BA (Hons) Film Studies

With the support of our expert industry-practicing filmmakers and theorists, you’ll explore content made outside of dominant US and European mainstream media, drawing on themes such as ethnicity, culture, feminism and identity politics. With an emphasis on cinema that confronts dominant assumptions and narrative convention, you’ll discover the importance of representation and diversity, from documentary making through to cult classics and the avant-garde.

A key area for Film Studies students will be Plymouth Arts Cinema; Plymouth’s independent arts cinema, located at the heart of our city-centre campus.

This exciting partnership with the cinema provides opportunities for Film Studies students to study cinema programming, exhibition and distribution and also to work on joint projects with the cinema in live project briefs: to programme seasons of documentary, feature and independent films, to introduce films and events and to write programme and publicity copy and critical articles for audiences at the cinema.

You’ll have the opportunity to work with film technologies resourced from our professional Multimedia Lab, with the opportunity to work alongside our established and award-winning Film & Screen Arts course, as well as collaborating with Animation and Games students in interdisciplinary projects.

Core specialisms of the course include film theory, film history, film criticism, cultural studies, creative and critical writing, cinema and film festival programming. The university is committed to social justice and the programme will challenge conventional perceptions of film history and theory by foregrounding marginalised communities and filmmakers from a range of ethnic backgrounds as well as their relationship to mainstream film industries.

As a graduate, you’ll leave equipped with specialist knowledge in film exhibition, programming, distribution and festivals, and the skillset required to work within film criticism, teaching, community arts and arts administration and journalism (including hard copy, online and broadcast) as well as for further study at postgraduate level and for research in Film Studies and related disciplines.

Recent visitors to the university include Independent Film Programmer Anna Navas, BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Babak Anvari, Film Critic Anna Smith, Director John McLean, and Oscar-winning filmmaker Mia Bays.

Study with us and you’ll expand your critical approach alongside developing skills in research and analysis. Our creative programmes encourage diversity in thinking and making - from practical applications through to reflective, analytical writing.

We provide a dynamic, stimulating learning environment from which to test new models of practice while investing in the rich relationship between practice and theory - based on the potential in material and visual exploration, collaborative working, cross-fertilisation of ideas,and the exploration of histories and contemporary contexts.