Keywords

• The essay offers an introduction to the Women Film Pioneers Project
• a collaborative research launched about the end of the last century and now involving contributions by several dozens of scholars across the world. Three key methodological issues are examined: periodization and the choice to focus on silent cinema
• the adoption of a transnational approach
• and the projectâ€
• ™
• s orientation toward a concept of social history. In this frame
• the ongoing investigation concerning the work of Italian women film pioneers is presented as a valuable contribution to a deeper appreciation of the global phenomenon of womenâ€
• ™
• s participation into the film industries and cultures of early 20th century