Contemporary European Science Fiction Cinemas charts the evolution of European science fiction cinema in the 21st century, a period in which Europe itself has faced myriad crises. Key to this study is an exploration of how European science fiction responds to prevalent issues such as the financial crisis, political extremism and violence, large-scale migration and indeed the potential breakup of the European Union itself. What futures does science fiction cinema envision for Europe? Is it capable of moving beyond dystopian visions of a continent beset by seemingly omnipresent turbulence? Emphasising science fiction’s unique ability to estrange, exploit and reflect upon popular concerns, this book directly engages with such questions, accounting for ongoing mutations in the very nature of the European project as it does so.
Aidan Power
Dystopia Europe crisis film science fiction 21st century extremism EU financial crisis cinema politics european union politics
“Power’s book is an important scholarly work of recent film studies, focusing not on ever-present Hollywood, but instead driving at the heart of European identity, connecting the EU’s film industries and specifically its manifestation of science fiction as a visionary genre in connection to contemporary political discussions of recent years. The analyses of how European film-makers engage in the speculative workings of SF are insightful and unveil a key understanding of European political discourse, from the Euro crisis to immigration policy—this book is a must-read for any scholar of European cinema.” (Lars Schmeink, University of Hamburg, Germany)
()