Women’s Work in Film Production and the Documents of Film History

ABSTRACT: This article surfaces evidence of women’s work in film production through critical bibliographical analysis, arguing that existing textual records are robust sources for feminist film histories. Case studies covering nearly a half-century of American film history show critical bibliography in action. Treated as artifacts, documents not only exhibit women’s roles in their creation but also speak to their afterlives in the marketplace and in research libraries. Looking forward, critical bibliography can make visible below-the-line women’s labor in existing collections and inform work to curate and use new ones in the future.