Centre for Cinema and Media Studies (CIMS)

Cinema & Diaspora

cinema-and-diaspora.pngA comparative study into ethnic film cultures in Antwerp: Indian, Northern African, Turkish and Jewish cinema

Researcher(s) (other)

Kevin Smets

Iris Vandevelde

Supervisors (CIMS)

Roel Vande Winkel

Sofie Van Bauwel

Supervisors (other)

Philippe Meers

Funded by

BOF-project (2008-2012) Universiteit Antwerpen

FWO-project (2009-2012) Universiteit Antwerpen & Universiteit Gent

Presentation

This research project focuses on the film cultures of four ethnic groups in diaspora in Antwerp: the Indian, Turkish, North-African and Jewish communities. These four cases are each analysed in two phases: structural analysis (distribution and exploitation) and audience research . Subsequently they will be examined from a comparative perspective. The extent to which these film cultures shape cultural identities, will receive special attention.

This project comprises four case studies. Each case study, that is each diasporic group, will be analysed separately in two phases. The first phase concerns structural analysis, describing distribution and exploitation of the relevant films. During this phase attention will be paid to the cinema sphere, rental movies, television and the Internet. In the second phase audience research regarding media use of ethnic audiences and film cultures emphasis on cultural representations, will be conducted through ethnographic analyses. Finally the results of the different cases will be compared and synthesised in a study on the differences and parallels between the examined diasporic film cultures, in relation to the global context.