A History of Feminist Film Theory

Abstract

Feminist film theory grew side by side with second‐wave feminism and it critically interrogated the representation of women on film. Whereas early examinations of film offered a first sociological approach to film as a cultural product, later theorists implemented structuralism, semiotics, and psychoanalysis in their theorizations of film as language and as a purveyor of patriarchal ideology. Feminist film theory as a field of inquiry was also revolutionized by theories of spectatorship, of stardom, and of genres, and became more attentive to the intersectionality of class, race, and sexuality after the influence of cultural studies, lesbian theory, as well as Black and postcolonial feminist theory. Furthermore, women auteurs attracted extensive examination in the 1970s/1980s with anthologies of women and film spreading rapidly. The 21st‐century feminist film criticism remains relevant and dynamic in responding to visual culture while also focusing on women filmmakers, offering models of feminist intervention, recovering women's contribution to the industry, and recognizing their diverse roles in film.