معرفی
Zaira Zarza is a Professor at the Department of Art History, Cinema, and Audiovisual Media at Université de Montréal's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from Queen's University (2015) and dual Masters/Bachelor's degrees in Art History from Universidad de La Habana (2011/2007). Her research focuses on cinema and media from Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly examining creative industries, cultural policies, and marginalized communities' film production. She also explores digital platforms' role in media circulation and audience formation. Zarza actively contributes to film festivals as a programmer (TIFF, FICCI) and combines research-creation methodologies to study cultural event management.
Her work spans over 20 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, with recent publications in Revue canadienne d’études cinématographiques and Studies in Spanish & Latin American Cinemas. She leads major research projects like cinEXmedia (2022–2030) and Pour une histoire du cinéma latinx-québécois (2024–2026), funded by Canada Research Chairs and Quebec's Fonds de recherche. She has supervised three graduate theses and collaborates with institutions like CRIalt and GRAFICS research groups.
Zarza's research bridges academic analysis with industry practice, addressing themes like diasporic filmmaking, queer representation, and ecofeminist narratives. Her current projects investigate Latinx-Canadian cinema and post-pandemic media identities. She teaches courses on transnational cinemas and diasporic film studies, contributing to both undergraduate and graduate programs in cinema studies.
