Reviews of one or two films:

We have limited space for reviews in the journal: please keep within the range of 700-900 words per film. Please do not be afraid to make reviews lively and accessible; we see the review as a different genre from the scholarly article. Many thanks for taking the time for this important service; the ASR and the profession more generally are in your debt.

Format Requirements:

Reviews should be double-spaced, aligned left, with all margins at least 1 inch (2.5cm). Please submit your review using the link you received from the journal’s Managing Editor.

In general, we ask you to avoid footnotes or endnotes and references to other sources in your film review. If, however, citation of a source is necessary, please cite the author and title of the source in the text of the review, and include the publisher and date of publication in parentheses. e.g., scholars champion other data sources (Milanovic, Worlds Apart [Princeton, 2005]).

Please include all bibliographical information at the head of the review: Director. Title. Date. Length, language, country, distributor, cost, price. At the end of the review, please note your name, your institution (if affiliated) and city, and your email address. 

Sample reviews:

Tunde Kelani, director. Akinwumi Isola and the Rest of Us. 2017. 18 minutes. English and Yoruba, with English Subtitles. Mainframe Film and Television Production. No Price Reported.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/african-studies-review/article/tunde-kelani-director-akinwumi-isola-and-the-rest-of-us-2017-18-minutes-english-and-yoruba-with-english-subtitles-mainframe-film-and-television-production-no-price-reported/8042D9B449C3BB8D80561C975D4CD9E0

Dorothée-Myriam Kellou, dir. In Mansourah, You Separated Us. 2019. 71 minutes. Arabic and French, with English subtitles. Algeria and France. Icarus Films. $398.00.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/african-studies-review/article/dorotheemyriam-kellou-dir-in-mansourah-you-separated-us-2019-71-minutes-arabic-and-french-with-english-subtitles-algeria-and-france-icarus-films-39800/37B2A5111C46B7E67C976BC3ED6578BA

 

Review essays:

A slightly different format is used for review essays which should address at least two films. Please keep within the range of 2,000-3,000 words unless otherwise instructed by the editor.

Review essays are distinct from scholarly articles and, in general, we ask that you avoid or minimize footnotes or endnotes and references to other sources. If citation of a source is necessary, please follow the ASR Style Guide, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/african-studies-review/information/style-guide.

Sample review essays: 

Connor Ryan, “Diversity within Yoruba-Language Video Films: Olu Olowogemo's Bosum Omo Yankee (2011), Funke Akindele and Abbey Lanre's Omo Getto (2011), and Tunde Kelani's Ma'ami (2011).” https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/african-studies-review/article/diversity-within-yorubalanguage-video-films/0BBD8467BFB722B83D067001234092E2