Discourse decolonization and the engagement perspective in film and media studies

The aim of the article is to explore contemporary trends in film studies by situating them within the framework of engaged scholarship and discourse decolonization, addressing the associated methodological and critical challenges as well as bridging film studies and anthropology. The analysis focuses on selected approaches from film and media studies that emphasize the social aspects of the production process. It also considers issues related to working conditions in the creative sectors and examine the economic, political, and cultural processes that influence the shaping of content, as well as its global and local determinants. The objective of the paper is to conceptualize the study of contemporary cinema as a form of dialogue between the researcher, equipped with interdisciplinary competencies, and the creator and the market. The main problems are: ethics of representation and ethical complexities in audiovisual research, risk of harm and sociocultural implications and precarity in film production, dynamics of production and engaged scholarship position (from understanding to provoking change). The article is based on critical analysis of the literature as well as own ongoing empirical research with local producers, filmmakers and other experts associated with the media market using methods such as in-depth interviews, observations and audiovisual project method.