Cam Gaze

SYNOPSIS:

This film takes us in the footsteps of Jennifer Ringley, to the heart of the 1990s Web, hoping to better understand what drives girls to film themselves, and the world to watch them. And perhaps we’ll be able to determine whether it’s superficial or revolutionary. A feminist approach or the new clothes of self-objectification? Liberating or alienating?

In the 1990s, an American student decided on a whim to film her daily life and put it online, thus becoming the first camgirl in history. At the height of her popularity, JenniCam’s site attracted up to 100 million visitors a week, she was interviewed on national TV and crystallized the fears and debates sparked by the arrival of the Web in our daily lives: some saw in it the advent of a narcissistic culture obsessed with spectacle, others the emergence of a new way of talking about oneself and creating links with strangers.In 2003, JenniCam closed her site for good. Since then, she has deserted the Internet. Yet since her retirement, her descendants have conquered the world: girls who film their lives and interact with strangers rule the Web and social media, from vloggers and youtubers to tiktokers of all ages.

INFO:

Theme: Society
Format: 52′
Original title: Camgaze
Director: Camille Ducellier & Claire Richard
Streamer: Arte France
Language: FR
Year of production: 2024
Produced by: Upian