photogénie is looking for criticism that tackles the circularity of film history and various (self-)referential and intertextual practices in film.
Film is a derivative medium. Marketing formula compares new releases to previous successes to make them appealing and intelligible, but cinematic originality has never been in high demand.
Homage, personal spins on familiar tales, ideological denunciations of illustrious forebears, regional appropriations of celluloid myths: movies like to repeat the same story again and again. But the nature of depiction is under constant challenge: what is deemed to be realistic sex, violence and social life shifts across eras. It is guaranteed that every generation will want its take on the same core screenplay, interpolating the same scenes.
The film object in the digital age is palpable and mutable. Consumption and creation have merged: film artists no longer need to access a film-set to create a remake. A compilation of classic scenes can stand in for a new story, and the concept of linear action can be anything to anyone, now more than ever.
What possibilities of remaking cinema can we look to next? What have we missed in our histories? What can we discover by interrogating the specifics of relationships between cinematic predecessors and successors?
We are looking for energetic, well-researched writing that excites as much as it informs the reader. We are interested in publishing intuitive, direct essays, which dive straight into film form and the textures of cinema.
Wordcount: 1,500 – 2,000
Fee: €225
The deadline to submit pitches is October 14. We will let you know if your pitch has been accepted by the week beginning October 23.
Please email editorialboard@photogenie.be with your pitches, any questions, or to find out more about future issues.
We welcome any questions, and we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the publication before tailoring your pitch.