Archivally Absent? Female Filmmakers in the IFI Irish Film Archive

• Main Author: Kasandra O’Connell
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University College Cork 2021-01-01
• Series: Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media
• Subjects: women filmmakers; film preservation; amateur film
• Online Access: http://www.alphavillejournal.com/Issue20/HTML/ArticleOConnell.html

This paper is an initial exploration of women’s contribution to collections of the IFI Irish Film Archive, specifically in the area of amateur film production. It considers two female-created collections in this sphere of practice, the Currivan and Overend Collections, examining the context in which they were created as well as the nature of the films themselves. This article also examines the reasons why women are underrepresented in film production, specifically the extent to which organisational policies and the gendered nature of leadership and employment effect what material is produced and preserved. It concludes by looking at praxis within the IFI Irish Film Archive collections and asking what measures the Irish Film Institute can adopt to improve women’s representation and visibility in its programmes of exhibition and preservation.