Projects per year
Personal profile
Areas of Expertise
British cinema; women and cinema; film history
Biography
Melanie Williams is a film historian specialising in the study of British cinema with a particular emphasis on issues of gender. Her key publications in this area include the monographs Prisoners of Gender (2009), David Lean (2014), Female Stars of British Cinema: The Women in Question (2017), and A Taste of Honey (2023), and co-edited books British Women’s Cinema (2009), Ealing Revisited (2012) and Shane Meadows (2013). She has published in top journals in the field that include Screen, Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Film Quarterly, Sight and Sound, Feminist Media Studies, Journal of Gender Studies, Feminist Media Histories, Quarterly Review of Film and Video, and Journal of British Cinema and Television.
She was co-investigator on the AHRC-funded project 'Transformation and Tradition in British Cinema of the 1960s', resulting in the co-authored book Transformation and Tradition in 1960s British Cinema (2019) and edited collection Sixties British Cinema Reconsidered (2020).
She has been a team member on two AHRC-funded Digital Humanities projects
- The Invisible Women – Developing a Feminist Approach to Film Archive Metadata and Cataloguing
- Empowering Archivists: Applying New Tools and Approaches for Better Representation of Women in Audio-Visual Collections
She was one of the Principal Editors of the Journal of British Cinema and Television from 2015-2024 and is co-lead of the BAFTSS special interest group for British film and TV.
She is a frequent contributor to the media, to film-related events at venues including BFI Southbank, and to film-related documentaries for Bluray and DVD releases (short excerpt here).
She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Her specialism in British cinema began with her PhD at the University of Hull on representations of women in the 1950s, awarded in 2003. She worked at the University of Hull for several years and played a key role in setting up their Film Studies degree programmes before moving to UEA’s School of Film and Television Studies in 2009. Since then, she has held the position of School Director of Postgraduate Research from 2009 to 2012, Head of the Department of Film, Television and Media Studies 2014-2016, Athena Swan Gender Equality Lead 2016-2019, and from 2019-2023 was Research Director for UEA's Interdisciplinary Institute for the Humanities.
She holds a Senior HEA Fellowship.
Key Research Interests
British cinema (especially in terms of gender)
authorship and creative labour in cinema
film stardom
film aesthetics and mise-en-scene analysis
postwar British popular culture
Teaching Interests
- Senior Fellowship, Advance HE
- Have taught/convened: foundation year module ‘Introduction to Visual Cultures’, 1st year core modules ‘Film History’, ‘Analysing Film and Television’, ‘Studies in Film History’, 'World Cinemas', and 2nd and 3rd year modules ‘British Cinema and the Past’, 'Film Theory', ‘Film and Authorship’, 'Chick Flicks: Women and Cinema', ‘Gender and British Cinema’, ‘The Hollywood Studio System’, 'British Film since the 1960s' as well as undergraduate dissertations and MA module ‘Film Studies: History, Theory, Criticism’.
- Led on creation of joint degree History and Film.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Prisoners of Gender: Representations of Femininity in the 1950s Films of J. Lee Thompson, University of Hull
Award Date: 31 Jul 2003
Keywords
- British Cinema & Television
- Film Studies
- Feminist Media Studies
Media Expertise
- Media studies
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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The Invisible Women – Developing a Feminist Approach to Film Archive Metadata and Cataloguing
Johnston, K. M., Graham, A., Kelly, S., Williams, M. & Frith, P.
Arts and Humanities Research Council
1/08/21 → 31/03/24
Project: Research
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Transformation and Tradition in Sixties British Cinema: Production Cultures, Cross Media Relations and National Branding
Petrie, D. & Williams, M.
Arts and Humanities Research Council
5/01/15 → 4/01/18
Project: Research
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British Tenebrose? Shady Ladies of Postwar British Cinema
Williams, M., 2024, Le Tenebrose: Figure di femme fatale nel cinema e nei media europei fra mito e contemporaneità. Jandelli, C. & Tognolotti, C. (eds.). Edizioni ETSResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
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Entries on Laurie Day and Sarah Daly for 'Women in Focus' project website
Williams, M., 2024, Women in Focus: The Filmmakers.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary
Open Access -
Interview for Studiocanal Blu-ray/DVD release of No Trees in the Street (1959)
Williams, M., 2024Research output: Non-textual form › Film
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Interview for Studiocanal Blu-ray/DVD release of The Weak and the Wicked (1954)
Williams, M., 2024Research output: Non-textual form › Film
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Introduction: Revisiting the British New Wave
Forrest, D. & Williams, M., Jul 2024, In: Journal of British Cinema and Television. 21, 3, p. 281-285 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
Prizes
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Bill Douglas Cinema Museum Visiting Researcher Stipend
Williams, Melanie (Recipient), 2023
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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Community University Engagement individual Media and Communications Award
Williams, Melanie (Recipient), 2013
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
-
Fellow of Royal Historical Society
Williams, Melanie (Recipient), 2023
Prize: Election to learned society
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Finalist for BAFTSS Best Monograph award (for A Taste of Honey)
Williams, Melanie (Recipient), Mar 2024
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Finalist - Outstanding Social or Cultural Impact
Johnston, Keith M (Recipient), Williams, Melanie (Recipient), Graham, Angela (Recipient), Frith, Paul (Recipient), Clayton, Stephanie (Recipient), Arnold, Sarah (Recipient), Madden, Carolann (Recipient), Kelly, Sean (Recipient) & O'Connell, Kasandra (Recipient), 15 Feb 2024
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Introduction and post-screening discussion of Muriel Box's The Passionate Stranger (1957) at Garden Cinema, London
Melanie Williams (Invited speaker)
9 Jun 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
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BAFTSS conference
Melanie Williams (Speaker)
Apr 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
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University of Bristol film studies research seminar series
Melanie Williams (Invited speaker)
6 Mar 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
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Paul Mellon Centre workshop: Women, Culture and Politics before the Women's Liberation Movement
Melanie Williams (Invited speaker)
1 Mar 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop or seminar
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Introduction to screening of I Know Where I'm Going! at Cinema City, Norwich
Melanie Williams (Invited speaker)
24 Feb 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
Press/Media
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Cult Connections podcast, 'A taste of Tushingham' episode
8/04/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Media Coverage or Contribution
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Backlisted podcast, episode 206: Michael Powell, A Life in Movies
27/02/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Media Coverage or Contribution
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Soho Bites podcast, episode 44: Jessie Matthews and Evergreen
24/10/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Media Coverage or Contribution
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A tale of two Muriels: researching the world of women’s script work in postwar Britain at the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
14/09/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blog
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Life, art and drama in the kitchen for BBC Free Thinking
15/06/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Media Coverage or Contribution