2025 BRUSSELS & ANTWERP, BELGIUM

The 2025 Women and Film History International conference committee is thrilled to announce the Twelfth International Women and the Silent Screen Conference: “Form and Feeling in Silent Cinema."  The conference is hosted by the Université libre de Bruxelles, University of Antwerp, and Royal Film Archive of Belgium (Cinematek) in Brussels, Belgium, from June 11-14, 2025. Please mark your calendars!

Feeling has become an urgent focal point in the development of a feminist, queer and decolonial praxis and theory – whether as sensation, emotion, passion, care, sentiment, or affect – upending a long and well-documented history of dismissal. Women and the Silent Screen XII (WSSXII) invites papers that revisit the relationship between feeling and form across diverse media, modes, and genres, historical and geographical contexts, and against the backdrop of new theoretical, ethical and political constellations. We encourage historiographic interventions into the expansive array of formal, material, institutional and cultural expressions of feeling and emotion that constitute global silent cinema from its creation and content to its reception and preservation. 

The call for papers deadline has passed (an archived version can be accessed here)

Instructions for Presenters/Technical Requirements

To ensure that speakers are as comfortable as possible during the conference and to avoid having to change computers for each new presentation, we ask you to provide us with your presentation materials one week before the event (Wednesday, June 4), respecting the following instructions:

•  Presentation files must be sent in PowerPoint (.ppt) or PDF (.pdf) format.

• Videos must be integrated into the files or sent separately in MP4 format (please do not show videos online as we cannot guarantee a stable connection).

• As we will receive several dozen presentations, please mention your NAME in the name of your file.

• For presentations in Cinematek (Thursday, June 12 or Friday, June 13): Files can be sent to communication@cinematek.be (preferably using wetransfer or swisstransfer).

• For presentations at the University of Antwerp (Saturday, June 14): files can be sent to belwss2025@gmail.com (preferably using wetransfer or swisstransfer).

The deadline for sending files is Wednesday 4 June 2025.

You will have access to your presentations from a laptop/computer installed in each of the rooms in Cinematek or at the University of Antwerp.

Conference Program, Paper Abstracts, and Participant Bios

The full conference program is available here.

Participant abstracts and bios are available here.

In conjunction with the conference, our venue, the Cinematek, has organized a “Women and Silent Cinema” series this summer. The full program with program notes (in French and Dutch) is available online.

Conference Venues

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (June 11-13):

Cinematek (https://cinematek.be/), Baron Hortastraat 9, 1000 Brussels (very close to the the Brussels Central Station).

Saturday (June 14):

University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp (very close to Antwerp Central Station). Download a campus map of University of Antwerp here.

Bus for Presenters/Registered Attendees

On Saturday June 14, we have arranged for a bus to take conference presenters and registered attendees from Brussels to Antwerp and back (unfortunately, due to space, day we cannot accommodate day pass holders).

We ask you to gather in front of Cinematek (Rue Baron Horta) at 8:45am sharp. The bus will leave from a designated pick up point just around the corner. Someone from the Belgium team will be at Cinematek to guide you to the pick up point.

The bus will leave at 9:00am. Please arrive on time.

In Antwerp, you will be dropped off near the university. A short walk (about five minutes) will take you into campus, buses are not allowed into Antwerp's city' centre. 

The bus will take you back to Brussels at the end of the day. You will be guided back to the pick-up point and the bus will leave for Brussels at 18:30.

Please confirm you will be taking this bus on Saturday via this link. 

Directions to the Venue (Brussels)

Directions from Ibis Hotel to the Cinematak

Directions from the Hilton to the Cinematak

Directions from Barsey by Warwick to the Cinematek

Accommodations

Antwerp is just a 40-minute train ride from Brussels so we suggest staying in Brussels during the conference.

The following hotels have special discounted rate for the conference. If you need a reservation link, please email belwss2025@gmail.com.

Hilton Brussels Grote Markt, Europakruispunt 3, 1000 Brussels (https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/brugrhi-hilton-brussels-grand-place/)

Ibis Hotel Brussels Centre, Rue Joseph Plateau 2, 1000 Brussels (https://all.accor.com/hotel/1454/index.nl.shtml)

Hotel Barsey by Warwick, 381-383 Avenue Louise - 1050 Brussels (https://www.warwickhotels.com/hotel-barsey-by-warwick). Please book via this link to get the discount. Update: there still rooms available here for a short while.

Other suggested hotels (no special discount)

NH Brussels Carrefour de L’Europe, Grasmarkt 110, 1000 Brussels (https://www.nh-hotels.com/nl/hotel/nh-brussels-carrefour-de-l-europe)

Nearby Restaurants (in Brussels)

Restaurant Fin de Siècle (https://findesiecle.be/fds-en.html)- in the city center and serves late dinners.

Bozar Restaurant (https://www.bozar.be/nl/bozar-restaurant)

Victor Bozar Café (https://www.victorbozarcafe.be/)

Les Brassins (https://lesbrassins.be/en)

Café des Minimes (https://cafedesminimes.com/)

Yummy Bowl (https://yummybowl.be/fr)

Les Petits Oignons (https://restaurant-petits-oignons-bruxelles.be/)

Chocolatier Gerbaud (https://www.chocolatsgerbaud.be/nl/)

Saveurs Edomae (https://www.saveursedomae.be/notre-carte/plats-japonais/) - Unmissable!

Les Filles (https://www.lesfilles.be/fr/table-d-hotes.php)- In the Museum Belvue (Royal Palace)

Kiosk Radio - In Warande Parc

Café Boudin (https://cafeboudin.be/en) - Hip and veggie

Mr Falafel II (https://www.happycow.net/reviews/mr-falafel-2-brussels-196342) - In Ravenstein Gallery

Super Fourchette (https://www.superfourchette.be/) - Run by young women, they also have a record store

Le Mokafé (https://www.grsh.be/en/store/mokafe-taverne/) - Beautiful, old café in the iconic queen’s gallery. Good for snacks, tea and pastry.

Le Cirio (https://lecirio.be/en) -Wonderful early 20th century charming old brasserie, founded by Italian immigrants. Try the cannelloni and the ‘half and half’ (demi demi) (= a mix of white wine and sparkling wine)

For Beer/drinks

La Madeleine - Near the Central Station

Lord Byron (https://www.facebook.com/lordbyronbxl)

Zebra Bar (https://www.facebook.com/TheZebraBar/?locale=nl_BE)

La Mort Subite (https://alamortsubite.com/en)

Estaminet Théâtre de Toone (https://toone.be/fr/#contact)- Bar of the world famous Brussels puppet theatre

Nova-Cinema (https://www.nova-cinema.org/infos-generales/article/infos-pratiques?lang=en)- Unique alternative atmosphere in cellar bar of former Arenberg Studio cinema, now home of a cult alternative cinema.

Archiduc (https://archiduc.com/) - Must see Art Deco Bar in downtown Brussels, former jazzclub of Stan Brenders.

Tourist information

Brussels: https://www.visit.brussels/en/visitors

Antwerp: https://visit.antwerpen.be/en

WSSXII is co-organized by the Women and Film History International Conference Committee (Drake Stutesman, Kristine Harris, Tami Williams, and Kate Saccone) and hosts Dominique Nasta (Université libre de Bruxelles & Belgian Royal Academy), Anke Brouwers (School of Arts/KASK HoGent), and Tom Paulus (University of Antwerp).

Frame enlargement, Sangue mineiro (1929), produced by and starring Carmen Santos.