The MA in Film Studies provides a stimulating context for study and immersion in film culture. The focus of the program is the study of cinema from aesthetic, cultural and historical perspectives. Our primary goal is the promotion and critical appreciation of experimental, independent and innovative filmmaking. We are committed to the advancement of a film culture that extends well beyond the film industry.

Analysis and discussion of independent filmmaking takes place alongside the study of a diverse range of:

• international film forms and histories
• institutions of production and exhibition
• conditions of reception and spectatorship

Through coursework, independent research, practicum and thesis work, students become intimate with the directors, actors, theorists and critics who populate film culture. The program emphasizes critical methods specific to film studies, but also incorporates a broad range of interdisciplinary scholarship. Some of the program’s features include internships at film institutions and the unique cultural and scholarly opportunity to focus on Québécois and Canadian cinema. Faculty research interests include a diverse array of national cinemas, theoretical methods and critical approaches, enabling students to pursue a wide variety of film research objectives.

The MA in Film Studies program contributes to Concordia University's unique interdisciplinary learning environment. Graduate programs in Studio Arts, Art History, Communications and the Humanities are an integral part of the program's scholarly context. Students are permitted to take courses outside the program, where appropriate.

Alumni are qualified to pursue Film Studies at the doctoral level. However, the MA in Film Studies is designed as a terminal degree, which prepares students for a wide range of film-related vocations, including teaching at high school or CEGEP levels. Montreal is an ideal location for film practicum courses, which facilitate careers in the areas of cultural industries, programming and exhibition, curatorial work, and arts journalism.

The program takes advantage of Montreal's cosmopolitanism. Like Concordia itself, the MA in Film studies boasts an international student body and enjoys an unparalleled diversity of backgrounds and perspectives among its students.

Resources

MHSoC graduate students have a variety of resources available including extensive screening facilities, film and video archives, and study resources. A seminar room equipped for film and digital projection has been designed for the MA program in the Faubourg building, home of MHSoC.

Libraries / Archives
Concordia libraries have Media Centres with large collections of video and DVD titles and excellent selections of film journals and monographs. The Faculty of Fine Arts also has a separate Moving Image Resource Centre with extensive holdings of films, laser disks, DVDs and video tapes. Graduate students are entitled to borrowing privileges in all of the city’s University libraries.

Montreal is at the centre of considerable film and television production activity and hosts a number of local and international film festivals. The Cinémathèque québécoise, National Film Board/ONF, la Fondation Daniel Langlois and other archival/research sites are conveniently located near campus.

The Grad Lounge
A fully-equipped Graduate Lounge houses the Graduate student office, which provides computer facilities available for word-processing, internet access, printing, scanning and DVD viewing. The Lounge is also home to the program's eclectic collection including:

• Films
• Screenplays
• Books
• Journals
• Theses