This symposium aims to explore a possible interpretation of Kelly Reichardt’s films, according to which ecofeminism functions as a way of life.
Rooted in a specific history of cinema—particularly American cinema—and in the social movements that emerged in the 1970s, this cinema seems to us to assert an aesthetic, philosophical, and ethical stance toward female and male bodies, living beings, and power relations. The way characters are constructed, how they interact with animals or plants, the rejection of performance, and the questioning of habitat—all of this strikes us as an invitation to reflect on the world through the lens of listening, encounter, and constant questioning. It is, therefore, this very particular cinematic approach that this conference proposes
to examine.
Without ever being reduced to a theme or a subject, without turning it into a message, or even an idea to defend, ecofeminism emerges in the director’s approach, the collective dimension of her works, and her work on representation. If this way of thinking can be defined as “an interdisciplinary theory as much as a practice” (Laurence Hansen-Løve), we hope that this conference will invite us to approach Kelly Reichardt’s cinema as a space where questions about the power to act unfold. We hope that studying her filmography and her working method will allow us to experience the emergence of thought in action.
This symposium began in Paris in late September and will conclude here in Provence—Thursday, October 15, and Friday, October 16, 2026
It will not take place at Turbulence due to the social movements we support; instead, it will be held at one of our partners’ venues: Dodeskaden, 90 boulevard des Dames, 13002 Marseille (Joliette Metro Station)!
Organization - Contact
Caroline Renard (LESA, Aix-Marseille University) – caroline.renard@univ-amu.fr
Caroline San Martin (ACTE, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, associate member of SACRe, La Fémis)
