PRESENTATION 

The much-debated, generic term ‘biopic’ encapsulates the intertwining of fictional and nonfictional elements in biographical films that seek to recount the life of a public personality by focusing on the person's identity and the context of emergence of his/her exceptional character. One could ask to what extent the very term 'biopic' could be replaced or completed by that of ‘biophoty’ proposed by Hayden White who, in his 1988 article ‘Historiography and Historiophoty’ (published in The American Historical Review 93.5: 1193-1199), questions ‘the representation of lives and our thoughts about them in visual images and filmic discourse’ (cf. White, 1193). White argues against Robert Rosenstone [‘History in Images/History in Words: Reflections on the Possibility of Really Putting History onto Film’, The American Historical Review 93.5: 1173-1185.] that cinema is another medium, just as valid as print, to write history, in proposing to call ‘historiophoty’ the pictorial and filmic alternative to ‘historiography’.

This conference encourages the participants to look across and beyond national cinemas with an aim to delineate the characteristics of this versatile and evolving film genre in the light of more recent biopic productions, while making use of a variety of theoretical premises.

Biopics often deviate from the historical narrative to shed light on the creative talent of an inspiring writer, sculptor, singer, scientist, politician, etc., to provide insight into the creative processes behind an ‘exceptional individual’. We also know that the popular success of biopics – a remarkably enduring phenomenon – offers filmmakers and actors an opportunity to leave their mark on the history of cinema. Indeed, biopics represent a unique possibility for an actor/actress to flesh out the body of a person of renown, capitalizing on his/her national and international audience appeal.

On the other hand, as an increasingly used medium to portray and re/present historical and artistic lives, cinema – including documentary films and feature films, as well as TV series – can be understood as a unique form of writing (écriture) which raises a number of questions regarding selection and ellipsis, whether the screened lives are full-fledged or represented in 'slices'.

Discussions of biopics may also address such issues as emplotment (mise en intrigue), dramatization, aestheticization, impersonation and acting performances. In the case of famous figures, but also when facing lesser-known personae representative of a specific social category, biopics necessarily play on mental images pre-existing in the spectators’ minds’ eyes, which may be consolidated or challenged. In this sense, it could be claimed that biopics have a considerable ‘political’ impact on the discourses and narratives of the polis, especially in this era of globalization, as the polis often ceases to be synonymous with a particular nation and its 'exemplary individuals', allowing cinema to work, more extensively than ever before, on international myths and transnational narratives.

Contribution proposals will preferably demonstrate a strongly theoretical take. Case studies are welcome in so far as they illustrate innovative or challenging approaches or exemplify the advancements of knowledge concerning the state-of-the-art research in the field. Contributors are invited to ground their presentations on analytical citations of short film excerpts, and will be provided with the necessary video projection means.

Proposals no longer than 200 words should be sent before 15 January 2019 to conference@biographysociety.org.

Scientific committee: Delphine Letort & Taïna Tuhkunen (3LAM): Angers & Le Mans Universities; Joanny Moulin & Patrick Di Mascio (LERMA), Nguyen Phuong Ngoc (IrASIA), Yannick Gouchan & Colette Collomp (CAER), Thierry Roche (LESA), David Goldie (SATIS): Aix-Marseille University.

Joanny MOULIN

Professeur des Universités

Aix-Marseille Université

Joanny Moulin is Professor of English literature at the DEMA, Department of English Studies, Aix Marseille Univ, Aix-en-Provence, France. He is also a senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) and the president of the Biography Society.