*CFP* "GERIACTION CINEMA", SPECIAL ISSUE, JOURNAL OF POPULAR FILM AND TELEVISION

The action film has been widely analysed for its investment in spectacle, its hyperbolic masculinity, its significance for film marketing and its ideological implications across various conflicts and contexts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. So too have its stars been extensively framed in their cultural-political surroundings over recent decades of film scholarship. As the action-adventure format’s most contemporary manifestation in the blockbuster era reaches middle age and late-adulthood, and the personae of Cold-War era action stars increasingly adapt to incorporate themes of ageing, debates around seniority in the genre’s marquee personnel are ever more timely. As cinema as a whole is increasingly globalised, we are keen to expand the definitions and understandings of ageing, stardom, gender and genre in more transnational and multicultural contexts.

The Journal of Popular Film and Television will explore these ideas in a special themed issue focusing on the notion of ‘Geriaction cinema’. The issue will offer scholars the opportunity to discuss the concept of the ageing action star across historical periods, genders, ethnicities and national cinemas, bringing together diverse perspectives on the historical and political coordinates of this enduring genre. We are especially keen to encourage scholars looking at stars from outside Hollywood and Europe, so we have a particular interest in papers that heighten the international and multicultural approach to the genre. With female-centred action films becoming more mainstream, we are also particularly keen on papers that explore the female action star (Michelle Rodriguez, Angelina Jolie). 

Likely topics include but are not restricted to:

• The older female action star (Linda Hamilton, Michelle Yeoh, etc.) 
• Gender relations in action cinema 
• Generation X action stars (Tom Cruise, Will Smith, etc.) 
• The ageing star in early action cinema 
• Reinvigorated transnational stardom in the twilight of action careers 
• Studies of action cinema’s political / historical contexts relating to ageing 
• The impact of ageing on star personae (e.g., Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Wayne, Jackie Chan) 
• Themes of ageing in action cinema 
• Digital de-aging/re-animating stars 
• Action-adventure generic transformation (Tropic Thunder [2008], Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [2000])

Submissions should be 5000 to 7000 words in length (including bibliography and notes), be double spaced in Times New Roman font, and adhere to MLA style. Please include a 100 word abstract and 5-7 key words to facilitate online searches. Send an electronic copy of your submission in .doc or .docx format to Dr. Laura Crossley lcrossley@bournemouth.ac.uk and Dr. Austin Fisher afisher@bournemouth.ac.uk by 29 November, 2019.

More information about the Journal of Popular Film and Television.

Any inquiries about the special themed issue on Geriaction Cinema should be directed towards Dr. Laura Crossley lcrossley@bournemouth.ac.uk or Dr Austin Fisher afisher@bournemouth.ac.uk