About the Department of Film Studies

Established in 2004, the Department of Film Studies covers the breadth of film and media studies. It was ranked first in the UK for Media and Film Studies by The Guardian Good University Guide 2025.

The Department is dedicated to the study of cinema from a global perspective, moving beyond the canon of Hollywood and European film to engage with a diverse range of practices, cultures, movements, genres, and forms.

Staff expertise, a lively research environment of conferences, events, and screenings and specially fitted facilities offer students the chance to study and experience the richness and variety that cinema, in all its forms, offers.

The Department covers a wide range of global screen cultures, including a variety of historical periods and geographical areas. Particular strengths include work on documentary and non-fiction media, ecocinema and sustainability, archives and cultural heritage.

Staff members are leaders in their field. Together, they have authored or edited over 20 books, received extensive external funding and supervise an international cohort of PhD students.

Film Studies is centrally located in two buildings on North Street. The Department works closely with the Byre Theatre, including as a key partner for Sands International Film Festival of St Andrews as well as with other organisations and institutions in Scotland, such as Dundee Contemporary Arts, an excellent arthouse cinema and gallery in Dundee, V&A Dundee,  the National Library of Scotland and LUX Scotland.

Strategic plan

The Department is part of the School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies whose Strategic Plan 2021 – 2026 (PDF) outlines School and Department aspirations, aims and commitment to world leading and inclusive teaching and research.