We are delighted to publish the final three screenworks of our rolling Volume 14.1. Lasse Gallefoss's Pray: Evoking An Epiphany With A Documentary Film Without Using Words exemplifies how a documentary can evoke epiphanies without words through its poetic, observational, and slow-paced style. By immersing viewers in a state of flow through visual and auditory elements, it demonstrates the power of film to communicate complex ideas and emotions subtly and effectively. This approach challenges conventional narrative techniques, showcasing the profound impact of visual storytelling in academic filmmaking.

Haytham Mohamed's film Egypt's Celluloid Closet argues that the representation of gay men in Egyptian cinema not only has been historically problematic but rather regressed considerably over the years. Depictions of gay male characters in Egyptian cinema have overwhelmingly been limited to crude and cruel stereotypes. These stereotypes are often associated with mental illness, being sexually abused at a young age, being influenced heavily by ‘Western decadence’ or a result of lack of self-control or willpower. In interviewing experts, as well as filmmakers of Egyptian cinema, the documentary reveals how the majority of filmmakers remain complicit with the expectations of Egyptian audiences and society. 

Travis Wilkerson's Full Metal Kuleshov Effect is a compelling video essay exploring the pervasive limitations in US films about the Vietnam War, which consistently centre the American perspective and echo a colonial outlook, thus compromising their artistic integrity. By drawing on Chinua Achebe's critical essay on "Heart of Darkness," the essay scrutinises the parallels between these films and European colonial literature, questioning their inherent biases and seeking alternative, more inclusive narratives.

Steve Klee's art film The Institute for Predictive Images theorizes about images, bodies, and scientific knowledge by merging concepts from Deborah Levitt's writing on our contemporary audio-visual condition with ideas from psychology. Levitt claims that we are now more likely to understand images as ‘animatic’ rather than ‘filmic’. Klee asserts body image to be animatic in Levitt’s sense. The video can be understood as an allegory of her theories, as supplemented by psychological concepts, but also as an enactment of these ideas, a performance - sometimes ethical - of the animatic image. Other theoretical resources drawn upon include critical posthumanism, and decolonial approaches.

Ataa Alsalloum and Monika Koeck’s lecture/essay film Safeguarding Transplanted and Indigenous Intangible Cultural Heritage in the UK explores the complexities of identifying and defining Intangible Cultural Heritage among migrated, resettled, and native/indigenous communities in the UK (originating from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Focusing on the Liverpool City Region as a case study, the authors illuminate the transformative impact of a confluence of diverse cultures, using ‘Transcultural Heritage’ as an organising concept. This term, while not new, is explored as a paradigm that could potentially redress challenges, fostering a society that upholds mutual respect and inclusivity throughout the UK.

Becky Nunes’ An Age of Iron is an experimental short film which explores the impact of New Zealand Steel’s mineral extraction on an indigenous tribe in Tahāro, a tiny settlement to the South-West of the Kawhia harbor, in the North Island of Aotearoa-New Zealand. The film and statement chart the uncomfortable (and ongoing) journey as a filmmaker, attempting to document the effects of colonising and extractive forces on the land, whilst struggling with the ethical implications of photo-filmic representation, questions of authorship and ownership of the narratives that emerge from this prolonged mineral extraction. With the re-introduction of titanomagnetite into the global manufacturing chain, Nunes asks what this might mean for the mauri (or spirit) of the land, and whether an environmental and indigenous alliance can be enacted through an experimental lens-based practice?

Phoebe Hart’s video essay, Medical Mysteries & Freaky Fables critiques screen-based representations of intersex people; individuals who have reproductive organs at variance with the genetic and/or hormonal sex, who comprise almost 2% of the human population. The essay takes scenes from various television series and proposes a challenge to filmmakers and writers to transcend representations of people with intersex variations beyond mere voyeurism or abjection.

This volume of Screenworks is a rolling publication. Each rolling volume runs from September to July, with the editorial team taking a well-deserved break in August. To submit work please read our Submissions Guidelines and use our Online Submission Form. If you are interested in submitting your practice and want further advice, then please contact us on admin@screenworks.org.uk with “Submissions” in the subject line.