(Re)Locations: Transformations of Place in Film
Issue 22, 2025
Co-Editors-in-Chief: Yuanxin Chu & Rachel Ng
Book Review Editor: Camila Contreras-Langlois
What does it mean for a film to “take place” somewhere? How does film construct space through explorations of temporality, geography, national identity, and subjectivity? How does a film transform a place or location, and how, in turn, do physical space and geography shape and influence the aesthetics, narrative, cultural meanings, and production practices of film?
Space and place are never static. They are constantly changing, whether by the people and resources flowing through them, or by wider historical and sociopolitical forces. They possess flexibility, inclusivity, and expressivity—qualities shared by the medium of film. After all, motion pictures are always “on the move” as well: transporting audiences to geographies both real and imagined; interrogating social and environmental change; weaving together personal and collective memories of place; not to mention getting made, distributed, and consumed across transnational and transcultural lines.
The upcoming issue of Frames will explore the complex relationship between film and its representations of space, place, and location, asking how cinema shapes, distorts, and transforms our engagements with these concepts. We invite submissions that consider the dynamic fluidity and changeability of space and place as not only an aesthetic challenge for filmmakers who seek to create and reimagine them onscreen, but also a medium for examining broader political and ethical questions and histories.
Topics may include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Representations of space and place in film
- Cities and urban space in cinema
- Architecture and cinema
- Representations of nature and ecocinema
- Utopias and dystopias
- Lost/Erased spaces
- Contested spaces and borders in cinema
- Cartography and mapping
- Memory, trauma, and space
- Collective memories, geographical locations, and national identity
- Bodies and movements in space
- Migration and diaspora in cinema
- Transnational and global cinema
- Localisation and adaptation
- Location shooting and film production practices/technology
- Distribution, exhibition, and viewing practices
Notes for Contributors:
Proposal abstracts should be no more than 250 words and must be accompanied by an indicative bibliography. A brief third-person bio of approximately 150 words should be provided along with the abstract. Abstracts for video essays are encouraged and should follow the same guidelines. The bibliography should include anticipated sources for moving images.
Abstracts should be sent as Word Documents and titled “Frames Issue 22 [Author First name Author Surname]” (e.g. Frames Issue 22 Yuanxin Chu).
Please submit your proposal to Yuanxin Chu and Rachel Ng at framesjournal@gmail.com.
Frames accepts a variety of written pieces for submission, such as:
- Feature Articles, which are research essays that engage in theoretical, practical, pedagogical, and/or historical analysis of the visual narrative in film or related digital media. Feature Articles are typically between 5,000–7,000 words in length, inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography.
- Point-of-View (POV) Featurettes, which are shorter research essays that examine or express a specific critique about a theme in a succinct fashion. These could include experiences with moving-image archives in digital or material contexts. POV Featurettes are typically between 1,000–3,000 words in length, inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography.
- Scene Reviews, which are shorter research essays that investigate and review one scene in detail. Scene Reviews are typically between 1,000–2,000 words in length, inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography.
- Film Featurettes, which are shorter research essays that discuss and review one film in detail. Film Featurettes are typically between 1,000–3,000 words in length, inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography.
- Book Reviews, which are essays that provide a scholarly critique of the latest texts in the field. The text choice may range from the theoretical and the practical to the pedagogical and the historical. Book Reviews are typically 1,000–1,500 words in length, inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography. If you would like to publish a book review, please contact our Book Review Editor, Camila Contreras-Langlois, at ccl4@st-andrews.ac.uk.
Frames also accepts and encourages video essay submissions:
- Video essays can be of varying length and should be discussed with the editors on a case-by-case basis. Video essay submissions must be sent to the editors in the form of a link using an online platform (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.).
All submissions to Frames should not be under consideration elsewhere and should be original and previously unpublished.
Please refer to our Submissions page for more details.
Timetable for Issue 22:
- Abstract Proposal Deadline: 4 April 2025
- Abstract Decision Announcement: 16 April 2025
- First Draft Deadline: 30 May 2025
- Final Copy Deadline: Early July 2025
- Intended Publication: Autumn 2025
Abstracts are to be submitted no later than Friday 4 April 2025—any abstracts submitted after this date will not be considered. Authors should expect to be notified of the editorial committee’s decision by Wednesday 16 April 2025.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at framesjournal@gmail.com.
Yuanxin Chu & Rachel Ng
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Camila Contreras-Langlois
Book Review Editor
Frames Cinema Journal
Department of Film Studies | School of Philosophical, Anthropological, and Film Studies | University of St Andrews
101 North Street, St Andrews, KY16 9AD, UK
E-mail: framesjournal@gmail.com
Website: framescinemajournal.com