Dublin will host the Radical Film Network Conference from July 27th to 29th this summer in the F2 Centre, 3 Reuben Plaza in Rialto. Over the years the conference has sought to establish a matrix of filmmakers, activists and academics primarily committed to the development of a film culture that aims to highlight struggles against oppression, the misuse of power, battles to achieve social justice, and much else besides.
The conference is widely recognised as having a global, all-embracing ethos, spanning four continents and 24 countries in its outreach since its inception in 2013. Despite appearing to have a fixed, concrete judgement that “radical” filmmaking necessarily requires a move towards more ideological, ethnographic and raw interpretations of what the medium of film should be used for, the conference exists to constantly question what we really mean by the term “radical”.
Papers by academics and discussion groups will contribute to a debate at the conference, which will offer a unique insight into the very essence of the word “radical” and its implications for the filmmaking techniques and aesthetics of today and tomorrow.
The overlap between political and social realities and the influence these have, or should have, on the art of filmmaking is fundamental to the spirit of the conference. The mirroring of people’s stark, often brutal experiences of discrimination, hardship, and poverty will also be of crucial importance to the topics of discussion throughout the duration of the conference.
The ambition, as it is every year, is to ensure the future blossoming of radical filmmaking as a sustainable project going forward. The collection of people who will be involved in this year’s conference will display a passion for alternative, subversive and challenging art that isn’t afraid to view the world through the eyes of the marginalised and dispossessed. If Hollywood and big-budget cinema leave you feeling a little cold, a little uninspired, then this conference is for you.
