Women Film Pioneers

none3The Women Film Pioneers project began as a collaborative effort to advance research on the accomplishments and history of women filmmakers from the early years of cinema through to the coming of sound. The original emphasis was on directors, writers, and producers. Recently, the project has expanded to include editors, exhibitors, publicists, and others working in the early years. One major goal is the publication of a Sourcebook in two volumes, leading to primary materials concerning the feminine contribution to the world's film history during the silent period (publisher University of Illinois Press, deadline 2010-11). A global network of researchers from many different countries is currently working to draw up the biographies and filmographies of hundreds of early women filmmakers. Academic research has also fostered the development of a large archival project inspired by the need to discover, restore, preserve, exhibit, and distribute extant 35mm films. After the creation of a Women Film Pioneers collection at the Library of Congress, in 2007 an Italian restauration program (promoted by the Dipartimento di Musica e Spettacolo-Università di Bologna, Associazione Orlando, Biblioteca delle donne, with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture) has allowed to restore two important films: " 'A santanotte" (Elvira Notari, 1921) and "Umanità" (Elvira Giallanella, 1919). The project is coordinated by Professor Jane Gaines at Duke University. Radha Vatsal is co-editor and research coordinator for volume I of the "Women Film Pioneers Sourcebook" (United States and Latin America), Monica Dall'Asta is co-editor and research coordinator for volume II (Canada, Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa and the Middle East). See for more information http://literature.aas.duke.edu/wfp/mixedJ. M. Gaines; R. Vatsal; M. Dall'AstaJ. M. Gaines; R. Vatsal; M. Dall'Ast