Returning the Gaze

16mm, color, transferred in 2K, 4.02 min, 2025

In Returning the Gaze, one sees a sequence of close-ups of the eye area of ten FLINTA* individuals. Eyes of artists, filmmakers, musicians, authors and photographers.

The 16mm film draws on an aspect of the feminist gaze theory developed by Joey Soloway (author and director), in which Soloway proposes forms of filmmaking intended to approximate a ‘female gaze’. In Returning the Gaze, the gaze of the film character, interpreted as female, is reciprocated by the audience. This concept implies the active involvement of the audience in the narrative and is thus intended to encourage reflection. The audience is drawn out of their usual passive role as observers and invited to actively reflect on “the narrative”. This opens up new possibilities for narration and reveals the mechanisms of cinematic representation. The film explores critical questions regarding fiction, reality and identity.