Dr Romana Turina, Associate Professor on BA (Hons) Film Production at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), is set to take a leading role at this month’s British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) annual conference.
The BAFTSS is the UK’s leading academic body dedicated to supporting and promoting the intellectual study of screen media through research, international collaboration, and high-level professional events.
Hosted in Bournemouth for the first time, and taking place from 15–17 April, the BAFTSS annual conference is a major international gathering that brings together world-leading scholars and filmmakers to share cutting-edge research, debate new technologies, and shape the future of how we understand film and television.
As the co-leader of the BAFTSS Special Interest Group (SIG) 'Essay Film’, Dr Turina will be chairing a high-profile, practice-based panel titled The Afterlife of Found Footage: The Relevance of John Smith’s Work.
“Together with the members, we put together the panel, which explores the generative mechanisms of film,” says Romana. “By looking at how words can infuse an 'afterlife' into found footage, we can better understand the phenomenon of semiotic re-inscription in contemporary cinema.”
In a dual role at the screen industries conference, Romana won't only chair the panel as a leader in the field but also present her own original paper: The afterlife of found footage: notes on John Smith’s narrative techniques and the generative mechanisms of a linguistically driven associative filmmaking.
In this presentation, she'll explore the work of the legendary British filmmaker – specifically his films Associations (1975) and The Girl Chewing Gum (1976), links these narrative techniques to her upcoming creative project, Thirst (2028).
Romana's role in the upcoming BAFTSS follows a remarkable period of professional achievement. From pioneering international conferences to influencing the global research agenda on Artificial Intelligence, her recent activities underscore AUB's role as a powerhouse in both creative practice and academic leadership.
The latest issue of the Journal of Screenwriting features a special issue focused on Screenwriting and AI, which Romana has edited. This publication is the culmination of years of trend-setting research, and Romana has edited three special issues in the last four years, each designed to push the boundaries of the discipline: Screenwriting and Textuality, Screenwriting for Virtual Reality (VR), and now, Screenwriting and AI.
“The application of AI to screenwriting radically affects how we manage processes, generate ideas, and apply narrative techniques,” Romana explains. “This issue offers a space for emerging theory that examines what it means to enter a mind that is 'other,' and how human creativity can find unprecedented advantages within this technological power.”
The impact of Romana's editorial work was so significant that the Screenwriting Research Network (SRN) adopted 'Screenwriting and AI' as the official theme for its 2026 annual conference – a direct reflection of the groundwork laid by her recent special issue. This shift in the global conversation directly follows her pioneering editorial work, which began engaging scholars on the topic two years ago.
Romana’s influence extends to the USA where, following three years leading the SRN’s Comparative Screenwriting Teaching group, she's been invited to organise a landmark conference in Atlanta.
The Comparative Screenwriting Teaching Conference marks the first time this emerging academic discipline has been highlighted as a central theme in any screenwriting-related field.
“Exploring screenwriting from a comparative perspective makes our discipline more inclusive,” says Romana. “It opens us to diverse ways of telling stories across different cultures and media, while making the innovative work we do at AUB visible on a global stage.”
From exploring the afterlife of the image at BAFTSS in Bournemouth, to navigating the complexities of AI in the Journal of Screenwriting, and finally putting Comparative Screenwriting on the agenda in Atlanta, Romana’s recent work continues to bridge the gap between historical film techniques and future technologies expanding how we understand, teach and create stories for the screen in an ever-changing world.
The 14th annual BAFTSS Conference is happening in Bournemouth from Wednesday 15 April to Friday 17 April. For more information, visit their website.
