Navigation
Centre for Cinema Studies - Welcome
Everyone has two jobs: their own, and cinema critic
François Truffaut
The Centre for Cinema Studies aims to advance the scholarly study of film and film culture in all its diversity, at the University of British Columbia and on the local, national, and global scene.
The scholarly study of cinema has become a key academic discipline in the social sciences and humanities. Film scholars at the University of British Columbia have stood at the vanguard of these developments, helping to shape a field that is becoming increasingly competitive.
The Centre for Cinema Studies has the following objectives:
- to promote and facilitate original research into film and film culture that contributes to the wider understanding of its role in society;
- to provide a platform for interdisciplinary academic discussions that involve cinema in all its facets;
- to encourage, and be a prime venue for, the national and international exchange of esteemed doctoral, and postdoctoral film researchers;
- to be a welcoming host for, and play an active part in, the organization of academic forums that further peer debate, communication, and networks;
- to play a custodian role in developing a wide range of accessible resources and tools for the study of film and film related materials (including the Film Library)
- to establish an archival collection for the preservation and study of film and film related materials.
- to promote active collaborations and joint research initiatives into the study of film culture;
- to stimulate, and actively participate in, the dissemination of results of research into film to the public;
- to offer expert advice and consultation for policy purposes concerning film culture.
The Centre for Cinema Studies is proud to be a sustaining member of the Film Studies Association of Canada.
Visiting Scholars
Dr. Davinia Thornley (University of Otago) researched the intersection of film festival attendance and indigenous activism through case studies of New Zealand, Canadian and American indigenous film festivals.
Catherine Griff (Swinburne University) explores how creators of screen fiction engage with their audiences, including case studies of high profile Australian producers and interviews with Canadian digital media creators.
Robyn Citizen's research examines the functions of blackness in the reflexive construction of Japanese identities in Japanese cinema.
Miguel Olid researched Spanish/Canadian co-productions, and the distribution of Spanish cinema abroad during his stay at the Centre.
Alexander Pavlov researched cult cinema's transnationalism during his stay at the Centre.
Jenna Ng examined the function of machinima, films shown in virtual worlds, or media suspended in between game, image, avatar and our selves, during her stay at the Centre.
Rebecca Coyle was researching the on-screen presence of Bowen Island, and the soundscapes of Baz Luhrmann and The Jetsons during her stay at the Centre.
María del Mar Grandío studied new ways of television fiction production on online platforms in Canada during her stay at the Centre.
Philip Drake researched the reception and political economy of Hollywood's operations in Canada during his stay at the Centre.
Steffen Hantke researched representations of the Cold War during his stay at the Centre.
Angela Piccini studied representations of archaeological heritage in factual screen media contextualized by the 2010 Olympic Games.
Tomáš Pospíšil Visiting Scholar June-August 2007, and August 2010.
Murray Pomerance conducted research on cinematic representations of early applications of electricity while visiting the Centre.
Jamie Sexton executed preparatory research on world cult cinema while staying the Centre.
