From Georges Lacombe to Alice Diop: Cinematic Images of French Suburbs and Their Social Functions
Abstract
The article discusses the phenomenon of cinéma de banlieue, a trend that emerged in French cinema in the 1990s. By analysing the common characteristics of the films within this category, the author seeks to determine whether they constitute a distinct genre or they should rather be regarded as part of a broader movement. She also highlights the ambivalent nature of the message conveyed by films focusing on French suburbs. On the one hand, they shed light on the social issues affecting these areas; on the other, the repetitiveness of narrative patterns, character types, and problems often contributes to reinforcing stereotypes about specific social groups. The article also provides a brief overview of films whose creators strive to depict the suburbs in an unconventional way – one that differs from the vision presented in dominant political discourses and the often simplistic representations found in the media.
Keywords:
clichés, cinematic representations of the suburbs, social problems, cinéma de banlieue, black-blanc-beurReferences
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Authors
Ewa Linekewa.linek@gmail.com
University of Lodz Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0253-0270
She holds MA degrees in Philosophy and Cultural Studies as well as a PhD in Linguistics, Literary and Cultural studies. She is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Theory of Politics and Political Thought at the University of Lodz. Her scientific interests focus on Middle Eastern and Maghrebian film traditions read in their cultural, social, political, and religious contexts. She is the author of articles on the cinema and culture of the Maghreb. They were published, among others, in The Maghreb Review and Bliski Wschód. Społeczeństwa – Polityka – Tradycje.
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In issues from 105-106 (2019) to 119 (2022) all articles were published under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. During this period the authors granted a royalty-free non-exclusive licence (CC BY-ND 4.0) to use their article in „Kwartalnik Filmowy”, retained full copyright, and agreed to identify the work as first having been published in our journal should it be published or used again.
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