New Publication by Dr. Andrea Virginás in Ekphrasis: Middle-Aged Eco-Warrior Women on Screen

We are delighted to share the latest publication by our colleague and AGE-C team member Dr. Andrea Virginás, titled Empowering Archetypes: Middle-Aged ‘Eco-Warrior’ Women in Small National Ecocinematic Landscapes, now available in the newest issue of Ekphrasis – Journal for Visual Culture Research.

In her thought-provoking article, Dr. Virginás explores how middle-aged women are portrayed as ecological heroines in contemporary Eastern European films. These characters—often navigating complex themes such as infertility, childlessness, or non-traditional motherhood—stand at the intersection of ecological struggle and ageing, embodying what Virginás identifies as the “female eco-warrior” archetype. The study brings a fresh lens to questions of gender, age, and environmental crisis, all while engaging with the specific cinematic contexts of small national cinemas.

Drawing on feminist standpoint theory and the concept of the “Global East,” Virginás highlights how these films give space to women in midlife who fight personal and planetary battles—challenging stereotypical representations and offering nuanced perspectives on ageing and agency.

This publication aligns closely with the core themes of the AGE-C project, contributing valuable insight to our ongoing exploration of gendered ageing in European cinema.

You can read the full article in Ekphrasis, a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to interdisciplinary approaches in visual culture and based at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj. The journal is indexed in SCOPUS, ERIH PLUS, and other major databases.

Congratulations, Andrea!

➡️ https://www.ekphrasisjournal.ro/index.php?p=arch

Written by: Olena Gepper

Image credit: Still from Woman at War (2018), directed by Benedikt Erlingsson. © Slot Machine, Gulldrengurinn, Solar Media Entertainment.

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