[Commlist] Genova Unconference 2021 CFP (English, italiano, castellano)

*Radical Film Network – Call for Unconference participants, Genoa 21-26 
June 2021*

After a forced hiatus in 2020, Genoa will host the Radical Film Network 
Festival/Unconference from Monday 21^st to Saturday 26^th June 2021. 
It's no accident that we've decided to host it here, as the summer of 
2021 will mark 20 years since the Genoa G8 protests. We'd like this to 
be an opportunity for the RFN not only to look back at the role of 
radical film culture in the mobilizations surrounding that event, but 
also (and especially) to reflect on and organize radical film practices 
in the strange present we're going through and in years to come. The 
Festival/Unconference will build on the success of past RFN gatherings, 
in particular Glasgow in 2016, the first meeting to use the ‘Festival 
and Unconference’ model, as well as Dublin, Berlin and Nottingham in 
2018 and 2019, which placed a welcome emphasis on the transnational 
dimension of the RFN.

The Festival/Unconference will be a space for activists, academics, 
filmmakers, producers, distributors, exhibitors, and anyone with an 
interest in radical film culture to come together, share knowledge, 
experiences, and practices, and build connections between the different 
dimensions of radical film culture as well as between radical film 
culture and a public, emancipatory approach to social sciences, across 
borders and language barriers. The event will be in English and Italian 
(with translation), but those who can contribute to debates and sessions 
in English are invited to do so to ease the pressure on our volunteers. 
The unconference model was successfully used in Glasgow and we’re 
looking to combine this inclusive, horizontal approach with a ‘slow 
conference’ model. This will allow us to take time to listen to things 
that we’d normally have to skip in favour of what’s more directly linked 
with our research/practice, thereby reclaiming a space where a 
productive dialogue can happen across the various subjects that have 
become involved in the RFN through the years. Having a ‘Slow 
Unconference’ is also an attempt to disrupt – however temporarily – the 
rhythms of the models of education, knowledge sharing, and filmmaking 
dictated by neoliberal values.

The organising committee invites proposals from anyone interested in 
participating in the discussions. Sessions for discussions will be 
timetabled, but the focus of each session will be decided by the 
participants based on their interests and it will arise from the films 
we’ll have seen and the discussions we’ll have had the day before. The 
screenings will be organized around six thematic areas:

·        Climate justice

·        Digital and video-activism 20 years after the Genoa G8

·        Feminism and LGBTQIA+ activism

·        Gentrification and touristification

·        Migrations and borders

·        Work, anxiety and precarity

The Unconference format is intended to create spaces in which 
participants can share practical experiences, research, skills, and 
insights on radical film culture and film in the context of a public, 
emancipatory approach to social sciences, including

·        Your/your organization’s practice as filmmakers, producers, 
distributors, exhibitors, researchers, activists, etc.

·        Film festivals and community cinemas

·        Limits of and opportunities offered by new technologies and 
digital platforms

·        Political filmmaking

·        Education and radical film practices in film studies and beyond

·        Critical perspectives on the representation of marginalized groups

·        Radical film history, culture, theory and practice

·        Video-activism and the relationship between film and political 
movements past and present

·        Visual sociology and film anthropology

Possible forms of participation include

·        Short illustrated talks (between 5 and 10 minutes)

·        Workshops

·        Digital or printed material that can be distributed at the event

We will consider proposals for other formats. While 10 minutes may sound 
too short for academics who normally deliver 20-minute papers, consider 
that the discussions will offer opportunities to develop ideas 
introduced in your talk in a productive exchange with other 
participants, which is what we’re trying to promote with this format. 
Also, we encourage everyone to think about the mixed audience that will 
take part in the event and prepare their contribution accordingly, 
choosing an approach that will help your message get through to 
participants outside your ‘bubble’ (academic, activist, filmmaking, etc.).

The Festival/Unconference will take place at the University of Genoa, in 
public outdoor spaces across the city, and in a range of participating 
venues including independent cinemas and local organized squats. In all 
indoor spaces masks will be required, a maximum capacity will be set to 
ensure that physical distances can be kept, and there will be 
appropriate ventilation. Some sessions will be broadcast online to allow 
those who won’t be able to come to Genoa to join us remotely. While 
face-to-face participation can’t be replaced by online meetings, we wish 
to be as inclusive as possible and offer everyone the opportunity to 
take part, whatever your age, health condition, and other reasons for 
not wanting to travel at this time. The Festival/Unconference venues 
will be fully accessible and some free no-frills accommodation and urban 
camping with basic facilities will be available on a first come first 
served basis. Please contact us if you require childcare or have any 
other access questions.

We’re going to require a set 125€ registration fee from participants who 
have access to financial support from their institutions/organizations, 
but we will operate a pay-what-you-can registration system for all 
self-funded participants, and registration will be free to all unwaged 
participants.

Please send a proposal including the following information to 
(rfngenova21 /at/ gmail.com) by Friday 8th January 2021

·        Name and Surname

·        Institutional affiliation or other organization (if applicable)

·        Brief outline of your proposal (max 150 words)

·        Technical requirements



The Festival/Unconference is organized by Laboratorio di Sociologia 
Visuale (Visual Sociology Research Group, DISFOR, University of Genoa), 
Corso di Laurea in Scienze della Comunicazione (Media and Communication 
Programme, DISFOR, University of Genoa), and Associazione Culturale 
Oblò, which is going to take care of the logistic aspects of the 
organization, in collaboration with the Radical Film Network.

Advisory Committee: David Archibald (University of Glasgow, Scotland) Mª 
Soliña Barreiro (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia), Elena 
Boschi (Independent scholar and curator, Italy), Luca Caminati 
(Concordia University, Canada), Massimo Cannarella (Università di Genova 
and Associazione Oblò), Enrico Fravega (Università di Trento), Erik 
Gandini (Filmmaker and producer, Sweden) Luca Giliberti (Università di 
Genova), José González Morandi (Filmmaker, Catalunya), Frances Higson 
(Producer and filmmaker, Scotland), Gabriella Petti (Università di 
Genova), Luca Queirolo Palmas (Università di Genova), Steve Presence 
(University of the West of England), Federico Rahola (Università di 
Genova), Victor Ribeiro (Documentary filmmaker and co-founder of 
Bombozila, Brazil), Luisa Stagi (Università di Genova).



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