Płynne tożsamości

Abstract

FLUID IDENTITIES: IDENTITY QUESTIONS IN EUROPEAN CINEMA: CRISIS AND TRAUMA A review of recent scholarly writing on European cinema suggests that the two most significant developments in European cinema in the last couple of decades – the trend to national and cultural fragmentation, on the one hand, and to pan-Europeanisation on the other hand – have shifted the debate from the question, What is the identity of European cinema? (i.e. how does it differ from other cinemas, particularly from Hollywood) to the question, What is European identity in cinema? and, more specifically, What identities are represented in European cinema? These classic questions have lost their relevance. I will trace European identities through the example of the Lux European Audience Award, which is selected by European parliamentarians and European audiences. The themes and motifs that the awarded and selected films address stand in stark contrast to the naïve narrative of EU documentaries. The picture of Europe that emerges from them is that of a continent mired in trauma, fears about the uncertain future of the European community. I will also show that the axiological centre – despite the enlargement of the community – is still oriented towards the countries of the old union.