Reimagining the Past: When Cinema Rewrites History

CfP: Film and History Area

Michael Modarelli, Walsh University, mmodarelli@walsh.edu

2025 Virtual NEPCA Conference - Thursday, 9 October, to Saturday, 11 October, 2025

From ancient epics to modern conflicts, filmmakers have always taken creative license with historical source material, transforming scholarly research, literary texts, and cultural memory into compelling visual narratives. This interdisciplinary conference examines how cinema doesn't simply depict the past but actively reconstructs it, creating new versions of history that often become more influential than the original sources themselves.

Some possible themes to consider:

• Mythic History on Screen: When Legend Becomes History

• Epic Translations: From Ancient Texts to Modern Blockbusters

• Archaeological Evidence vs. Cinematic Spectacle

• Contested Histories: National Narratives on Film

• The Historical Advisor's Dilemma

• Audience and Reception: How Films Become History

• The Female Gaze on Male History

• Technical Innovation and Historical Authenticity

We invite papers that explore the complex relationship between historical truth and cinematic storytelling, investigating how films negotiate between entertainment value and scholarly accuracy, between contemporary relevance and historical authenticity. How do filmmakers make the past speak to present audiences? What gets lost—and what gets gained—in these translations?

Submissions for the Film and History area can be made here.

Submissions are open until Tuesday, 15 July by 5 PM EDT.