Archiving the Past: Women’s Film History in France, 1927-1978

Archiving the Past uncovers the story of the women in France who, from the 1920s to the 1970s, played critical roles in the production of global cinema’s history: as archivistscharged with collecting films and other materials, as witnessestasked with remembering their own film careers, and as activistscommitted to recovering women’s contributions to film history. Reflecting on how gender politics informs the production of film history, Aurore Spiers recasts the film archive as a site of women’s intervention, modeling strategies for inclusivity, recuperation, and liberation within feminist film historiography.

Aurore Spiers is Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies in the College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts at Texas A&M University.