The diaspora kino-eye
A multi-methodological research project on diaspora film policies and representations in Flanders (2002-2021)
Researcher(s) (CIMS)
Supervisors (CIMS)
Funded by
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Presentation
Four-year research project: 01/11/2020 - 31/10/2024
Over the last decades a major upswing of diaspora cinema in Europe took place. In Flanders, this flux of diaspora filmmaking is specifically relevant as cross-cultural identities have assumed a more prominent role in contemporary cinematic narratives. The importance of diaspora cinema is that it is considered to be one of those symbolic sites of struggles within an intercultural society that can help in the deconstruction of Eurocentric and hegemonic modes of thought, eliciting a transnational, intercultural shift.
While diaspora cinema studies usually depart from a textual or reception perspective, the media industry and policy contexts in which these diaspora discourses are produced and distributed remain under-studied. As such, this project is specifically interested in the complex relationship between Flemish film policy institutions (e.g. VAF; Screen Flanders; ...) and the conundrum of diasporic, intercultural diversity. By adjoining the burgeoning field of critical policy studies and introducing a political economy perspective to the research field of diaspora film- and media studies, this project will largely contribute to contemporary debates about cultural diversity within creative industries.