[ecrea] CFP - Ecocinema and its audiences / Interactions: Studies in Communications and Culture

Call for Papers


*Ecocinema and its audiences*

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Special issue of /Interactions: Studies in Communications and Culture/ 
(published by Intellect UK)


Edited by Pietari Kääpä (University of Helsinki)


Ecocinema is rapidly emerging as a key field in contemporary film 
studies. Books, conferences and articles are frequently devoted to the 
topic which is receiving increasing global scholarly attention. While 
writers have published work on specific national cinemas (the US and 
China in particular) and on modes of industrial production (new media; 
animation), much work remains to be done to ensure the dynamic 
development of the field and its ability to consolidate itself as a new 
vital paradigm in film studies.


One such area is the study of audiences. Media scholars have conducted 
important studies of audience reception of specific films (/The Day 
After Tomorrow/ in particular) in specific viewing contexts. Others have 
focused on reception studies in a metacritical vein, assessing the ways 
cinematic ecological and environmental messages are debated and adopted 
in wider media discourse. But in comparison to ideological textual 
analysis of films or work on the material footprint of film production 
and distribution, audience studies are notably lagging behind.


‘Ecocinema and its audiences’ proposes to be the first of its kind as a 
collection of critical perspectives discussing the ways audiences adapt, 
assimilate, critique, reject and discuss ecological and environmental 
messages in cinema. This collection is open to approaches undertaking 
pedagogical, political, culturalist, cognitive, philosophical, 
scientific or virtual studies of film culture (and their inevitable 
overlap). We encourage submissions in any of the following areas (and 
welcome suggestions in others):

- Transnational audiences

- Green networks and ecocinema blogs

- Festival audiences (especially Ecocinema Festival etc.)

- Fan community discussion of ecological aspects in The Lord of the 
Rings, Star Wars etc.

- Environmental education and film

- The uses of ecocinema in schools

- Cinematic representations of activist groups and their reception

- Critical reception of mainstream ecocinema

- Local or regional audiences

- Community engagement

- Uses of film by environmental justice movements

- Propaganda and its audiences

- Greenwashing and the anti-environmentalist agenda

- Political uses of ecocinema (ie. the mobilization of films as tools 
for social critique)

- Ecocinema’s influence on policy decisions

Please contact Dr. Pietari Kääpä ((pietari.kaapa /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(pietari.kaapa /at/ gmail.com)>) to discuss your submission. Paper 
proposals of 250 words and professional academic bibliography are to be 
sent to the above address by 30^th May2012.


‘Ecocinema and its audiences’ emphasises original peer reviewed research 
on audiences. Considering the resources and time this takes, we are 
requesting final paper submissions by February 2013.