Joel Gunz believes that the search for meaning is among the highest of human pursuits, and it’s this impulse that drives his work. He’s a writer, filmmaker, host of the annual HitchCon International Alfred Hitchcock Conference and publisher of The Hitchcockian Quarterly. His recent publications include “Travels in Hitchcock’s Multiverse” (Re-viewing Hitchcock: New Critical Perspectives, Robert Kapsis, ed., forthcoming 2025) and “A Comparative Look at Hitchcock’s Murder! and Mary” (Hitchcock Annual, 2025, Sidney Gottlieb, ed.). His 2021 film essay Spellbound by L’Amour Fou was selected by several festivals and won Best Short Documentary at the Medusa Film Festival. He also hosts the salon-like MacGuffin Film Club, which features online film screenings followed by meaningful group discussions.

Emeritus Professor of Theatre and Dance, Southeast Missouri State University