Perdute e ritrovate. Uno sguardo d'insieme

The essay offers a general survey on the researches on cinema female pioneers in national and international context. In the last ten years, the feminine initiative during the first years of cinema has been at the core of the increasing interest of many scholars from all over the world, all aiming at investigating the concrete working practices of the rising film industry. The reflection on the work done by the many women active in national production between the beginning of 20th century and the early Thirties with creative, technical as well as managerial roles contributes in depicting the characteristics of a period in which the feminine contribution appears as more relevant and substantial than in the following decades. Nonetheless, the rediscovery of the silent gestures of the female pioneers encourages further similar studies for different seasons of Italian cinema as well, revealing the fertile potentialities of a perspective on research able to recognize and enhance gender differences.