ABSTRACT
This chapter interrogates the concept of film authorship and examines how feminist inquiry has been used to unpack some of the unspoken prejudices of film history. The chapter discusses auteur theory and its shortcomings, illustrating how women as film authors have historically been left out of dominant film history. We discuss notable women pioneers of silent cinema from around the world, as well as contemporary international women filmmakers that have made their mark with provocative feminist work. The chapter also expands the notion of feminist film authorship beyond the concept of directing.
Chapter 1 objectives:Survey standard film studies approaches to authorship and consider their shortcomings
Distinguish female authorship and feminist authorship
Understand the breadth of feminist approaches to authorship
Introduce the historical turn in feminist film studies, and survey women pioneers of early cinema
Introduce the concept of women’s cinema and world cinema
Place the debates around authorship within transnational perspectives and the global circulation of cinematic work
Highlight the work of some notable and/or underappreciated feminist film directors
Interrogate the limitations of the framework of national cinema
Position feminist filmmaking as multivalent and wide-ranging
