Learning on ScreenWhat is Women’s Film History?
Membership, established by subscribing to the Listserve, is open to anyone committed to contributing to the development of women’s film history, whether academic researchers, film enthusiasts, or family and local historians.
Core functions, identified for development over the next two years include the creation of a website, a listserve, an e-newsletter, and a continuing organisational contribution to the biennial Doing Women’s Film History conference. The Website -rather than an institution or physical location – will function as a virtual centre for the Network and exchanges between its members, requiring a digital programme (probably wordpress) and design that are both user friendly and open to shared use. It is envisaged that the website will contain a Home Page; an ‘About Us’ section, including a Network Members Directory, contacts for Steering Group members, and a link to the Network’s Archive (our current wiki); a News/Noticeboard on which events, conferences, festivals, research proposals, new publications, information sought can be posted; a E-Library containing past E-newsletter editions, book reviews, members’ articles as PDFs; a Resources Section in which new research findings can be posted and links provided to other networks, archives, journals and publication opportunities (e.g. e.g. Genesis; Screenonline; Women and Silent British Cinema website; WiFT, BUFVC; BEV; BECTU; TWL; Feminist Media Studies; MECCSA Women’s Media Studies and Race Networks; Women Film Pioneers Database); and a Contact Us email address.
The Listserve is key to the creation of membership and routine interaction between Network members. Membership, established by subscribing to the Listserve, is open to anyone committed to contributing to the development of women’s film history, whether academic researchers, film enthusiasts, or family and local historians. There will be no membership fee at present, though as the Network develops it may need to set dues. Joining the Listserve will enable members to receive the E-Newsletter three times a year.
Debra Zimmerman of Women Make Movies at the Doing Women's Film History conference (photo: John-Paul Green)
In addition to facilitating these core functions, the Network Steering Group will undertake fundraising and search for sponsorship. If successful, future projects in prospect include the development of a Researching Women Filmmakers Starter Kit, a Programming Package identifying sources of women’s films and related support materials, and Education Packages to support the development of gendered and historical perspectives in the school and college curriculum.
The project of promoting the visibility of women’s participation in film history aims at a number of outcomes: to encourage new historiographic approaches to cinema that are sensitive to gender, class and race; to make the case for the preservation and availability of women’s films and thereby increase programming choice in film theatres, television channels, DVD outlets; to impact on the teaching of film and media in schools and colleges and so, last but not least, to raise the aspirations of young women as potential future filmmakers.
Details of our application to the AHRC Research Networking Scheme to set up the Women’s Film History Network-UK/Ireland, along with the Workshop programmes and full programme and abstracts from the conference, Doing Women’s Film History: Reframing Cinema Past and Future, can be found on our wiki at: http://wfh.wikidot.com.
New participants in the Network are very welcome. If you are interested in joining our mailing list, contributing to the Network’s Steering Group, or undertaking research into the many unrecorded women filmmakers who have worked in the UK and Ireland as part of the Women Film Pioneers Project, please email me at the address below.
Professor Christine Gledhill
AHRC Network coordinator
christine.gledhill@gmail.com
