"Under and through the celluloid ceiling", a review by Sophie Mayer with comments by Beti Ellerson

"Under and through the celluloid ceiling", a review by Sophie Mayer

Women filmmakers, past and present, have been the subject of recuperative catalogues since the 1970s, and Celluloid Ceiling is a new entry into this heroic history of rediscovery and advocacy.

Sophie Mayer reviews the recent publication Celluloid Ceiling: Women Film Directors Breaking Through, edited by Gabrielle Kelly and Cheryl Robson.

IN: The F Word, Contemporary UK Feminism

http://www.thefword.org.uk/reviews/2014/07/Celluloid_ceiling_review

COMMENTS FROM BETI ELLERSON (02 January 2015)

When Sophie Mayer's review of Celluloid Ceiling was published--and the link posted here, I had not yet received my copy of the book.

Since recently receiving a copy, I have read the contribution by Maria Williams-Hawkins entitled: "Speak Up! Who's Speaking?: African Filmmakers Speak for Themselves". Her chapter, under the section on Africa, immediately follows mine.

I must say that I am extremely disappointed in what in fact is a mere adaptation of my chapter, “Africa through a woman’s eyes: Safi Faye’s cinema,” published in Focus on African Films, Françoise Pfaff, ed. (Indiana University Press, 2004).

The subchapter of Williams-Hawkins' article, “Safi Faye, Ph.D.: La Grande Reference” is not only a complete adaptation—though badly interpreted—of my article, but in the many instances where my ideas and analyses are brought out they are presented as if they were her own. When comparing my chapter with that of Williams-Hawkins’, it is, from my point of view, straight out plagiarism. Quite frankly, I think the article is not well written and am surprised that it did not go through a peer review.

If anyone is looking for information regarding African women in cinema this is definitely not a source to use.