Research environment
At the University
Staff
A diversity of interests, a wealth of enthusiasm, and an excellent record of funding and research activity characterise this young department, which has just received top marks in the 2008 Research Assessment excercise.
Focusing on the transnational and the peripheral elements of film, we develop and expand the entire realm of film scholarship. Working on areas from Deleuze to Korean cinema, from digital cinema to Eastern Europe, from transnational auteurs to documentary and activist films, and many areas in between, we promise a vibrant and engaging research environment for students and scholars.
Current research projects, funded by the AHRC and the Carnegie Trust, include work on Balkan cinema, Deleuze and transnational cinema, Scottish cinema, period drama, film industry, film festivals and media activism.
The staff frequently participate in international film conferences, such as the Society for Cinema and Media Studies , Fortress Europe and Its Others (UCL 2005), Cinema in Europe: Networks in Process, and Visible Evidence and have been invited guest speakers for numerous seminars, programmes, and conferences within and without The University St Andrews.
For more about the staff, please visit the Film Studies staff profiles.
Postgraduates
Although the Department was only established in 2004, we have already successfully guided 7 students to the successful completion of a doctorate. We currently have 15 PhD students, making us one of the largest doctoral programmes in film studies in the UK.
Our postgraduate students are passionate in their pursuits and active in their research as the department encourages them to develop a record of publications, presentations and funding.
The postgraduates further contribute to the stimulating research environment here by organizing conferences that showcase student work and host visiting keynote speakers from other universities. These projects include interdisciplinary collaborations with other universities, such as the AHRC-funded conference Cinemas, Identities and Beyond: St. Andrews-Glasgow Postgraduate Conference, with renowned academics convening the panels. (e.g. Professor Pam Cook (University of Southampton), Dr. Dimitris Eleftheriotis (University of Glasgow), Professor Christine Geraghty (University of Glasgow), Professor Andrew Higson (University of East Anglia), Professor John Caughie (University of Glasgow) and Professor Dina Iordanova (University of St. Andrews).
In addition Postgraduate Students have organised and been awarded funding for a number of events to St Andrews, such as the Africa in Motion Film Festival in 2010."
Centre for Film Studies
Working with colleagues across the University and advised by leading academics and industry professionals from around the world, the Centre for Film Studies encourages interdisciplinary research and activities. With funding from numerous organizations such as the AHRC, the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, The British Academy, and The Russell Trust, the Centre hosts film screenings with visiting filmmakers, as well as regular research seminars and it organizes research conferences, such as The Cinema of the Periphery in 2006.
Library
St Andrews has excellent library provision, and the University is raising the book, journal and other information resources in film studies to a level consistent with an international centre of excellence. The St Andrews University library holds over 1,000,000 print monographs, over 32,000 electronic books, and substantial journal title holdings in print and over 33,900 full-text electronic titles. Well over 2,000 monographs are classified under Film Studies and related subjects. There are holdings of approximately 100 film, television and media-related journals, of which about 65 are available electronically; there is also networked access to various databases, including Box of Broadcasts, Film Indexes Online, and Film & Television Literature Index Full-Text. The library holds one of the best collections of international cinema on DVD and video (over 8,200 titles), including rare reference materials such as ethnographic films and documentaries by filmmakers like Frederick Wiseman and Jean Rouch, and extensive holdings of queer experimental filmmakers such as Barbara Hammer, Su Friedrich, and Sadie Benning.
Around St Andrews
NPH Cinema
The New Picture House Cinema is located just down the road from Film Studies at 117 North Street. They are a frequent and welcome collaborator with the department and with the Centre for Film Studies. Thanks to a grant from the Russell Trust, the Centre will host additional screenings at the Cinema, providing students, staff and greater Fife with the opportunity to watch international blockbusters and the best films you would never see otherwise.
The award-winning NPH Cinema also works with the UK Film Council to assure regular screenings of specialised films—documentaries, art films, and fare one expects in London or New York.
Dundee Contemporary Arts
Only a short bus-ride away is Dundee Contemporary Arts, an art cinema and gallery. The department enjoys collaborations with the DCA and its staff.