Women In Parenthesis
Academic filmmaking is about more than simply documenting research—it’s about visualising complex ideas, making them accessible, and revealing the human connections behind scholarly work.
In my latest collaboration, I had the privilege of working with the Mapping the Quartet team on a film that explores the vibrant, ongoing legacy of four groundbreaking women philosophers—Elizabeth Anscombe, Iris Murdoch, Philippa Foot, and Mary Midgley.
Presented by the team behind the In Parenthesis project and featuring Professor Clare Mac Cumhaill and Dr. Rachael Wiseman, this short film brings together scholars, students, and public thinkers to reflect on what it means to do philosophy—and who gets to do it.
Set in the Shincliffe and Bailey Rooms near Durham, the film is part documentary, part tribute, and part creative intervention. It showcases how a community of contemporary women philosophers continues to draw inspiration from the so-called “Wartime Quartet,” extending their ideas into classrooms, public talks, poetry, and deeply personal reflections.
Background: Who Were the Wartime Quartet?
The Mapping the Quartet project shines a spotlight on four friends and intellectual collaborators—Anscombe, Murdoch, Foot, and Midgley—who met at Oxford during the Second World War. At a time when academic philosophy was dominated by abstract logic and a near-total absence of women, these thinkers resisted the narrow boundaries of the field.
Instead, they turned to ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, and the practical questions of how to live. Each of them went on to reshape British philosophy in lasting ways, yet their collaborative influence has often been overlooked.
Mapping the Quartet is not just a historical recovery—it is a creative project that aims to reframe philosophy as a shared, lived, and public endeavour. The website mappingthequartet.org acts as both a research hub and a public-facing platform, featuring biographies, educational materials, interactive maps, and creative outputs inspired by the Quartet’s work.
The Film: Philosophy in Practice and in Community
The film explores how contemporary scholars are reimagining philosophy as something participatory, embodied, and emotionally resonant. From the poster session showcasing public-facing projects to the story of a green biscuit tin travelling the world as a vessel for philosophical conversation, the film presents philosophy not as an isolated activity, but as a practice rooted in relationships, care, and community.
Participants speak with clarity and passion about how the In Parenthesis project has changed the way they think—and why that matters. One contributor explains that discovering this network of women philosophers made her want to stay in academia. Another reflects on how the project creates “a pushing love,” a collective energy that inspires change.
This isn’t philosophy as usual—it’s collaborative, feminist, creative, and deeply engaged with the world outside the academy.
My Approach to Working with Academics
As a filmmaker with over 20 years’ experience, I specialise in capturing the thought processes, values, and personalities behind academic and creative research. My work often involves partnering with universities, researchers, and heritage organisations to create films that are both intellectually rigorous and emotionally compelling.
Working with academic teams like the Mapping the Quartet collective is about finding the visual and narrative language that makes abstract ideas feel grounded and real. It’s about showing the why behind the work—not just what’s being studied, but why it matters to the people doing it and to wider audiences.
I bring a lightweight, unobtrusive production style that allows for spontaneity and intimacy—essential when filming conversations, seminars, and moments of reflection. Whether documenting archival research, interdisciplinary events, or creative collaborations, I aim to make films that are both artistically engaging and academically respectful.
Academic Film as Advocacy
One of the most powerful aspects of this project is how it uses film not only to share knowledge but to advocate for a more inclusive, responsive, and public-facing philosophy. As one speaker puts it, this isn’t just about answering old questions—it’s about asking new ones, and expanding who gets to be part of the conversation.
By visualising philosophy in community—in rooms filled with laughter, debate, art, and shared curiosity—the film acts as a form of advocacy. It encourages viewers, especially women and underrepresented groups, to see themselves as part of philosophy’s future.