What will I learn?
A first of its kind, this MA Film Programming and Curating enables you to explore the many ways films are conceptualised, selected, and presented to audiences. Based in the heart of London - one of the world’s leading media hubs - the course takes full advantage of its location, offering opportunities for you to build professional networks and engage with film events and screenings that deepen your understanding of contemporary programming and curatorial practice. Why choose this course? It is designed for those interested in film programming and curating, including cultural programming, screen media archives, and exhibition and distribution services. Taught by leading academic researchers and practitioners, this course offers you opportunities to learn from expert guest speakers, film programmers and archivists through workshops and site visits. It includes a placement at a cultural institution or film centre in London or beyond. With its distinctive practice-led research approach, this course encourages you to apply contemporary theoretical perspectives to professional practice. Working with archives will help you build a career portfolio, develop critical and curatorial skills, expand your theoretical and cultural understanding, refine professional goals and establish valuable industry connections. What you will learn The course fosters independent intellectual thought and a creative spirit, providing you with a historical, theoretical, and conceptual understanding of film programming, curatorial practice, and moving image culture. The curriculum explores: theories of spectatorship, audiences and the changing conditions of film reception sites of exhibition and the architecture of the film experience, from local cinemas to international festivals the role of the archive, film canons and the curation of archival and alternative film collections the practicalities of programming films and engaging audiences approaches to curating diverse film forms and for specific exhibition contexts, such as film festivals. How you will learn This MA can be studied full- or part-time. The course takes place during the day in the Birkbeck Cinema (including screenings) and through site visits across London, such as to the British Film Institute (BFI), Barbican and Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). You will learn through lectures, seminars, question and answer sessions and practice-led research workshops, complemented by guest lectures and a 20-day work placement (or a research report). You will also have opportunities to attend film and cultural events across London, including the London Film Festival, take part in professional practice activities such as Korean Film Nights, and enjoy free film screenings curated by the Birkbeck Institute of the Moving Image (BIMI).
