CALL FOR PAPERS
The International Congress of Fantastic Genre, Audiovisuals and New Technologies is an activity of scientific and academic dissemination that is part of Elche International Fantastic Film Festival – FANTAELX, with the collaboration of the Miguel Hernández University.

Its mission is to disseminate research studies within the different thematic lines and discourses of the Fantastic Genre, covering all its possible variants and platforms: cinema, television, theatre, literature, comics, videogames, virtual reality, plastic arts, etc.



MODALITIES OF PARTICIPATION:



OPTION 1:



In this modality, the proposals of the Communications will follow the main thematic line of the new edition of the Congress and the Festival: Territories of High Fantasy.



The contemporary fantastic genre encompasses various typologies, including science-fiction, horror, mystery, speculative fiction, or what is known as “high fantasy”. A term coined by the writer Lloyd Alexander in his essay High Fantasy and Heroic Romance (1971), to refer to adventures that take place in universes different from our own, with their own laws and mythologies, and whose distinctive mark is based on the epic confrontation between “the forces of good and evil”.



Unlike the aforementioned sub-genres, or others such as steampunk, dystopia, uchronia, or even low fantasy (or domestic fantasy), in this category, the fantastic does not burst upon known reality, or part of a past or future temporality related to the everyday, but is integrated into an alternative world which, although it may have narrative and aesthetic reminiscences taken, for example, from classical epics, medieval legends or gothic literature (19th century), develops an imaginary of its own.



Authors such as Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, Terry Pratchett, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ursula K. Le Guin, Andrzej Sapkowski, Margaret Weis or George R. R. Martin, among many others, have cultivated “high fantasy” in literature. Others such as Ridley Scott, Richard Corben, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, or Dan Tugde, have done so in film, comics, role-playing games or video games, respectively. All of them are a good example of the relevance and energy that this sub-genre of the fantastic continues to show today, and of how its themes and approaches cross, with significant success, the different pages and screens of our cultural spectrum.



Within its broad spectrum, abstracts submitted for this main thematic line may follow variations such as the following:


1) Research and theoretical reflection on high fantasy and alternative universes, based on their interconnection with the fantastic in its various forms of expression: studies, currents, movements, works and prominent authors.

2) The concept of “high fantasy” in the field of the fantastic and its link with the various models of audiovisual culture and new technologies: its imbrication in cinema, television series, comics, videogames, virtual reality, theatre, plastic arts, etc.

3) Research and theoretical reflection on the development and evolution of high fantasy in the different cultural and technological models, and from the perspective of the study of currents (works, outstanding authors, etc.) and variants on which to establish this sub-genre, such as epic fantasy, heroic fantasy, dark fantasy, new fantasy, sword and sorcery, etc.

4) High fantasy as a tool for communication, reflection or social and political analysis through audiovisual fiction and the fantastic.





OPTION 2:



In this modality, the abstracts of the Communications will follow the generic thematic line of the Congress: The Fantastic Genre and its possible interconnection with the different platforms of culture, audiovisuals and new technologies.



Within its broad spectrum, abstracts submitted for this generic thematic line may follow variations such as the following:



1) Research and theoretical reflection on the Fantastic Genre in its various forms of expression: studies, currents, movements, works and outstanding authors.

2) The Fantastic Genre and its interconnection with the various models of audiovisual culture and new technologies: the hybrid nature of the fantastic together with cinema, comics, video games, virtual reality, plastic arts, etc.

3) Possible methodologies and tools for communication and/or teaching through platforms related to the Fantastic Genre.

4) The fantastic in the political context: approaches and studies where the fantastic establishes a discourse connected to social debate, collectivity and political action.





SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS



The deadline for submission of abstracts for both options is 7 October 2022 (inclusive).

Oral communications and their abstracts may be submitted in English, French, Spanish or Valencian; and their reading during the Congress can’t exceed 15 minutes.

The presentation of the Communication at the Congress will not be compulsory. In the case of not attending the event as a speaker, both in person and online, the paper will also appear in the corresponding edition of the book.

Authors who wish to participate simultaneously in both modalities (Option 1 and Option 2), in order to include their Communication(s) in the edition of both books (paper publication in Spanish and digital publication in English), may do so:



Sending separately an email with the Communication proposal for Option 1; and another email with the Communication proposal for Option 2.





PARTICIPATION FEES



The period for payment of the registration fee will be from 10 to 15 October 2022 (inclusive).



OPTION 1:



Once the paper has been accepted, participants must pay a registration fee of 160€ per author, following the instructions that will be sent to them by e-mail. The fee includes:

1) Presentation of the paper at the Congress (online or in person).
2) Certificate of Communication and Attendance.
3) Proceedings book with ISBN.
4) Academic publication in the prestigious publishing house TIRANT LO BLANCH (1st in the absolute General Index of SPI) with a book chapter in Spanish and on paper with ISBN and delivery of the book on paper.





