*CFP* "CONTEMPORARY WOMEN'S CINEMA AND MEDIA: AESTHETICS, IDENTITIES, AND IMAGNARIES", XXV INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF FILM STUDIES

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@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