Conceptualising festival ecosystems. Insights from the ethnographic film festival subcircuit

ABSTRACT This article reflects on the positioning of specialised festivals within the wider film festival ecosystem, using ethnographic film festivals as a case-study. Drawing on concepts developed within environmental research in Anthropology, we propose a structural and relational model for the analysis of festivals as all-encompassing socio-cultural events. Firstly, we conduct a literature review of concepts used in Film Festival studies’ to define film festivals and their connections, and then put these concepts in dialogue with that of the “ecosystem’. Secondly, we use our model to analyse specialised festival ecosystems (documentary, LGBTQ+, horror, young audiences, etc) by looking at their relationships with different agents and their environments. Thirdly, we focus on ethnographic film festivals, looking at their interaction with key agents such as universities, or anthropological associations, in order to understand their role in the academic recognition of Visual Anthropology. We look at shifts in the festivals’ self-definition and positioning within and beyond the ethnographic film festival ecosystem, to identify dynamics which apply also to other subcircuits and can explain their different roles and relationships with the film industry, local communities, or the cultural field as a whole.