This special issue of Transformations explores the relevance and utility of philosophical idealism as it pertains to film theory, film analysis and film in general. Less a defence of idealist philosophy than a sympathetic reconsideration of its tenacious influence upon theoretical and hermeneutical approaches to film, the special issue houses a range of contributions whose diverse philosophical interests testify to the difficulty of reducing idealism to any narrowly defined philosophical proposition, school of thought or movement.
Persuaded that there is a need to reconsider the legacy of philosophical idealism in Film Studies, we propose this issue in the hope that, by publishing scholarly work that closely engages with the problem of idealism as it pertains to films and film theory, these articles will open up new avenues for film theoretical and film philosophical enquiry.