Pinar Fontini

Dr. Pinar Fontini is a Lecturer in Media at RMIT University's School of Media & Communication. A filmmaker and researcher, her work intersects Middle Eastern Cinema and Feminist Film Studies, focusing on women’s filmmaking as a tool for communication and solidarity. She holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne (2023), where she received the Chancellor's Prize for Excellence in Thesis. Her research has been published in prestigious journals like Camera Obscura and Feminist Media Studies, and her monograph Women's New Cinema in Contemporary Turkey was published by Edinburgh University Press. Fontini’s documentary films, such as Dream Workers (2021) and And What's the Name of the Film? (2022), have earned international acclaim, including the Grand Award at Antalya Film Forum 2021.

Her teaching and supervisory interests include creative practice research, screen production, feminist film theory, and autoethnography. She explores themes like first-person narratives, Middle Eastern cinema, and women’s filmmaking through both academic and creative works.

Fontini’s research emphasizes the radical potential of women’s filmmaking in contexts like Turkey and Afghanistan, blending academic rigor with artistic innovation. Her films and publications analyze cultural representation, gender dynamics, and the politics of cinematic voice.