Film Programming and Curating
Entry requirements
A second-class honours degree (2:2 or above), or overseas equivalent.
You are required to complete a 700-1000-word written exercise by choosing a film that you have recently seen and explaining how you would programme it for an audience. Your completed exercise should be returned directly to culture@bbk.ac.uk, or alternatively uploaded to the Applicant Portal, either as a Word document or a PDF. Please ensure that you include your reference number and name on each page of the document. Two referees are also required. Successful candidates will be invited to attend an interview.
Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience in a field relevant to graduate study in the humanities will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.
Months of entry
January, October
Course content
A first of its kind, this MA Film Programming and Curating allows you to explore the diverse ways in which films are conceptualised, selected and presented to an audience. Studying in the heart of London, one of the world’s leading media hubs, this MA takes full advantage of its location to help you build professional networks and immerse yourself in numerous film events and screenings to learn more about contemporary film programming and curatorial practice.
Why choose this course?
- It is designed for those eager to learn about and/or work in film programming and curating, including cultural programming, exhibiting screen media archives, distribution and exhibition services.
- Taught by leading academic researchers and practitioners, this course gives you the opportunity to network and learn from a diverse range of expert guest speakers, film programmers and archivists, and through a combination of workshops and site visits.
- It offers you a guaranteed placement at a cultural institution or film centre around London and beyond.
- With its unique practice-led research approach, this course encourages you to apply the latest theoretical thinking to professional practice. Working in archives will enable you to start building a career portfolio, develop your critical and curatorial skills, deepen your contextual, theoretical and cultural knowledge, refine your professional goals, and make valuable connections within film and screen media culture circuits.
What you will learn
The course encourages independence of intellectual thought and spirit, offering you a historical, intellectual and conceptual understanding of film programming, curatorial practice and moving image culture. The curriculum covers:
- theories of spectatorship, the audience and the changing conditions of film reception
- sites of exhibition and the architecture of the filmic experience, from local cinemas to international film festivals
- the role of the archive, film canons and exhibition of the archive, as well as researching and working with alternative collections and non-aligned archives
- the practicalities involved in programming a film and locating audiences for it
- learning about curating different film forms, as well as for specific circuits (film festivals).
How you will learn
This course is available to study full- or part-time. It is taught during the day in the Birkbeck Cinema (including screenings), and includes site visits across London, including to the British Film Institute (BFI) and Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA).
You will learn through lectures, seminars, Q&A sessions and practice-based workshops, alongside guest lectures and a 20-day work experience placement. You will also have the opportunity to attend various film and cultural events around London, including the London Film Festival, and will have access to the exciting programme of free film screenings curated by the Birkbeck Institute of the Moving Image.
Highlights
- The award-winning Birkbeck Cinema is central to the course, where most of our classes take place. The cinema is equipped with 35mm and state-of-the-art DVD projection, which offers you an opportunity to experiment with programming and watch films in the best possible conditions. Located in central London, in the heart of historic Bloomsbury, Birkbeck is within easy reach of cinemas and galleries, as well as facilities such as the British Film Institute and the British Library.
- You will receive accreditation, sponsored by Birkbeck, to the BFI London International Film Festival.
- On this course you will also have the opportunity to participate in professional programming initiatives with organisations as diverse as the Korean Cultural Centre UK and its Korean Film Nights.
- The Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image (BIMI) runs a busy, intellectually stimulating programme of events, including conferences, screenings and film-related events of all kinds, which students on this course are more than welcome to attend. You will have the opportunity to participate in and attend the Essay Film Festival, jointly run by BIMI and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), with free admission to events hosted at Birkbeck.
- Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
- We offer a number of bursaries for postgraduate students.
Graduates can pursue career paths in the creative arts, academic, media and cultural institutions. Graduates from this MA Film Programming and Curating have gone on to progress their studies at PhD level or to work for:
- film festivals, including Edinburgh International Film Festival, London Korean Film Festival, Belfast Film Festival, Costa Rica International Film Festival, Nordic Baltic Film Festival, Gateway Film Festival, Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival, Third Horizon Film Festival, Moscow International Experimental Film Festival
- film cultural organisations, such as the BFI Southbank
- film archives, such as Cinemateca Portuguesa
- film collectives, such as Club de Femmes
- cinemas such as Cinema PARK, Stockholm and Lexi Cinema, London, and other local independent cinemas
- film artists, such as Isaac Julien
- founders of film organisations, such as Cine-Sister
- freelance film curators
- film marketing organisations, such as Dogwoof.
We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.
Information for international students
If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this course is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.
If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- MA
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Student Advice Service
- studentadvice@bbk.ac.uk
- Phone
- +44 (0)20 3907 0700