Overview

About the Department of Film Studies

The University of Southampton Film Studies department has a world-class reputation for the quality of its research and teaching.

Ninety-five per cent of our research was judged ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). We’re aso ranked 11th by subject in the UK for communication and media studies, and 2nd for research (Complete University Guide 2024).

Our researchers are experts on a range of topics, including:

  • film theory and history
  • film and media industries
  • gender and sexuality
  • global cinemas
  • digital media

These research specialisms actively inform course content across our undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, where we engage with a range of topics involving popular genre films, art cinema, prime-time television, digital media, industry studies, world cinema, documentary, and animation.

Education

We offer a range of programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate taught and PhD levels, with teaching and supervision from experts in film, television, and digital media.

Our flexible and wide-ranging undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses trace the development of film from its 19th century origins to the digital age. They encompass a diverse array of topics, including:

  • history
  • gender and sexuality studies
  • television
  • music and sound
  • cultural studies
  • film and media industries

Most of our undergraduate courses include year abroad options, with destinations including South Korea, Sweden, Ireland and the Czech Republic.

Students benefit from access to our video editing suite, and can get involved with a student-run TV station, Surge.

Graduate outcomes

Our graduates follow a diverse range of career paths, including film editing, television production, journalism, arts management, social media and marketing, and teaching. The transferable skills developed across our degree programmes also make our students excellent candidates for competitive graduate schemes.

Graduate destinations have included:

  • BBC
  • Netflix
  • StudioCanal
  • British Film Institute
  • Universal Pictures
  • Sky

Graduates have also gone on to work at leading visual effects companies such as Moving Picture Company, Double Negative, and Framestore.

Research culture

At the core of our research culture is our seminar speakers series, where both external and internal researchers at the cutting edge of our field share their latest work with our community. 

Postgraduate community

We hold an annual postgraduate research conference and masterclass, led by students, with an eminent film scholar as keynote speaker.

Our postgraduate students regularly collaborate with The Confucius Institute to run research events on film, television, and media in China.

Conferences and publications

We have hosted the Doing Women's Film and Television History Conference (2018) and the annual conference for the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (2021).

Our staff and research students are frequent contributors to leading journals and have won association awards for best article and edited collection.

Awards

Our research has won large Art and Humanities Research Council and European Research Council grants in the areas of gender equality in the film industry and the cultures of film studios in early 20th century Europe.

Public engagement and knowledge exchange

We regularly engage in public outreach activities in Southampton and beyond. We've organised screenings on filmmakers from Hong Kong, contributed to music and film events at Turner Sims concert hall, and had an impact on the UK film industry's equality, diversity and inclusion policies. 

Facilities

Students and researchers benefit from a range of digital humanities facilities, including:

  • an industry-standard video-editing suite
  • 360-degree immersive audiovisual centre
  • virtual reality equipment
  • videogaming equipment

The space includes several areas for individual and group work. We also use these to host workshops, peer learning sessions, demonstrations, talks and drop-in surgeries.

We also offer a film library with more than 5,800 titles, and a lecture theatre with Blu-ray projection, surround-sound, cinema-size screen and 140 seats.

The main University library offers a wealth of audiovisual resources, including access to Box of Broadcasts, an archive of more than 1 million TV and radio recordings.

Explore library resources for film students.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

The Department of Film Studies is committed to fostering a positive and inclusive environment for all, ensuring staff and students from a diverse range of backgrounds can achieve their greatest potential with us.

In both teaching and research, we engage with screen media in all its sociocultural complexity, encouraging a global, interdisciplinary and intersectional approach to the analysis of film and media cultures.

We use a variety of teaching and assessment methods across our degree programmes. This allows students to develop transferable skills and demonstrate their strengths beyond the traditional essay format.

As a community of staff and researchers, we address and combat inequalities based on race, gender and sexuality across a range of media cultures and industries.

Our department is part of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities’ LGBTQ+ Positive Space Initiative, offering support and advice for students with questions about LGBTQ+ issues.

We also have a departmental EDI representative, ensuring our research and teaching cultures are in line with faculty standards and values of inclusivity.

Our courses

Contribute to research in the field of film studies by completing a PhD with us.

Research

Learn more about our research, and explore the other research centres we work with across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Our research community

These are the other research centres we work with in the School of Humanities and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

People

It’s exciting to be in a department with a variety of approaches to screens, tackling the politics, histories, and industries of film, television and digital media.
Head of Department
What I value most about our department is teaching alongside experts, involving students in learning about the specific areas that inspire us and that we are helping to develop.
Associate Professor
I truly value the intercultural exchanges in Film, not only among our teaching staff members, but also between Film’s staff and students at all levels.
Associate Professor

Work with us

Contact us

Talk to us, we’re happy to help

Please contact staff members directly to enquire about their work.
Avenue Campus, Highfield Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO17 1BF
We’re open Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00 GMT

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