Film Studies

This globally-focused and interdisciplinary program teaches critical, theoretical and historical approaches to cinema and emerging media. Students learn to think analytically and express themselves clearly, while developing specialized knowledge about history, aesthetics and film as a social and cultural practice. Faculty expertise includes world cinema (e.g., the cinemas of Asia, Africa, Europe, Canada and the United States), film theory and philosophy, film history, documentary film and media, video games and new media, sexuality and gender, and sound studies.

Our MA has three streams. All students are admitted to the coursework-only stream and may, during their first semester, apply to do a major research paper or a thesis.

Collaborative Specializations in African Studies and Digital Humanities are available, as is a Graduate Diploma in Curatorial Studies.

Our distinguished and internationally-recognized faculty are engaged in innovative research with numerous books, articles, grants and awards to their credit.

Our program offers a very collegial, supportive and student-friendly atmosphere conducive to success, and is committed to student mentorship.

Capital Advantage

Ottawa offers unparalleled access to research materials and opportunities for internships. These include Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Film Institute, National Gallery of Canada, Canadian Museum of Science & Technology, Canadian Museum of History and the Ottawa Art Gallery. There are also numerous film festivals, filmmaker co-ops, and production companies where students can intern.

Research Highlights

• Aubrey Anable’s research is broadly concerned with film and media aesthetics in North America after 1945, with an emphasis on the ways digital computers have changed visual culture.
• Kester Dyer’s current book project titled Otherworldly Incursions: The Supernatural in Québec Cinema is supported by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant and comprises a broad exploration of the Québec film corpus since the 1990s.
• Marc Furstenau has published on cinema and technology, film theory, the films of Terrence Malick and of Werner Herzog, and on the photographic theory of Susan Sontag.
• Malini Guha’s research is broadly concerned with spatiality and the cinema, with an emphasis on postcolonial and post-imperial modes of mobility, migration, displacement and settlement.
• Laura Horak investigates the history of transgender and queer film and media in the United States, Canada, and Scandinavia.
• Gunnar Iversen has published more than 20 books and 200 articles, in 8 different languages. Among others, he has co-written Nordic National Cinemas and Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema.
• Aboubakar Sanogo’s research interests include African and Afro-diasporic cinemas, documentary film theory, history and form, transnational and world cinemas, film archiving, colonial cinema, and film festival studies. He is the co-founder of Reframing Africa and was instrumental in establishing the African Film Heritage Project.

Further information about faculty publications, research and supervision areas is available by clicking here.