[Commlist] Call for papers: 'Zero Hour? Reconstructing post-war Belgian cinema'

After the devastation of World War II, Belgium embarked on a journey of 
rebuilding and reconstruction. The effort was aimed at upholding the 
image of a modern consumer society, as symbolized by the monumental 
Atomium at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Despite this pursuit, Belgium 
was repeatedly shaken to its very foundations. Internal political and 
social turmoil such as the Royal Question, the Second School War, the 
Winter Strike of 1960-1961 as well as the independence of its colonies – 
Congo in 1960 and Ruanda-Urundi in 1962 – lay bare several lines of 
fracture in the country.

In film circles, both press and makers projected the need for 
reconstruction onto their own field of work. The war years had 
introduced their own dynamic under the German occupation, while the 
existent production was heavily disrupted after a steady succession of 
Belgian films had been initiated only in the mid-1930s. A national film 
production of any substance was yet to be created. Was now the time?

With the burgeoning consumer society in Belgium, its film culture also 
boomed. New film theatres opened all across the country, ticket sales 
skyrocketed to an all time high, film clubs as well as the national film 
archive were on the rise, and festivals as well as film schools were 
being founded. Before the breakthrough of television, which was boosted 
by the 1958 World’s Fair, art documentaries had a heyday while there was 
also a revival of folkloristic cinema.

The symposium ‘Zero Hour?’ wants to bring together a multitude of 
perspectives – combining aesthetic, socio-economic as well as political 
approaches – to reflect on how Belgian film production and culture is 
constructed between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s, when 
selective government support systems for Dutch- and French-language 
films were introduced.

* Practical information

Presentation proposals (in English, Dutch or French) should include the 
title of the presentation, a 300-word abstract and a short bio. The 
deadline for abstracts is 15 June 2023. Notifications will be made by 7 
July 2023. Please send your proposal to (bjorn.gabriels /at/ uantwerpen.be) 
<mailto:(bjorn.gabriels /at/ uantwerpen.be)>.

The two-day symposium will be held in Hoek38, Brussels, on 21 and 22 
February 2024. Presentations (in English, Dutch, or French) will be 
between 30 and 50 minutes, including the screening of films (or film 
fragments) if so desired. There is no fee for speakers and catering will 
be provided.

Following the symposium, our aim is to invite authors of selected papers 
to contribute their work to an edited volume on this subject with an 
internationally renowned academic publisher or a special issue of a 
peer-reviewed academic journal.

* Organizers

This symposium is organized by Gertjan Willems (University of 
Antwerp/Ghent University), Bénédicte Rochet (University of Namur) and 
Bjorn Gabriels (University of Antwerp/University of Namur). It is part 
of the FWO-funded research project ‘Screening Multiple Identities. 
National, subnational and transnational discourses in post-war Belgian 
cinema’.

* You can find more information on www.uantwerpen.be/zero-hour 
<http://www.uantwerpen.be/zero-hour>.

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