OPTION 2:



Once the paper has been accepted, participants must pay a registration fee of 110€ per author, following the instructions that will be sent to them by e-mail. The fee includes:

1) Presentation of the paper at the Congress (online or in person).
2) Certificate of Communication and Attendance.
3) Proceedings book with ISBN.
4) Academic publication of the Congress with digital book chapter in English with ISBN.





GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS:



– The deadline for submission of abstracts for both options is 7 October 2022 (inclusive).

– Communications and abstracts may be submitted in English, French, Spanish or Valencian. However, the chapter for the publication of the paper book must be written in Spanish, while for the publication of the digital book it must be in English, which can be downloaded free of charge from the Publications section of our website.

– The reading of each Communication during the Congress can’t exceed 15 minutes, and may be given in English, French, Spanish or Valencian.

– The criteria for the selection of papers will be based on their adaptation to the thematic lines proposed, their innovative character, clarity of writing, ethical and scientific rigour, as well as their adaptation to these rules.

– Only oral communications may be presented. Posters will not be accepted.

– The acceptance date for Communications under both options will be 10 October 2022, with each Communicant being notified individually of the outcome of their application(s) if participating in Option 1 and Option 2.

– The period for payment of the registration fee will be from 10 to 15 October 2022 (inclusive).

– The deadline for submitting the materials to be screened at the Congress in person mode (slides, images, videos, etc., for the reading of the 15-minute Communication) is 6 November 2022 (inclusive).

– The Scientific Committee, assisted by blind peer review, will propose the selection of approved Communications for the Congress, as well as the texts selected for publication.

– The deadline for submitting selected texts for evaluation and publication as book chapters, both for the publication of the paper book (Option 1) and for the publication of the digital book (Option 2), is 15 January 2023 (inclusive).

– The selected texts must be original and unpublished, and not awaiting acceptance through other channels.

– Any submission that does not meet these requirements cannot be considered for assessment in the scientific programme.



All submissions must be sent to: congreso@festivalcinefantaelx.com





SUBMISSION RULES:



The mode of submission of proposals for Communications must follow this scheme, in which two text files must be sent:



– The first file must contain: Name and surname(s) of the Communicant, title of the Communication, option of participation, e-mail, telephone, postal address, ID, institution of origin, position/position in the institution of origin, and a brief Curriculum Vitae. If more than one Communicant participates, the same information must be included. This first file will be named:



A_METADATA_OPTION_1_Title, or A_METADATA_OPTION_2_Title



The word «Title» must not be written literally, but three words of the title of the Communication separated by underscores. For example:



A_METADATA_OPTION_1_High_fantasy_video_games
A_METADATA_OPTION_2_History_archetypes_fantasy



– The second text file must contain: Title, Keywords (maximum four), and an Abstract of the Communication of a maximum of 600 words (Times New Roman body 12, single spaced). This document must not contain personal data of the Communicator, for the peer review evaluation by the Scientific Committee. This second file will be named:



B_ABSTRACT_OPTION_1_Title, or B_ABSTRACT_OPTION_2_Title, following the same system as the first document.





WRITING RULES FOR ISBN PUBLICATIONS:



– For the chapters of the books that will be published as a result of the Congress, both for the paper book edition and for the digital book edition, both with their respective ISBN, the Word template available at this link must be strictly used. The template will contain the details regarding typographical rules, citation system, bibliographical references, etc.

– Chapters that don’t fit the Word template will be rejected.

– Chapters may not exceed 4.000 words (including footnotes and final bibliographical references).

– Images, figures, graphics, etc.: a maximum of one black and white image is accepted for the publication of the paper book (Option 1), and a maximum of four colour images for the publication of the digital book (Option 2). The images must be in panoramic format (12 cm wide x 5 cm high). Failing this, they may be cropped for publication.

– Please note that the publication of the chapter in the paper book must be in Spanish.

– Please note that the publication of the chapter in the digital book must be in English. It is recommended and preferable not to use automatic translation software into English, as it distorts the content and form of the text. If this type of translation is detected, the Editorial Committee may return the text for correction to the authors, before blind peer review and evaluation.





FINAL CONSIDERATIONS:



Authors whose texts appear in academic publications accept the following terms:

– Authors will keep the copyright of the texts.

– Authors will assign the distribution rights to the publishers, whose management will be in charge of them.

– The authors, as well as the Organizing Committee of the Congress, will be exempt from receiving financial compensation derived from the publications.





KEY DATES:



– Deadline for submission of abstracts: 7 October 2022 (inclusive).

– Date of acceptance of submissions: 10 October 2022.

– Date of payment of the registration fee: 10 to 15 October 2022 (inclusive).

– Deadline for sending materials to be screened during Communications readings: 6 November 2022 (inclusive) (only in person mode).

– Date of the Congress, framed within the Festival: 10-11 November 2022 (more details in the Presentation).

– Deadline for submission of selected texts for evaluation and publication with ISBN: 15 January 2023 (inclusive).