Contemporary Development of American Film
A special issue of Arts (ISSN 2076-0752).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 August 2026 | Viewed by 771
Special Issue Editors
Interests: Latin American, Latinx, and Post-Colonial Francophone and Lusophone cinema and television; transnational media flows & diasporic audiences; authorial itineraries (Orson Welles & Raúl Ruiz); media ethnography & historiography; media and social justice
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
With this Issue, we wish to capture and construct a mosaic of the transformations that have occurred in U.S. filmmaking and critical practice over the past two decades. These transformations variously relate to changes in production and distribution technology, processes of globalization and migration, labor organizing, the impact of streaming services, social and cultural diversity in and outside of Hollywood, intermedial dynamics (film, television, and new media), the role of film in collective memory, and exhibition practices. Therefore, we are seeking contributions on any of the following topics: film labor (especially in the wake of AI), new production studies, race/gender/class/sexuality, new independent cinema, exhibition practices, streaming and narrative form, queer/trans representation, biopics and adaptations, marginalized filmmakers, and reimagining social justice. Possible topics include the following: (1) biopics and adaptations; (2) documentary; (3) race/gender/class/sexuality; (4) new independent cinema; (5) streaming and narrative form; (6) exhibition practices; (7) production studies; (8) marginalized filmmakers; (9) queer/trans representation; (10) reimagining social justice; (11) film labor.
We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–400 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editors (cbenamou@uci.edu) or to the Arts Editorial Office (arts@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring the proper fit of the proposed manuscript within the scope of this Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.
Prof. Dr. Catherine L. Benamou
Dr. Philana Payton
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Arts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- biopics
- film adaptation
- independent cinema
- film and television labor
- social justice
- exhibition practices
- narrative form
- queer/trans representation
- marginalized filmmakers
- production studies
- race/gender/class/sexuality
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