SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
Issue 1: Take 1
For our first issue, we are inviting SWANA/MENA based in Canada to reflect on SWANA/MENA representation and participation in Canadian film and media art. We welcome unpublished content related to topics of diaspora, historical and contemporary artists, technology, industry, and community. We are predominantly seeking works in short and long essay form, but we are also open to other prose and poetic forms.
Selected contributors will receive an honorarium of $120CAD.
Email [email protected] with:
- Subject line “Issue 1: Submission”
- Bio (max 100 words)
- Work(s) to be submitted
- Social media handles or personal links
- Relevant images if applicable (posters, stills, screenplay excerpts, etc.) as copyright restrictions permit. Image credits are required.
Suggested topics
History
- Industry. Narratives concerning the development/progression MENA/SWANA film/media industry in Canada. Attention can be paid to specific moments the author recognizes as critical turning points for the history of the industry (e.g. political/cultural/artistic movements).
- Figures. Profiles of artists involved in filmmaking. Ideally, focus should be given to outstanding individuals undervalued by historical/academic records, although submissions concerning persons with a disproportionate impact on film in Canada are also welcome.
- Technology. Commentaries on historical changes in filmmaking/viewing technology and its impact on the films of its day. Technical discussions are welcome as long they can be coherently explained to the average reader. Supplementary media details can be found below.
State of Affairs
- Mainstream and Independent Industries. Commentary on the state of MENA/SWANA cinema in Canada. The geographical scope of discussion is up to the discretion of the author. Pieces in this category can discuss the current climate surrounding cinema, such as cinema attendance, volume productions, censorship, funding, etc.
- Community. Commentary on community building through filmmaking, screenings, and film festivals. What is special about collaboration in the film world, and how does our social and political climate encourage, block, or impact collaboration?
Scattered: Cinema in the Diaspora
- Profiles. Profiles of individuals in the film industry who belong to some diaspora from the region, operating in Canada. You can include information about the artist’s trajectory, current projects, and artistic uniqueness. This information should be shaped through your own lens, allowing the reader to understand your perspective/experience/analysis of the artist.
- Personal. Personal narratives from the diaspora as they relate to cinema. You can write about your own relationship to watching or making films, and everything related to that including: doing research, tracing lineage, interviewing others, playing with form, watching movies, etc.
Reviews/ Responses
- Reviews. Critical pieces on films produced in the region or the diaspora. Films should ideally be accessible to audiences in Canada.
- Responses. Poetic or image-based responses to films produced in the region or in the diaspora.
Editor’s Pick
- Misfits. Longform pieces that relate to the region as well as to film but do not neatly fit into any of the above categories or fit into more than one.
- Outliers. Poems, short stories, interviews, etc. that match at least one of the first four topics. Poems are welcome in any language (from the region) but the author must also submit a translation to be printed alongside it.