“I’m not gonna spend the rest of my life working my ass off and getting nowhere just because I followed rules that I had nothing to do with setting up, OK?”
Melanie Griffith’s Tess, the put-upon secretary and protagonist of Working Girl (1988), exclaims this to her coworker when she makes the drastic decision to masquerade as their boss, a high-powered female executive. Her justification is this: If men can bend the rules of capitalism and corporate culture to their advantage, why can’t she? Whether movies like Working Girl have ever been able to satisfyingly answer this question (and others) is our concern with our first issue of 2019: CAPITAL.
We’re looking for pieces that consider capital. From the ways capitalism is tied up in other overarching systems of power (patriarchy, white supremacy, heteronormativity, etc), to broader examinations of social institutions, the cultural and social capital we value or examining location and the role capital cities play, we’re looking for creative takes on capital in film.
Tip! Please look over our past issues to get a sense of the kind of work we’re looking for and to ensure we haven’t already covered the film you’d like to write about. We’re looking for unique and unexplored angles!
Capitalism in film: Generation Wealth (2018), The Queen of Versailles (2012), Painted Nails (2016), American Psycho (2000), Shakedown (2018), Portrait of Jason (1967), American Dream (1990), A Touch of Sin (2013), Burning (2018), The Corporation (2003), Demonlover (2002), Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986), Norma Rae (1979), The Intern (2015), Putney Swope (1969), Working Girls (1986), Morvern Callar (2002)
Das Kapital: October (1928), Rosa Luxemberg (1986), Ninotchka (1939), the films and career of Wang Ping, the films and career of Dinara Asanova, Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Cultural capital: Bad Hair (2013), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Catch Me if You Can (2002), Yapping Out Loud! Contagious Thoughts From An Unrepentant Whore (2004), The Watermelon Woman (1996), Mississippi Masala (1991)
Capital cities: Études sur Paris (1928), Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927), Paris je t’aime (2006), Out of Phoenix Bridge (1997), The Wedding Party (2016), City of God (2002), Wings of Desire (1987)
Capital punishment: Yield to the Night (1956), Monster (2003), Dead Women Walking (2018)
Follow the money – film financing: Consider film industries such as indie cinema, major studios, or distribution companies and their impact on film culture
To submit: IN ONE PDF DOCUMENT send us your pitch of 300 words and three writing samples (please send links or, if no link is available, single-spaced articles no longer than 3000 words). Label the PDF document using this format: YourLastName_YourFirstName_FILM TITLE
The deadline for pitches is January 10th. We will be in touch regarding accepted pitches. Articles should be between 1500–2000 words. The deadline to submit first drafts of articles will be February 11th. Compensation in the form of an honorarium will be provided for contributors selected for the issue. Based on our current funding, cléo pays $125 CAD per article, $75 CAD per 750-1000 word Who We’re Watching piece, and $50 CAD to each roundtable participant).
Submissions and general inquiries: cleofilmjournal@gmail.com