Film Studies

Film Studies takes cinema seriously as both an art form and a social phenomenon. It asks how films create meaning through their formal choices of cinematography, editing, sound and narrative structure, how cinema has developed historically across different national traditions, and how films interact with the political, social and cultural contexts in which they are made and received. In a world where audiovisual media shapes public life more profoundly than ever before, the ability to analyse it critically is a genuinely important intellectual skill.

At the University of Sussex, the three-year full-time degree develops your critical insight into global cinema, examining its cultural impact across time and its relevance to contemporary audiovisual media. You will explore how film shapes society, art, politics and identity, engaging with a wide range of theoretical and critical frameworks alongside close analysis of specific films and filmmaking traditions from around the world. Sussex's approach to the subject is intellectually rigorous and genuinely international in its scope, moving beyond Hollywood and European art cinema to examine traditions from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

The programme includes a foundation year for students who need additional preparation, a sandwich year, a year abroad and a work placement, giving you a range of opportunities to develop academic grounding, international perspective and professional experience. Sussex's location in Brighton, a city with strong connections to the arts and media, provides a stimulating environment for film study.

Graduates work in the screen industries, including development, distribution, programming and exhibition, as well as in journalism, cultural criticism, education, museums and arts organisations. Postgraduate study in film studies, cultural studies, media or creative writing is a natural continuation for those who want to develop specialist expertise.