Coraline Refort

Coraline Refort is a postdoctoral researcher at Technological University Dublin (Ireland), where she is conducting a project funded by the Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme on representations of lesbian identities in early French cinema (mentor: Dr Barry Nevin)

She holds a PhD in Film and Audiovisual Studies from the University of Florence, completed as a joint doctorate with Université Sorbonne Nouvelle. Her thesis, co-supervised by Cristina Jandelli and Laurent Véray, focuses on the French filmography of Alice Guy-Blaché, the world's first woman director in history. This work received the distinction eccellente cum laude, the highest academic honour awarded in Italy, and will be published in 2027 (PUR).

In 2020, she was awarded the Fotogramma Prize for Best Master’s Thesis in Film Studies by the AIRSC (Associazione Italiana per le Ricerche di Storia del Cinema). Her research lies at the intersection of silent cinema history, feminist and queer studies. She is currently pursuing several publication projects on Alice Guy-Blaché, women’s autobiographical narratives in cinema, sexual harassment from a historical perspective, and women working behind the camera. She also serves as a historical consultant for various audiovisual projects and exhibitions.
Supervisors: Cristina Jandelli; Laurent Véray