Perdute e ritrovate. Uno sguardo d'insieme

The essay offers a general survey on the researches on cinema female pioneers in national and international context. In the last ten years, the feminine
initiative during the first years of cinema has been at the core of the increasing interest of many
scholars from all over the world, all aiming at investigating the concrete working practices of the
rising film industry. The reflection on the work done by the many women active in national
production between the beginning of 20th century and the early Thirties with creative, technical as
well as managerial roles contributes in depicting the characteristics of a period in which the
feminine contribution appears as more relevant and substantial than in the following
decades. Nonetheless, the rediscovery of the silent gestures of the female pioneers encourages
further similar studies for different seasons of Italian cinema as well, revealing the fertile
potentialities of a perspective on research able to recognize and enhance gender differences.