Parisiennes: Women and the City in French Cinema

An Atlas of Cinematic Paris:

aocp.irc.umbc.edu

A recipient of a 2012 IRC Summer Faculty Research Fellowship, Dr. Nicoleta Bazgan of the Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communications has collaborated with the IRC to create a unique online mapping site, using web design, visualization tools, and interactive maps to create a digital atlas illustrating the journeys and places of women in on-screen Paris. The scope of the project corresponds to the focus of Dr. Bazgan’s book Parisiennes: Women and the City in French Cinema, which analyzes the interactions between female protagonists and Paris in French film since the late 1950’s.

To facilitate her research, Dr. Bazgan needed an analytical tool that would allow visual cross-referencing of multiple films, actresses, directors, genres, and locations within the Parisian landscape. This design challenge allowed the IRC to continue to expand on its growing strength in creating map-based databases for research and dissemination of information, developing not only a deep mapping application for research and analysis, but also a creative venue that offers an innovative view of Paris through a dialogue between cartography, visual arts, and film studies.

The cinematic atlas project puts women on the Parisian map, capturing the dynamic relationship between the city and the women who inhabit its streets onscreen, while revealing intimate connections between space, gender, subjectivity, and film technique. The resulting interactive map is an important tool for Dr. Bazgan and future scholars.