Frequently Asked Questions:

• Why major in Film Studies at Concordia?
• Who is a Concordia Film Studies student?
• What kinds of courses are available to Film Studies majors at Concordia University?
• Can I take film production courses?
• What kinds of skills will I develop over the course of my degree in Film Studies?
• What kinds of resources make Concordia's Film Studies program so unique?
• How does the Concordia Film Studies program make connections with an international film studies community?
• What kinds of events, exchanges, internships, festivals or research centres can I expect to be invited to participate in while I study in the Film Studies program?
• What kinds of career options might be opened up for me with a BFA in Film Studies from Concordia?
• What makes Montreal such a special place to study film?

 

Why major in Film Studies at Concordia?

Concordia's Cinema programs are distinguished from many others by the fact that they are housed in the Faculty of Fine Arts and, thus, approach their subject matter primarily as a means of artistic expression. However, we in Film Studies are also aware of the many features our discipline shares with other disciplines in the humanities, such as philosophy, cultural studies, history, and languages and literature, and we seek to explore connections with these disciplines whenever possible in our courses. Consequently, the Film Studies program at Concordia creates graduates who have a dual consciousness: the artistic and cultural potential of the medium, and its place within a larger humanities framework.

 

Who is a Concordia Film Studies student?

We draw students from around the world who want to sharpen their critical skills with respect to culture, media, politics, history and aesthetics. Our students are curious, attentive individuals who understand the potential of cinema to open up their worldview and provide an avenue to investigate all of the deep questions the arts and humanities has to offer.

 

What kinds of courses are available to Film Studies majors at Concordia University?

The breadth and depth of faculty expertise in Concordia's Film Studies programs is really what make our courses so exciting. We offer courses that satisfy a diverse range of interests in the arts and humanities. For instance, we have faculty members with specific expertise in sexuality studies, political documentary, experimental ethnography, cinephilia, melodrama, feminism and female filmmakers, Soviet Cinema, postcolonial theory, semiotics, the history of film studies, Japanese Anime, underground filmmaking, Third Cinema, and film theory, to name a few areas. The program starts with basic courses in film history and aesthetics. In second year, students move on to more specified courses, such as Women in Film, Non-fiction Film since 1956, World Cinema, Experimental Film, Film Acting, Queer Cinema, Film Theory and Québécois Cinema. In their final year, students can enrol in seminars on more specialized topics such as Fake Documentary, Underground Cinema of the 1960s & 1970s, and Early Sound Films.Students enrolled in the BFA in Film Studies are provided with a logical and stimulating progression of courses throughout their degree program.

 

Can I take film production courses?

Film Studies students are permitted to take one film production course if they are accepted to the Specialization in Film Studies. All other film studies students are not eligible for these classes, but are encouraged instead to take electives that will promote the expansion of their critical faculties in the humanities, such as courses in philosophy, art history and literature.

 

What kinds of skills will I develop over the course of my degree in Film Studies?

Students learn to develop writing and research skills by producing essays that engage with film, arts and humanities scholarship. Most assignments in Film Studies courses require students to do research in film history, criticism and related disciplinary areas, and thereby develop valuable skills with bibliographic tools. Training in writing skills enable students to produce concrete descriptions and analyses, synthesize information and craft theoretical examinations. Students learn these skills by being asked to write film reviews, analyze film sequences, and adopt critical positions on a variety of topics relating to contemporary audiovisual practices and theories, as well as cultural and critical theories. While the essay format remains the standard type of assignment that we request within our courses, we also provide students with opportunities to work in groups to work through specific assignments. Students are also invited to pursue internships in professional settings in the Montreal film community. In their final year, student have the opportunity to enrol in a number of undergraduate seminars (small discussion based courses), which facilitate their ability to talk in public about films through presentations and lively debate.

 

What kinds of resources make Concordia's Film Studies program so unique?

