Contemporary Radical Film Culture
Comprising essays from some of the leading scholars and practitioners in the field, this is the first book to investigate twenty-first century radical film practices across production, distribution and exhibition at a global level.
This book explores global radical film culture in all its geographic, political and aesthetic diversity. It is inspired by the work of the Radical Film Network (RFN), an organisation established in 2013 to support the growth and sustainability of politically engaged film culture around the world. Since then, the RFN has grown rapidly, and now consists of almost 200 organisations across four continents, from artists studios and production collectives to archives, distributors and film festivals. With this foundation, the book engages with contemporary radical film cultures in Africa, Asia, China, Europe, the Middle East as well as North and South America, and connects key historical moments and traditions with the present day. Topics covered include artists film and video, curation, documentary, feminist and queer film cultures, film festivals and screening practices, network-building, policy interventions and video-activism.
For students, researchers and practitioners, this fascinating and wide-ranging book sheds new light on the political potential of the moving image and represents the activists and organisations pushing radical film forward in new and exciting directions.
For more information about the Radical Film Network, visit www.radicalfilmnetwork.com.
Steve Presence is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at UWE Bristol, UK. His research spans activist film culture, documentary and the UK film and television industries, and he is currently working on an AHRC-funded study of the UKs feature documentary film industry. He convened the Radical Film Network in 2013.
Mike Wayne is Professor in Film and Media Studies at Brunel University, UK. His research covers radical film practices, media and cultural studies, Marxist theory and questions of class inequality and its cultural impacts.
Jack Newsinger is Assistant Professor in Cultural Industries and Media at the University of Nottingham, UK. He has published widely on cultural and media policy, cultural labour and diversity, and has been involved in the Radical Film Network since 2015.
First published 2021
by Routledge
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2021 selection and editorial matter, Steve Presence, Mike Wayne and Jack Newsinger; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Steve Presence, Mike Wayne and Jack Newsinger to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Presence, Steve, editor. | Wayne, Mike, editor. |
Newsinger, Jack, editor.
Title: Contemporary radical film culture : networks, organisations and activists / edited by Steve Presence, Mike Wayne, and Jack Newsinger.
Description: London ; New York : Routledge, 2020. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020009745 (print) | LCCN 2020009746 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781138543607 (hardback) | ISBN 9781138543614 (paperback) | ISBN 9781351006385 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Motion pictures--Political aspects--History--21st century. |
Motion pictures--Social aspects--History--21st century. |
Documentary films--Political aspects--History--21st century. |
Experimental films--Political aspects--History--21st century. |
Film festivals--Political aspects--History--21st century. |
Politics in motion pictures. | Social problems in motion pictures. |
Radical Film Network (United Kingdom)
Classification: LCC PN1995.9.P6 C6685 2020 (print) |
LCC PN1995.9.P6 (ebook) | DDC 791.4309/05--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020009745
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020009746
ISBN: 978-1-138-54360-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-54361-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-00638-5 (ebk)
This book is dedicated to Chuck Kleinhans (October 2, 1942December 14, 2017). A towering figure in Film Studies, Chuck was a committed and inspirational teacher, activist and scholar. It is with love and respect that we dedicate this volume to his memory.
This book would not exist without all the organisations and individuals who helped bring the Radical Film Network into being and push it along. Those that deserve particularly special thanks include Laura Ager, David Archibald, Holly Aylett, Hongwei Bao, Talat Bhat, Richard Bickle, Ursula Bckler, Elena Boschi, Violeta Bruck, Michael Chanan, Sue Clayton, Benjamin Cook, Paolo Davanzo, Jill Daniels, Shaun Dey, Margaret Dickinson, Tony Dowmunt, Gareth Evans, Debbie Freeman, Chris Garlock, Paula Geraghty, Lee Grieveson, Sarah Hamblin, Sylvia Harvey, Fran Higson, Patricia Holland, Sharon Hooper, Reuben Irving, Chris Jury, Anthony Killick, Chuck Kleinhans, Julia Lazarus, Julia Lesage, Franklin Lpez, Kate Mara, Concha Mateos, Elizabeth Mizon, Pauline van Mourik Broekman, Laura Mulvey, Daniel Mutibwa, Clive Myer, Robert Navan, Heinz Nigg, Humberto Perez-Blanco, Michael Pierce, Dina Pokrajac, Sarah Redman, Duncan Reekie, Chris Reeves, Karen Ranucci, Chris Rob, Andy Robson, Marcy Saude, Steve Sprung, Rod Stoneman, Andrew Tilson, Hayley Trowbridge, Svetla Turnin, Vagabond, Maria Vlez-Serna, Richard Warden, Ezra Winton, Jan Worth and Andrea Luka Zimmerman.
We would also like to gratefully acknowledge the UKs Arts and Humanities Research Council, which funded some of the research in this book via the International Research Networking Scheme grant, Sustaining Alternative Film Cultures (AH/M010600/1, 201518). Last, but not least, sincere thanks to our editors at Routledge, Natalie Foster and Jennifer Vennall, for their support and patience in seeing this project through to fruition.
David Archibald is Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies at the University of Glasgow. His academic written work includes the monographThe War That Wont Die: The Spanish Civil War in Cinema(2012) and he has published widely on various aspects of film culture. David has worked on numerous practice research films, including the multi-award-winningGovan Young(2017), which he produced and co-directed, and, more recently,Drifting with Debord(2019), which he co-wrote and co-directed with his colleague, Carl Lavery. David regularly appears on stage alongside Lavery in the experimental performance project, Glasgow Glam Rock Dialogues.