[Commlist] cfp: Second International Conference on Twenty-First Century Film Directors: Kathryn Bigelow

Call for Papers

The Second International Conference on Twenty-First Century Film Directors
University of Wolverhampton in collaboration with Light House Media 
Centre, Wolverhampton presents
Kathryn Bigelow: A Visionary Filmmaker
Thursday July 11th 2019 at Light House Media Centre*, Wolverhampton

Keynote: Dr Deborah Jermyn, University of Roehampton, London

Film director Kathryn Bigelow is the first female filmmaker to win an 
Academy Award for Best Director, controversially achieving it for The 
Hurt Locker (2008) over James Cameron’s Avatar (2009). The Hurt Locker 
followed K19-The Widowmaker (2002), a film that marked a turning point 
for Bigelow, first, in the crossover from independent counter-cinema to 
mainstream Hollywood and second, for a focus on themes that have 
dominated subsequent films, namely politics, war and the military. The 
Hurt Locker went on to win six Academy Awards in total and achieved 
widespread critical acclaim, although it is Zero Dark Thirty, released 
in 2012, that is Bigelow’s most successful film commercially. If this 
reflected obvious global interest in Osama bin Laden, the world’s most 
wanted terrorist, it was also a sign of Bigelow’s ability to convey 
authenticity through her distinctive vision. This vision has been 
evident throughout her ten films, which span a broad range of genres 
that often have violent and provocative content. Her unique approach is 
articulated through stylised cinematography, shot composition and 
editing techniques, as well as a focus on subjective camera, 
surveillance, and complex and contradictory protagonists. She is also 
known for crossing genre boundaries and having a fascination with 
countercultural lifestyles.
We welcome abstracts that examine any aspect of Bigelow’s filmmaking, 
particularly contributions centring on:
	Individual films
	Bigelow in the broader context of women directors
	Feminist perspectives
	Violence and transgression
	Genres and genre-bending
	Countercultural lifestyles
	Crossover from independent to mainstream filmmaker
	Bigelow as auteur
	Politics, war and the military as themes
	Aesthetic approaches
	Subjective  camera and images involving vision and surveillance
	Complex characterisation

Please send a 300-word abstract along with a 100 word bio by Wednesday 
24th April 2019 to: Fran Pheasant-Kelly, University of Wolverhampton 
(f.e.pheasant-kelly /at/ wlv.ac.uk) . A final listing of accepted presentations 
will be released on 1st May 2019.  Delegate fees are £50 (£20 for 
students/concessions) to include lunch, refreshments, and evening wine 
reception.

* Light House Media Centre is the Black Country’s only independent 
cinema, housing two screens, galleries and a café bar within the iconic 
Victorian architecture of The Chubb Buildings.


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