Women Film Pioneers Project Online

[dburall1 at rochester.rr.com]

RE: individuals interested in contributing to the Japanese section of the WOMEN FILM PIONEER PROJECT ONLINE

Dear Colleagues,

THE WOMEN FILM PIONEERS PROJECT ONLINE  began as a multi-volume publication project, and expanded so rapidly, and in such a promising way, that it has since been developed into an online database project overseen by Professor Jane Gaines and her students at Columbia University, and hosted by Columbia’s Center for Digital Scholarship and Research. Please check out the project’s current guidelines webpage, where you can read more details, obtain guidelines for participating, and download model examples for contributions of career profiles and overview essays:

http://cdrs.columbia.edu/wfppguidelines/

The WFP website database itself will be going live shortly (the official date is 4/13/11). THE PROJECT IS STILL SEEKING PARTICIPANTS FOR THE SECTION ON JAPAN.
The project’s objective, as described on the WFP website, is three-fold:

1.	to jump start historical research on the work of women filmmakers from the early years of cinema, ending with the coming of sound;
2.	to facilitate a cross-nation connection between research;
3.	to reconfigure world film knowledge by foregrounding an undocumented phenomenon: that these women worked in many capacities.

Phase I of the project focused on the US and Latin America, and features producers, directors, co-directors, scenario writers, camera operators, title writers, editors, costume designers, exhibitors, and theatre managers, proving the point that women participated in film’s early history in a wide range of capacities beyond acting. Later phases target Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East.
The project’s goals are long-term, with contributions being solicited on an ongoing basis. In later phases of the project, publicists, journalists, and actresses may be added if an individual is considered critical “to the story of an emerging national industry.” The project guidelines also acknowledge the need for flexibility, allowing for diversity in patterns of development on a global scale.
If you have further questions, are interested in a hard copy of the guidelines or in contributing to the project, please contact me at the email address below. Alternatively, you can also contact Mengqian Xie, who is overseeing logistics for the Japan section at least through April. Contact info:

Joanne Bernardi, University of Rochester: joanne.bernardi at rochester.edu
Mengqian Xie, Film Dept., Columbia University: mx2119 at columbia.edu

THANKS AND  PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CIRCULATE!

Joanne Bernardi
Associate Professor
Modern Languages and Cultures (Japanese)
Film and Media Studies Program
University of Rochester
PO Box 270082
Rochester NY 14627 USA
tel: 585-275-4268
fax: 585-273-1097