Call For Papers: ‘Beyond the Narrative: Social Issues on Film’ and  

‘Bromance films’

CineAction #88



Beyond the Narrative: Social Issues on Film



Recently, the theme of ‘Social Issues’, once relegated to the  

documentary, appears to be of increasing interest to fiction  

filmmakers; a little meaningful ‘content’ mixed in with the  

entertaining story. For the purpose of CineAction #88, we are   

interpreting ‘Social Issues’ in its broadest sense to include anything  

and everything to do with the state of society and social life,  

whether motivated by political, economic, or indeed social forces.  

While some directors like John Sayles and the Dardenne brothers have  

always focused on narratives that deal with these concerns, there  

seems to be a growing number of filmmakers who are tackling and/or  

tacking on the ‘bigger issues’. Examples include big budget/big star  

films (Traffic, Syriana, Blood Diamond),low budget indies (Martha  

Marcy May Marlene, Margin Call), and Canadian (Philippe Falardeau’s  

Monsieur Lazhar and Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies) and European ‘art  

films’(Kassovitz’s La Haine, Kaurismaki’s Le Havre, Olmi’s The  

Cardboard Village). We welcome any approach to this broad theme:  

investigations and/or analyses of specific films, directors, topics,  

approaches, or theories.

Bromance films

While this could be seen as a sub-genre of Social Issue films, it is  

possible to look at the genesis of this new genre in terms that extend  

beyond the social. A seeming extension and updating of the ‘buddy  

film’ genre, there appears to be more of interest and at stake here.  

It is noteworthy that in general, Bromance films are comedies, even  

and especially when the subject matter involves terminal cancer, as in  

the recent 50/50.



Papers should be submitted in hard copy, mailed directly to Susan  

Morrison, the editor of this issue. Once accepted for publication, the  

paper will then be emailed as a file attachment.

The deadline for submission is  April 15, 2012.  It would be  

appreciated if a brief proposal be submitted as early as possible as  

an indication of intention to submit.

A style guide is available on our website  www.cineaction.ca

Please address all queries and submissions to the issue’s editor:

Susan Morrison

314 Spadina Road

Toronto ON

Canada M5R 2V6

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Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the

University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu