner of the ILAE Centenary Competition 
Screening of the Winner of the best full length film in the ILAE Centenary Film Competition

Wednesday 30th June

10:00 -12:00
ILAE Centenary Award for Film
Screening of the winner best documentary film in the ILAE Centenary Film Competition

14:00 - 14:10
Full Circle: Closing Comments
Sallie Baxendale

14:15 - 16:20
Screening: Control (2007)

16:20 - 16:50
Debate