Our faculty's extensive research backgrounds provide the backbone for a comprehensive and solid education in the study of film. Our department is regarded as one of the best in North America. Additionally, we continuously invest in an array of materials to provide our students with the tools necessary for an exceptionally rich and varied educational experience. Our Visual Media Resources (VMR) collection already contains over 26,000 titles and is constantly increasing with the addition of blu-rays, new releases and rare prints. Our viewing facilities are fitted with new state-of-the-art projection technology, which is updated as needed, allowing for a cinematic display that respects both the objects of our study, as well as the effort of those involved in it. We have well-maintained digital and print libraries, and librarians with specific expertise in analog, digital and multimedia.

 

How does the Concordia Film Studies program make connections with an international film studies community?

The Film Studies faculty present numerous conferences, symposia and guest lectures year round, inviting scholars and filmmakers from all over the world to speak to our students and faculty. We contribute to the international discourse on film through four journals that are either housed within the department or to which Concordia faculty contribute. We also maintain an active partnership with the internationally recognized Cuban film school, Escuella Internacional Cine y Television (EICTV), where instructors teach seminars yearly. This commitment to maintaining our place within the international film studies community promotes the international span of faculty research and academic activity, while providing students with a more cosmopolitan perspective of film study.

 

What kinds of events, exchanges, internships, festivals or research centres can I expect to be invited to participate in while I study in the Film Studies program?

In addition to the variety of special lectures, conferences and symposiums organized by Concordia's Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema (MHSoC) , our cinema faculty maintain several research centres, among them, Concordia's Documentary Centre, the Advanced Research Team on History and Epistemology of Moving Image Study (ARTHEMIS), and the Sense Lab. The MHSoC has established collaboration with all of the major film festivals in Montreal (see below for links), through which many students find volunteer and internship opportunities each year. Moreover, students may opt to apply up to six credits from their degree towards an internship in film related institutions, such as film archives, film festivals, film libraries, and film production companies.

 

What kinds of career options might be opened up for me with a BFA in Film Studies from Concordia?

A BFA in Film Studies provides students with a solid background in the study of cinema, as well as the broader arts and humanities that emphasize critical thinking, writing, research skills, problem solving, and public speaking. Our students graduate with the distinctive ability to navigate the present context of audio-visual culture and discourse, which makes them excellent candidates for work in film and television production, film archives, film presentation (festivals, cinematheques), journalism, public relations, arts administration, advertising, and academic film scholarship. Furthermore, many graduates are also able to apply their broader analytic and communication skills to any profession for which a liberal arts education might be considered desirable, such as publishing, governmental positions, teaching, cultural administration, law, creative writing, and community outreach, to name a few. Images are ubiquitous in this modern world. Knowing how to approach their function and circulation is a skill that is only becoming more marketable with the proliferation of screen technologies.

 

What makes Montreal such a special place to study film?

Montreal has the highest number of film festivals in North America with nearly every national cinema and mode of filmmaking finding a warm reception at one of the many festivals going on throughout the year, including: the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, celebrating new local and international cinema for 40 years; Fantasia, "North America's premier genre festival;" Image + Nation, international LGBT film festival; Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montreal (RIDM), The Montreal International Documentary Festival; Les Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois; the World Film Festival. The city also hosts one of the best cinémathèques in all of Canada, the Cinémathèque Québécoise, which features retrospectives and special programs around filmmakers and movements from all over the world. Montreal is also home to the NFB/ONF (National Film Board of Canada), which has been producing and distributing Canadian social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, and alternative drama since 1939, and where you can go to see such works in their innovative CineRobothèque facilities. Moreover, Quebec doesn't just have one of the most vibrant film industries in Canada, with its own production and starsystems, it is also a centre for independent and experimental cinema in North America. Faculty members from the MHSC run one of the most innovative and successful documentary production companies, including EyeSteelFilm, whose Rip! A Remix Manifesto (2008), Up the Yangtze (2007) and Last Train Home (2009) have won multiple awards and been seen by millions around the world. Another faculty run organization, the film collective, Double Negative, is committed to the creation, curation and dissemination of experimental film, video and installation. In addition to the rich presence of film producers, archivists, scholars, and curators in Montreal, the city's Anglophone and Francophone cultural heritages enable a unique perspective on cinema. Montreal is a city riddled with cinematic legacies, and no other city has such a dynamic position within the world of cinema!