Cinemas of the Arab World
Call for papers - special issue of Wide Screen
Editor: Latika Padgaonkar (film scholar, former Executive Editor,
Cinemaya and festival director, Osian's Cinefan Festival)
The Arab world may be bound by language and religion, but it is in no
sense homogeneous, neither in its history nor in its customs. Yet,
over the years, what has largely been common to many Arab countries in
the field of cinema is a set of shared problems: decline in film
production, closure of halls consequent to the video revolution,
censorship, issues of distribution, diminishing investment, narrowing
of the domestic market and the invasion of American films and
television programmes, quite apart from the pervasive and longstanding
influence of Egyptian cinema to which several countries were called
upon to adjust in an earlier day.
For all that, a large number of Arab films have, in recent years, made
a mark in the international arena. These films have been made in the
face of odds economic, material and psychological. They continue to
grapple with their past and, increasingly, with their present: a past
linked to their colonial experience, war and displacement, and a
present that is trying to shape an identity. The colonial yoke may
have been shed but the region is now battling turbulent issues of
another kind.
Wide Screen attempts an engagement with cinemas of the Arab world by
asking questions on a variety of topics that are pertinent to this
region from censorship to the new cinema, from the position of women
to the question of identity, from the implications of foreign funding
to the diversities and similarities of the cinemas of these countries.
Apart from inviting general articles that may be specific to a
director, film or a theme in Arab cinema (as a whole or from a
particular film culture), here are a few very broad ideas that can be
incorporated in the suggestions we make to people who want to write
for the journal and even as guidelines for ourselves.
Focus on one director an entire section of the special issue could
have articles/essays and interviews and reviews of films made by one
director.
Censorship articles dealing with censorship in Arab cinema. Is it
just censorship of content by the state machinery, or is it also
self-censorship a kind of moral policing done socially. Is there
also a censorship of form? How accepting is the audience and the state
to non-linear forms? How much has that changed over the years.
Showcasing cinema the rest of the world knows precious little about
the cinephile culture in Arab countries despite a growing cinema
culture. Examination of cinema halls, the kinds of films they
showcase, box office returns etc can be interesting to look at.
Furthermore, what is the kind of give-and-take with other popular
cinemas, for instance Hollywood and popular Indian cinema. Do locally
produced films get more popular than foreign films? What is the state
and role of film festivals in Arab countries.
Articles dealing with Arab audience and also audience of Arab cinema
Identity film cultures across the world, be they art films or
popular ones have obsessed over questions of a Muslim identity ever
since 9/11. How does Arab cinema engage with this question? Is Arab
cinema (and within it cinemas of individual countries) put on a
defensive, loaded with the notion of proving innocence? Apart from
content, how does form deal with this question? The most important
question here is, What is Arab cinema?
Women when it comes to Arab cinema, a look at the representation and
position of women in the film industry is inevitable. How many women
directors are there? Are big actors ready to work with them? Are
female stars paid as much as their male counterparts. Who are the
directors that are working on issues relating to women. What is the
kind of opposition they have to face.
Deadline for paper submission: 15 March 2009.
Papers can be submitted at:
http://widescreenjournal.org/index.php/journal/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions
or emailed to: (kuhutanvir /at/ gmail.com)
Author guidelines, copyright notice and other information can be
accessed at: http://widescreenjournal.org/index.php/journal/about/submissions
