Corsica on Screen: Historicity, Identity, and Perspectives for a Corsican National Cinema

Abstract

With its double status as both a continental and overseas territory, the island of Corsica has attracted a large variety of gazes that consecutively framed its image as violent, exotic, picturesque, archaic, or even mystic. The elaboration of a “Corsican myth” in nineteenth century romantic literature durably impacted the image of the island and shaped a simulacrum in which Corsica slowly lost its own referentiality. Still endorsed by a French national audience, the later development of this image on screen is challenged by its own duality and its failure to depict a society and a geography mired in a network of clichés. This article seeks to retrace the origins of the Corsican simulacrum and reveals the rich history of Corsica’s presence on national screens. Exploring themes and genres that shaped the image of Corsica on screen, it questions the legacy of a literary tradition and advocates for a Corsican national cinema that is intricately intertwined with French national cinema through a complex interplay of stereotypes and valorization. By seeking new media, genres, and distribution channels, this emerging Corsican cinema strives to advocate for its uniqueness among French productions and yearns for recognition from a transnational audience.