Comics and Film: A Space Odyssey
Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) Prague, Czech Republic
August 20–21, 2026
Deadline for proposals: April 1, 2026
Conference Directors:
Petra Dominková (FAMU, Prague, Czech Republic)
Thomas Ballhausen (Inter-University Organization Arts & Knowledges + Mozarteum University Salzburg, Austria)

Call for Papers

The conference Comics and Film: A Space Odyssey explores the intersection of cinema and comics through the multifaceted lens of spatial representation. We invite scholars, PhD students, artists, and practitioners to examine how these two visual media construct and organize space in its broadest conceptual and material dimensions. Submissions may investigate the complex relationship between comics and film through spatial analysis, encompassing both theoretical frameworks and practical case studies, including adaptations between the two media. Particular attention may be paid to similarities and differences in how diegetic worlds are spatially articulated and experienced. Do comics and film overlap in their approaches to spatial construction, or do they employ fundamentally different strategies? Another topic of interest is off-screen and off-panel space – a space that Thierry Groensteen famously claims does not exist in comics. We encourage critical engagement with this position and with alternative models of spatial absence and extension. Submissions comparing genre-specific spaces (e.g. horror, science fiction, thriller, fantasy) in film and comics are particularly welcome, as are proposals addressing documentary comics and their treatment of real-world spaces, especially in comparison with other media such as documentary film and television. We look forward to fostering innovative dialogue between comics and film studies through the rich conceptual framework of spatial analysis. Join us in Prague for what promises to be an engaging exploration of how visual media shape our understanding of space.

Suggested topics:

● Case studies examining how spatial elements are adapted between comics and film

● Applications of spatial theory in comics and film studies

● The phenomenology of space in comics and film

● Media-specific strategies of spatial construction and their intersections

● Off-screen and off-panel spaces

● Genre-specific spatial construction (e.g. horror, science fiction, thriller)

● Documentary comics and film and their engagement with real-world spaces

● Formal and material considerations of space, including digital environments

● Psychological, subjective, and interior spaces

● Comparative analyses of depth of field and foreground–background dynamics in static panels versus moving images

Submission Guidelines

Abstract Requirements:

● Maximum 350 words in English
● Clear articulation of theoretical framework and/or case study approach
● Relevance to conference themes is explicitly stated

Biography:

● Maximum 150 words
● Include institutional affiliation and field of interest
Submission Details:
● Send to: comics-and-film@famu.cz
● Subject line: „CFP Submission – [Your Last Name]“
● Include both the abstract and the biography in a single PDF document

Conference Details

Venue: Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU), Prague, Czech Republic

No Conference Fee.

Format: Two-day program including:
● Two Keynote lectures:
Mgr. Pavel Kořínek, PhD. (ÚČL, CAS, Prague, Czech Republic) Mgr. Elizabeth Allyn Wock, PhD. (FF UP, Olomouc, Czech Republic)

● One Artist Talk:
Bettina Egger MA, PhD. (Inter-University Organization Arts & Knowledges, Salzburg, Austria)

● Four panel sessions (one perhaps online)
● Networking opportunities and social events

Accommodation and travel: All the accommodation and travel costs need to be covered by participants; however, the information about recommended accommodations can be provided to accepted participants.

Contact Information
For questions about the conference or submission process, write us:
comics-and-film@famu.cz

Download as Pdf