Radical Equalities and Global Feminist Filmmaking - An Anthology

This is an impressive and important collection of voices, positions and statements on the art and practice of feminist filmmaking. Its strengths are multiple. First of all, the book is extremely timely, in that it identifies the field and practice of feminist filmmaking in the first place, and that it goes to great lengths to ensure that the field is well represented in its vibrant diversity and the multiplicity of its voices and viewpoints from across the globe. The editorial introduction grounds the project in specific events and encounters between filmmakers, curators, producers and writers while explaining the book’s methodology, approach and political commitment. I really value the mix of live dialogue and critical commentary the book offers. A great deal of labour, attention, and care has clearly gone into staging all the dialogic encounters and ensuring that the collection works together as a whole.

This will be an important volume for a variety of audiences. It will serve as an inspiration to junior filmmakers who are still seeking their own voice as well as ways of negotiating with society's institutions and constraints, including those concerning gender. It will encourage critical reflection on (and hopefully practical change with regard to) the genres of film that women, gender-fluid and queer filmmakers are encouraged – and discouraged – to pursue. But “Radical Equalities and Global Feminist Filmmaking” will also be an important text for the interdisciplinary field of film studies and media studies more broadly, providing it with a live map of the most exciting and important developments and ideas around feminist filmmaking across the globe. There is nothing like it out there yet!

Joanna Zylinska

Professor of New Media and Communications

Goldsmiths, University of London