CfP Monographic: "The Mediterranean, fiesta and carnival. Cinema and arts" (submissions until 15/01/22)

05-10-2021

Overview

The fiesta permeates the entire filmography of the Valencian filmmaker Luis García Berlanga. To a greater or lesser extent, it is present in all of his work. In his case, this popular celebration emanates directly from his beloved Fallas, which is as an unmistakable sign of the jubilant, anarchic, and carnivalesque nature of his film creations. This cinematic world is circumscribed to the Mediterranean area in the Spanish context, yet like a trail of gunpowder that evokes the equally pyrotechnic referential context, it could very well extend to the rest of the countries and directors of the Mediterranean region in which his works are set.

In fact, his filmmaking is very close to the equally playful, ludic, and festive films of directors such as Jean Renoir of France, Federico Fellini of Italy, Ferzan Ozpetek of Turkey, and Michael Caccoyanis of Greece, just to name a few. Bound by this Mediterranean essence, the filmmakers seem to show the light that fills these lands in their film narratives, which we intend to explore in this international congress in order to discuss the festive character that unites them. In any case, this celebration is characterised by a carefree, joyful spirit, which simultaneously reveals a certain desolation.

We would like to encourage all those who are attracted to this theme to discover the aspects that characterise the popular fiesta. How are the various artistic and cultural manifestations imbued with the fiesta and the rituals that shape it? Does it permeate the film experiences of Mediterranean directors to the same extent? How do artists from different disciplines nourish themselves from its essence? Has the fiesta lost its symbolic character and simply become a spectacle devoid of meaning? Are we facing some sort of jubilation which, having degraded the fiesta to its most commercial expression, barely serves as a relief due to the futility of broadening the emotions that are put into play by the event itself?

Starting with Berlanga in the centenary year of his birth, we encourage you to follow the trail of the different artistic and cultural manifestations that emanate from the festive, carnivalesque character of the Mediterranean geography.

Keywords

Cinema; art; culture; The Mediterranean; fiesta, carnival.

Subject areas