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Valerio Coladonato

Sapienza University of Rome, Italy (CAT Group)
Screening European Populisms (2008-2020). Audiovisual Fiction, Social Media, and Political Affect
04 March 2024 - 18 March 2024
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Valerio Coladonato is assistant professor in film and media at Sapienza, University of Rome, where he teaches courses in film history and Italian cinema. His research focuses on the cultural and industrial impact of Italian cinema in France during the 1950s and 60s. He has published articles in international journals (Cinéma et Cie, Communications, The Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies, among others), on topics such as stardom, populist narratives in film, and the international reception of both historical and contemporary Italian auteurs.

Previously, he taught at the American University of Paris and led seminars at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales.

Research Interests

Film and television studies, italian cinema, cultural history of film, co-productions and international reception, media industries.

Screening European Populisms (2008-2020). Audiovisual Fiction, Social Media, and Political Affect
(Collaborative project, awarded a NetIAS Constructive Advanced Thinking grant, 2021-2024).

The project seeks to understand how fictional film and TV engages, promotes or challenges populist narratives, especially through emotional discourses.
In recent decades, populist forces have transformed the European landscape, challenging the legitimacy of institutions and representational systems. Frequently aligned with reactionary platforms, these actors rhetorically position themselves against the mainstream media, the elites and/or external enemies. Narrative work is a crucial element in populist affect, yet the role of audiovisual fiction remains understudied: grasping this relationship is necessary to disentangle populisms’ capacity to hegemonize the framing of contemporary European crises.
We aim to address this gap, by focusing on key contemporary films and TV series from the five largest markets in Europe - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. The project will analyze these fictional narratives, trace their reception, interactions, and appropriations, with a particular emphasis on social media discussions. The collaboration with two stakeholder organizations working in youth participation and in media literacy will also enable a better understanding of the role of fiction in creating and spreading populist affect in the current conjuncture.

Key Publications

Valerio Coladonato, Dom Holdaway & Arianna Vietina, “Popular European Cinema in the Platform Era: Circulation Cultures on YouTube”, in Cinéma et cie, v. 43, n. 42, forthcoming, 2024.

Valerio Coladonato, “La Première dame et la princesse. Usages du luxe chez Eva Perón et Diana Spencer, entre style et politique”, Communications, n. 111, 2022, pp. 191-201.

Valerio Coladonato, “Mon cher Fédérico: Fellini and the Cannes Film Festival”, in Journal of Italian Cinema and Media Studies, vol. 9, n.1, 2021, pp. 117-132.

Workshop organized by Valerio Coladonato and Dominic Holdaway, 2024 Paris IAS Research Fellows, as part of the Constructive Advanced Thinking (CAT) program
13 Mar 2024 09:30 -
13 Mar 2024 18:00,
Paris :
Popular audiences, populist narratives in contemporary European Film & TV Series

31201
2023-2024