World Congress on Film studies, Sexuality and Eroticism on August 18-20, 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal

Call for papers/Topics

Full Articles/ Reviews/ Shorts Papers/ Abstracts are welcomed in the following research fields:

1. Theoretical Frameworks (The "How" of Analysis)

These subtopics provide the academic tools used to "read" sexuality and eroticism in a film.

The Cinematic Gaze

The Male Gaze (Mulvey): The objectification of the female body for the pleasure of a presumed male spectator.

The Female Gaze: Subjective female desire and the subversion of traditional power dynamics.

The Oppositional Gaze (hooks): How race intersects with the gaze, specifically regarding Black spectatorship.

The Queer Gaze: Non-heteronormative ways of looking and being looked at.

Psychoanalytic Film Theory

Voyeurism & Scopophilia: The pleasure derived from looking at others as objects.

Fetishism: The use of specific body parts or objects (shoes, hair, leather) to represent erotic desire.

The Unconscious: How repressed desires are manifested in dream-like film sequences.

Queer Theory & Trans Studies

Heteronormativity: How cinema reinforces "straightness" as the natural default.

Gender Performativity (Butler): How characters "act out" gender through costume and behavior.

Trans Cinema: Representation of non-binary and transgender identities beyond medical or "tragic" tropes.

2. Historical & Industrial Contexts

These topics examine how laws, technology, and social movements shaped what could be shown on screen.

Censorship & Regulation

The Hays Code (1930–1968): The "Production Code" that banned "lustful kissing" and "sexual perversion" (homosexuality).

Pre-Code Cinema: The era of "vamps" and explicit themes before strict moral enforcement.

Rating Systems: The evolution of the X, NC-17, and R ratings and their impact on a film's commercial success.

Industry Innovations

The Rise of the Intimacy Coordinator: The modern role of ensuring consent and safety during sex scenes.

Porn Studies: The academic study of the adult film industry as a parallel to mainstream cinema.

Body Doubles: The ethics and aesthetics of replacing actors for nude or erotic sequences.

3. Genre-Specific Eroticism

Eroticism functions differently depending on the "rules" of the film's genre.

The Erotic Thriller: Power play, betrayal, and "Femme Fatales" (e.g., Basic Instinct).

Body Horror: The intersection of "The Abject" and eroticism; sex as a site of mutation or fear (e.g., the films of David Cronenberg).

Coming-of-Age Cinema: Themes of sexual awakening, puberty, and the discovery of identity.

Art-House & Auteur Eroticism: Explicit "unsimulated" sex used as a philosophical or aesthetic statement (e.g., Catherine Breillat, Gaspar Noé).

The Musical: Sexuality expressed through choreography, costume, and rhythmic "tension and release."

4. Interrelated Socio-Cultural Themes

These topics explore how sexuality in film is never "just about sex" but is tied to broader social hierarchies.

Intersectionality

Race & Hypersexualization: The historical stereotyping of Black, Latino, and Asian bodies in Western cinema.

Class & Eroticism: The "forbidden" romance between different social strata (the "Lady and the Stable Boy" trope).

Power & Consent

The "Me Too" Era Impact: How modern films re-evaluate historical "romantic" scenes as coercive.

BDSM & Kink in Cinema: The representation of sub-cultures and the "negotiation" of pain and pleasure.

Technology & The Future

Techno-Eroticism: Sexual relationships between humans and AI or robots (e.g., Her, Ex Machina).

Digital Nudity: The use of CGI to create erotic images and the ethical concerns of "Deepfakes."

Name: DRHSS
Website: http://drhss.org