[Commlist] CfP International Conference Contemporary Women's Cinema and Media

*CALL FOR PAPERS*

**

*/Contemporary Women’s Cinema and Media: Aesthetics, Identities, and 
Imaginaries /*

XXV International Conference of Film Studies

//

Rome, November 21-22, 2019

Department of Philosophy, Communication, and Performing Arts

University of Roma Tre

In the modern film and audiovisual environment, the interplay of global 
economic aspects, cultural and geopolitical positioning of those 
involved, and a perspective that highlights specific forms of aesthetic 
expression and imagination plays an increasingly important role. The XXV 
International Conference of Film Studies, /Contemporary Women’s Cinema 
and Media, /aims to address the contemporary production of women’s film, 
with a spotlight on other audiovisual media such as television and the 
Internet.

The conference’s primary research subject is female authorship: which 
aesthetic approaches, which types of imaginary, and which identities do 
women express and produce? How do they approach the relationship between 
individual and collective identities and between women and the world? 
Which features distinguish Italian and European film production from 
those in other geopolitical environments? Women’s cinema is, in fact, a 
globally established reality with specific characteristics in how it 
moves between local, global, domestic, and international contexts and 
the imaginary.

The study of female authorship has developed since the early 1970s, 
addressing both theoretical and historical perspectives, and has mainly 
focused on: 1) the subversive and counter-hegemonic gaze of women 
directors and spectators; 2) historical research on the roles of 
professional and creative women in production, distribution, and 
movie-going activities; and 3) the analysis of the relationship between 
female authorship and the production of a multifaceted imaginary realm.

Contemporary perspectives saw further extension and offshoots along 
these lines, underlining the relationship between women’s gaze and the 
images within all audiovisual forms, as well as production and 
movie-going models. During the past twenty years, the main focus lay on 
perspectives oriented toward research on the points of contact between 
different ‘minoritized’ settings. This occurred both as a result of an 
intersectional view and a transnational dimension, enhancing the 
interplay between female authorship and a global and postcolonial 
perspective from a production viewpoint, as well as from distribution 
and movie-going points of view.

Even though, historically speaking, women occupying leading positions in 
media industries have been limited (with notable exceptions), they never 
ceased to play a fundamental creative role in approaching the most 
complex and problematic aspects of their experiences through their 
narratives. The expression ‘women’s cinema and media’ is thus an 
ideological choice that focuses on the way in which female authors 
approach differences – of gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation, 
religion, etc. – during different phases – from production to writing, 
and from directing to disseminating works and products. Against this 
background, attention is focused on how the processes resulting from 
globalisation have shaped and continue to shape women’s experiences 
differently from men’s, as well as from that of each other.

Among the possible topics, we would like to highlight in particular:

·The way in which women’s language, including those forms attributable 
to /écriture féminine/, changes based on geopolitical production 
realities marked by globalisation and trans/national approaches. It will 
be useful to take into account not only experiences such as those found 
in Latin America, North Africa, and the Middle East, but also Asian and, 
in particular, Chinese productions. By comparing styles and imagery, one 
would hope to detect both the dominant trajectories within various 
national cinemas, as well as the recurrent interplay and trespasses 
brought about by ‘accented’, diasporic, transcultural, and other 
narrative forms.

*·***The way in which Production Studies have been influenced, 
particularly with respect to the role of female professionals in top 
creative positions. Using quantitative and qualitative studies, we now 
analyse production realities and experiences of women in films and the 
audiovisual industry in general, including those realities in which 
diversity policies and other positive actions were taken to mitigate 
gender asymmetries in creative and high-level positions.

·The way in which the contemporary festival circuit has created a 
network of ‘alternative’ thought and distribution for women’s 
productions, beginning with historically established events, such as the 
Festival International de Films de Femmes de Créteil, the Sundance Film 
Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Seoul 
International Women’s Film Festival.

·Multiple forms are taken by feminine authorship. Besides the role of 
women directors, we would like to explore the opportunities that other 
principal creative positions (cinematographers, editors, composers, 
etc.) offer in this context. Particular attention will be paid to 
screenwriters, who hold a relevant and special position in the 
contemporary creative landscape, also in Italy. Another notable field in 
this sense will be that of the production interplay between feminine 
authorship and stardom/celebrity with respect to charisma and 
recognition, which have been articulated in original power structures.

·The way in which some aspects of the psychoanalytic approach may have 
to be reviewed with regard to theoretical and interpretative film 
production, contemporary women’s media, and post-colonial dynamics.

·The relationship between authorship and ideological positioning. We 
would like to discuss how women’s creative practices position them as 
politically aware in the contemporary scenario, above all in relation to 
aspects such as feminism, racial policies, belonging to the LGBTQIA+ 
community, post-feminism, and neoliberalism. Fundamental in this context 
will be the contribution of queer theories and intersectional feminism, 
without ignoring the transformative impact the transnational feminist 
/#metoo/ movement has had on the various settings where it intervened.

·The role of female authors and the production of the imaginary in the 
audiovisual non-cinematographic and series narratives. In particular, 
televised narratives, industrial narratives, more experimental 
narratives, and forms linked to online distribution are offerings that 
weave together amateurs and professionals, more traditional languages, 
and experimentation, often as a result of auto-narration. This includes 
technologically determined realities such as gaming, in which women’s 
authorship is still considered controversial.

·The various forms of the documentary – including the ‘cinema of the 
real’ – historically represent one of the most prevalent forms of 
feminine authorship. We will investigate the most intimate and personal 
perspectives, not to mention politically aware productions; the 
increasingly large-scale production for the Internet; the practices of 
journalistic and investigative narration, often brought about by female 
authors who assume a not-insignificant politically and geo-culturally 
aware position, despite its placement in hegemonic media scenarios; but 
also offerings of found-footage film and its relationship with history, 
memory, re-use, and archives.

·Experimental film and video to the point in which they are expressed 
within the artistic and museum world, or with respect to broader trends 
in visual culture.

Proposals of 300-500 words should be sent to (roma3conference /at/ uniroma3.it) 
<mailto:(roma3conference /at/ uniroma3.it)>, accompanied by 3-5 keywords, a 
brief bio, and contact information.

The deadline to present abstracts is *September 5, 2019*. Acceptance 
will be communicated by September 12.

Speaker’s fee: 50 Euros.

Presentations shall be 20 minutes in length. Languages spoken at the 
conference will be English and Italian.

Organisers: Department of Philosophy, Communication, and Performing Arts 
– University of Roma Tre

Governance: Ilaria A. De Pascalis and Veronica Pravadelli

Scientific Committee: Leonardo De Franceschi, Stefania Parigi, Ivelise 
Perniola, Marta Perrotta


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