European Journal of Women’s Studies 2016, Vol. 23(4) 447–453 © The Author(s) 2016 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1350506816665726 ejw.sagepub.com EJWS A counterpublic sphere? Women’s film festivals and the case of Films de Femmes Enrico Carocci In the era of globalisation, film festivals are proliferating throughout the world. The cur- rent situation has radically evolved since the 1980s, and the phenomenon has become worldwide, allowing the creation of ‘a global distribution system, perhaps the only one rivalling Hollywood’s’ (Bordwell and Thompson, 2002: 716). The value that film festi- vals can ascribe to the selected films, however, is manifold: according to Thomas Elsaesser, ‘the festivals constitute (like Hollywood) a global platform, but one which (unlike Hollywood) is at one and the same time a “marketplace” … , a cultural showcase … , a “competitive venue” … , and a world body’ (Elsaesser, 2005: 88). In this context, women’s film festivals taken together constitute ‘a niche position in film culture, sepa- rate from mainstream or traditional channels of film promotion and distribution, as well as from the big film festivals’ circuit’ (Maule, 2014: 368). In what ways do women’s film festivals produce value? Are they fruitful niches or suffocating ghettos? In what follows, I offer some thoughts on this issue, with particular reference to the Créteil Festival International de Films de Femmes. 1 The history of women’s film festivals begins in the early 1970s, and is deeply connected to the development and diffusion of feminist film criticism and filmmaking. The First International Women’s Film Festival was organised in New York in June 1972. Its varied programme included feature films, shorts, documentaries, feminist avant-garde films and historical films directed by women (see Fischer, 2016). In Europe, the first event dedicated to female directors dates to two months later, in August 1972, and it was co- organised by Laura Mulvey, Claire Johnston and Lynda Miles within the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Corresponding author: Enrico Carocci, Associate Professor, Roma Tre University Dipartimento di Filosofia, Comunicazione e Spettacolo, via Ostiense, 139, Rome, 00154, Italy. Email: enrico.carocci@uniroma3.it 665726EJW 0 0 10.1177/1350506816665726European Journal of Women’s StudiesOpen forum research-article 2016 Open forum