Rachel Johnson

Rachel Johnson is a Lecturer in Film Studies at the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds. Her research and teaching focus on film institutions, particularly film festivals, exhibition, curation, and cinephilia, with a strong commitment to decolonial and critical theoretical frameworks. She actively collaborates with local and international film organizations, including Leeds International Film Festival and Festival Films Femmes Afrique.

Educational Background:

• PhD in Film Studies, University of Leeds
• MA in European Culture and Thought: Culture, University College London
• BA in English Literature and Italian, University of Leeds

Her research explores cinematic justice, African cinemas, migration cinema, and Italian cinema through decolonial lenses such as pluriversality and the colonial matrix of power. She is particularly interested in how film institutions like festivals and archives value, share, and mobilize cinema, often challenging dominant hierarchies and canons. Her recent work emphasizes marginalized perspectives in cinephilia and co-curation as a decolonial practice.

Her publications reveal a consistent trajectory in analyzing ideological structures within European A-list film festivals, especially regarding the representation of migration and Italian cinema. She has developed a method of ideology critique rooted in Lacanian and Žižekian theory, examining festival apparatuses, paratexts, and film texts to uncover power dynamics. Her work spans monographs, peer-reviewed articles, policy reports, and public writing, reflecting a commitment to both scholarly and public engagement.

Scientific Contributions and Recognition:

• Author of Film Festivals, Ideology and Italian Art Cinema (Amsterdam University Press, 2023)
• Co-investigator on Canada Research Council-funded project Decolonizing Film Festival Research in a Post-Pandemic World
• Co-founder of the New Voices in Cinephilia network with Professor Stephanie Dennison
• Active member of NECS, BAFTSS, and IAMHIST

Rachel Johnson supervises PhD students on topics including Pan-African film history, puzzle films, and decolonial cinema, and mentors practice-based research in videographic criticism and podcast documentaries. She is deeply involved in public film culture as co-director of Leeds Cineforum and collaborator with Hyde Park Picture House. Her grants and collaborative projects reflect a strong commitment to social justice, institutional critique, and empowering marginalized voices in global film culture.

Research Labs and Teams:

• Centre for World Cinemas and Digital Cultures, University of Leeds
• New Voices in Cinephilia network (co-founded)
• Italian Cinemas/Italian Histories project (collaborator)
• Practice Research SIG, BAFTSS