French cinema; contemporary French culture and society; multilingualism and codeswitching; museum studies; immigration; language, power and violence in film; (post/de)colonialism and cultural representation; transnational film studies

My research focuses on language, culture, violence and power in francophone cinemas and cultures. I investigate the representation of linguistic and cultural difference in French film, and the relationship between national and transnational cinemas. I also work on deafness and sign language in cinema, Quebec film, and the (non-)representation of multiculturalism and colonialism in French museums.

I am Convenor of the ANU French Research Cluster, the French Honours Program and the SLLL Outreach and Engagement Reference Group, Editor of Publications for the Australian Society for French Studies and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I received the ANU Vice Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2018 and taught in French, English and Cinema studies at the University of Melbourne, the Université Paris 3: Sorbonne Nouvelle and the Université Paris-Est Créteil before joining the ANU as a Lecturer in 2016. My work has been published in Contemporary French Civilization, L'Esprit Créateur, the Australian Journal of French Studies, Francosphères, Linguistica Antverpiensia, French Cultural Studies, The Conversation and numerous edited volumes, and I run Les Musées de Paris, a blog about the lesser-known museums of Paris. My first book Decentring France: Multilingualism and Power in Contemporary French Cinema was published with Manchester University Press in 2017 and my second book, Jacques Audiard, is in press for Manchester's French Film Directors series.

Decentring France: Multilingualism and Power in Contemporary French Cinema (Manchester University Press 2017)

In a world defined by the flow of people, goods, and cultures, many contemporary French films explore the multicultural nature of today’s France through language. From rival lingua francas such as English to socio-politically marginalised languages such as Arabic or Kurdish, multilingual characters in these films exploit their knowledge of multiple languages, and offer counter-perspectives to dominant ideologies of the role of linguistic diversity in society. Decentring France is the first substantial study of multilingual film in France. It argues that many contemporary French films take a new approach to language and power, showing how even the most historically-maligned languages can empower their speakers. This book offers a unique insight to academics and students alike, into the place of language and power in French cinema today.

Jacques Audiard, in press with Manchester University Press, French Film Directors series

This volume of the French Film Directors series is the first book-length project on Jacques Audiard and uses the motif of border-crossing to analyse his oeuvre. Spanning traditional French contexts and transnational spaces, exploring gender and disability alongside language and violence, it defines Audiard as a key figure in contemporary French cinema.

I am available to supervise PhD, Masters and Honours students in any of my fields of expertise.

‘Discourses and Divergences: a critical exploration of climate change adaptation governance in New Caledonia.’ Thomas Overton-Skinner, 2020.

‘La langue qui agit: les cinémas de Tran, Villeneuve et Dolan.’ Esther Lee, 2017.