Roll of film

Film Studies

Immerse yourself in the extraordinary diversity of world cinemas
Study the art, history and theory of film in all its forms, from Hollywood blockbusters to virtual reality documentaries.

Since its invention at the end of the nineteenth century, film has been continuously reborn across different kinds of screens and viewing situations – from the commercial movie house to the art gallery, from home television to in-flight monitors and mobile devices. Films entertain, educate, offend, shock and surprise us, and in doing so they mirror and expand our worlds and our sense of who we are. In our contemporary moment, it is vital to reflect on how we are addressed by, and consume, moving images as a ubiquitous technological form.

We offer an exciting program of study that will deepen your appreciation of cinema in all its historical, political, philosophical and cultural dimensions. Whatever your level of study, from undergraduate to PhD, you will have access to the rich collections of films in Fisher Library and the Schaeffer Fine Arts Library. You will also be connected to local and international film festivals and related cultural events and, more importantly, the filmmakers, critics, and scholars who make them happen.

Our study offering

Film Studies opens us to other worlds and other ways of seeing. This major develops critical visual literacy, equips you with a range of skills for understanding and analysing cinema as a vital and yet everyday part of modern life and expands your knowledge of the social, cultural, aesthetic and political dimensions of cinema in different contexts and at different times.

Undergraduate

*Available to all students studying the Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Visual Arts, as well as all combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees.

Research  

Our research  

We are award-winning and internationally recognised researchers with strengths across a range of areas, including:

  • American cinema
  • Cinema and literature
  • Documentary film
  • Early and silent cinema
  • East Asian cinema
  • European cinema
  • Film aesthetics and ecopolitics
  • Film history and theory
  • Film philosophy
  • Queer cinema

Research institutes and resources

Our people

Discipline Chair

Associate Professor Bruce Isaacs