[Commlist] Call for paper - Visions and Prophecies in Cinema. The Moment of Revelation

Call For Papers


Visions and Prophecies in Cinema. The Moment of Revelation.


Dec 12, 2019 – Dec 13, 2019

Location

Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)

Submission deadline

May 24, 2019

Organizing Committee

-Ralph Deconinck (UCLouvain/INCAL/Cinespi)

-Sébastien Fevry (UCLouvain/GIRCAM/Cinespi)

-Jean-Benoît Gabriel (UNamur)

-Serge Goriely (UCLouvain/Cinespi)

-Arnaud Join-Lambert (UCLouvain/RSCS/Cinespi)

-Walter Lesch (UCLouvain/RSCS)

-Jean-Luc Maroy (UCLouvain/Cinespi)

URL (to Cinespi website)

Cinespi: https://uclouvain.be/fr/instituts-recherche/rscs/cinespi.htm


Objectives & theme of the Conference

The Cinespi Research Group of the Catholic University of Louvain 
(Louvain-la-Neuve) organises an international conference on“Visions and 
Prophecies in Cinema”.

Vision is here to be understood as a supernatural representation coming 
into sight (or mind) of one or more character within a film. It may 
illustrate a biblical episode (e.g. the Burning Bush) or involve a 
relationship with powers that can be divine or divinised (God, Christ, 
angels, saints...), satanic (Devil, demons…), elementary (natural 
forces), magical (fairies, magicians, superheroes...) or obscure 
(ghosts, monstrous creatures...). When a vision announces future events 
it is more fittingly called a prophecy.

The forms under which visions and prophecies are represented in cinema 
include premonitory dreams, subliminal experiences at the limit of 
consciousness, scattered signs across the storyline suggesting a 
supernatural order. Therefore, visions as well as prophecies imply a 
time when an "other world" is revealed to the real world. The conference 
will focus on this particular moment of revelation.

Sometimes only anecdotal or illustrative, the moment of revelation can 
also be crucial for the entire story. Often, it represents a turning 
point in the hero's journey, especially when it helps them define their 
action or give them its full meaning. In doing so, the moment of 
revelation opens up complex issues such as the relationship between 
worlds of different nature - real, invisible or even divine -, be it at 
an individual or collective level.

Likewise, the moment of revelation offers an opportunity to question the 
role and means of cinema itself. As a representation, it involves 
aesthetic, technical and narrative devices that also deserve to be 
analysed: special and digital effects, focusing effects, inserts, 
overprints, off camera, editing choices, shot length... and of course 
the sound effects and music choices.

The moment of revelation can be found in many different types of 
audiovisual production, all of them deserving to be considered: fiction, 
non-fiction, short or feature films, documentaries, TV series... The 
spiritual dimension within a film may be related to a recognised 
religion (i. a. Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism) or 
not. Since the general theme is very broad, the Conference will focus on 
audiovisual production after 2000.

Research areas

Different approaches are possible to address the Conference theme, 
including:

1)Aesthetic and Narrative Axis

The representation of the revelation moment gives rise tovarious 
choices. As such, they all deserve to be studied. Some filmmakers use 
significant film resources (like special effects), often in order to 
highlight the greatness and uniqueness of a given experience. In 
contrast, others prefer to rely on more discrete signals (like rustling 
leaves, the sound of a voice), which will tend to suggest the elusive, 
even indescribable nature of a special event. Similarly, it should be 
noted that some filmic works involve complex narrative processes 
(multi-point of view sequences, mixed temporalities, flashback, 
flashforward...), whereas others remain merely attached to classic, 
neutral and continuous patterns.

2)Approach by Motif

The same motif can appear in different films. This may be a famous 
moment within the biblical story (the burning bush, temptations of 
Christ, road to Damascus...) or religious history (e.g. the "voices" of 
Joan of Arc). It can also be related to classic characters famous for 
their visions (prophet, false prophet, missionary...), archetypal 
apparitions (Devil, Grace, Nature...) or phenomena affecting nature, 
art, the environment or even people (physical deformation). The 
diversity of treatment of these motifs can be studied from an aesthetic 
and/or historical perspective.

3)Focus on Author

Some accomplished film directors are very familiar with the 
representation of visions or prophecies. This is the case for Malick, 
von Trier, Lynch, Scorsese, Haneke, etc.. Going through their films on 
the basis of the moment of revelation is very relevant and likely to be 
fruitful.

4)Anthropological Axis

It would also be interesting to question the figure of the clairvoyant 
(or prophet) in cinema : his/her status, qualities, role, listening 
skills, social environment. To what extent does s/he fit into the 
iconographic, religious tradition? How does s/he define him-herself in 
relation to other characters who play an important role in society 
(scientists, artists, politicians...)? As a person “who sees”, s/he 
encourages reflection on what s/he sees, the meaning of it (the future, 
kingdom of heaven, the role of mysterious creature in nature), and 
possibly the message it carries (a piece of information, mission to be 
accomplished). Finally, the choice of the place where the revelation 
occurs (the desert, mountain, place of worship...) deserves also to be 
addressed, since it is rarely neutral.

5)Theological Axis

The moment of revelation can also be linked to the topic of "signs and 
wonders", all the miracles or biblical visions being forms of excess 
compared to natural experience. According to P. Schoonenberg, the sign 
can be seen in different ways: first, as a striking fact implying an 
objectifying awareness; then, as an indication of an interpersonal 
relationship; and finally as a call bound to a promise (or warning) 
which should be considered as a part of the dialogue between God and man 
and therefore contains a message. It is thus necessary to take into 
consideration the historical, cultural and social background of the 
clairvoyant at the moment of revelation. As a matter of fact, 
remembering revelations plays a structuring role for a given community 
with a view to updating it and opening up to the future. It raises 
therefore questions such as : which imaginary is solicited? which 
sources are mobilised? which processes are at stake (explicitly or 
implicitly)? what meaning is to be understood? and by whom?

Practical information

The Conference will be held in French and English at the University of 
Louvain-la-Neuve.


Researchers wishing to participate are kindly asked to send their 
proposal to (serge.goriely /at/ uclouvain.be)


Deadline: May 24, 2019.


A publication of the proceedings from the conference is planned 
(Éditions Academia-L'Harmattan).

Related published works by Cinespi

A. JOIN-LAMBERT, S. GORIELY, S. FEVRY (dir.), L’imaginaire de 
l’apocalypse au cinéma, Paris, L’Harmattan, 2012 (Structures et pouvoirs 
des imaginaires) 196 p. ISBN 978-2-296-96971-1

S. FEVRY, S. GORIELY, A. JOIN-LAMBERT (dir.), Regards croisés sur 
Incendies. Du théâtre de Mouawad au cinéma de Villeneuve, 
Louvain-la-Neuve, Academia-L’Harmattan, 2016 (Imaginaires) 142 p. ISBN 
978-2-8061- 0281-2





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