June 3-5, 2019

The University of Nottingham (UK)

Deadline: January 31, 2019

Radicalism’ is a concept with a diverse range of applications and ‘radical film’ can be used to describe a wide range of cultural practices. For most of those involved in the Radical Film Network, ‘Radicalism’ refers first and foremost to a political affiliation with the Left and the various traditions that underpin it: from anarchism and socialism to radical environmentalism and struggles for racial, sexual and gender equality. But, radicalism is about aesthetics as much as politics; it is about interrogating the nature of film language, experimenting with the medium and developing new approaches to audio-visual communication.

In keeping with the spirit in which the Radical Film Network (RFN) was founded, this conference aims to bring together the political and aesthetic avant-gardes, with a particular focus on the transnational nature of contemporary radical film cultures. By looking at how radical films are produced, circulated and engaged with in different parts of the world, the conference aims to shed light on the transnational nature of film cultures and the intersecting relationship between political struggle and aesthetic innovation. Bringing together filmmakers and researchers, the conference hopes to create new and consolidate existing connections and networks, facilitate transnational and cross-cultural dialogues, and forge global solidarity among radical filmmakers around the world.

We particularly welcome filmmakers and researchers from the Global South, and contributions engaging with themes in the Global South from individuals and communities both inside and outside of academia. To this end, we may be able to offer a limited number of travel subsidies to participants from underprivileged backgrounds and the Global South. Please get in touch with the conference organisers to check eligibility once more details are announced in the spring of 2019.

Contributions may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Radical aesthetics and politics;
  
• Political filmmaking and ethical issues;
  
• Class and radical films;
  
• Forms of radical film activism and political agitation;
  
• Programming, distribution and exhibition;
  
• Radical film festivals and audiences;
  
• Radical film history across national borders;
  
• (Self)-Representation, identity and privacy in radical film cultures;
  
• Collaborative and participatory practices in radical film cultures;
  
• Partnerships between radical filmmakers and institutions;
  
• Issues of inclusion/exclusion in radical film cultures;
  
• Radical film cultures, memory, the archive and preservation;
  
• Creativity and innovation in radical film cultures;
  
• Radical films and the proliferation of digital technologies;
  
• Radical film cultures in the Global South;
  
• Radical film cultures and future direction(s)
  

Interested participates are invited to submit proposals for one of the following forms:

• 20-minute presentation
  
• 1.5-hour panel (with 3-4 panellists)
  
• 1-1.5-hour workshop on any aspect of radical film cultures
  

Proposals to a maximum of 300 words (presentation) or two-pages (panel or workshop) should be sent to:

Trfc2019conference@gmail.com

Deadline for call for papers: 31 January 2019

Please address any enquiries to the above address. Details of the complete programme will be announced in due course.

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