UNCW Film Studies Department

Film Studies teaches students to understand the history, aesthetics, business, and social significance of motion pictures and provides practical training in artistic and technical aspects of filmmaking. The UNCW Film Studies department is founded on the principle that the study of cinema and the artistic production of motion pictures complement one another, and all film studies majors perform substantial work in both areas. In addition to preparing students for work in the film industry and in film-related areas, the courses in the Film Studies Department develop skills that students can apply to a variety of disciplines and professions outside of film, such as skills of textual analysis, critical thinking, persuasive and creative writing, visual design, research, computer use, and oral presentation.

Film Studies courses cover all modes of cinematic expression: narrative, documentary, avant garde/experimental, and animation. The critical studies curriculum includes courses in film analysis, history, rhetoric and theory, and a wide range of world cinema. The film production curriculum encompasses every aspect of the integrated film production process, including screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography, camera operation, lighting, sound recording and design, 3D and 2D animation, and interactive media.

Located in a thriving film production center, which is home to EUE/Screen Gems Studios, the Film Studies Department is a vital link between UNCW and the local film community. Wilmington film professionals supervise Film Studies internships, teach courses, and share expertise as guest speakers. Film Studies students and faculty participate in Cucalorus, Wilmington's nationally recognized annual film festival.

Department Organizational Chart (PDF)

Film Studies Department Policies Handbook (PDF)

Department Faculty Directory

an emphasis on
applied learning

Students start making movies as soon as they achieve Film Studies major status. Over five hundred motion picture projects and exercises are produced each year in film production courses. Each semester culminates with a juried Student Screenings event featuring the best narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated student film produced by our students.

UNCW Film Studies students plan, curate, present and host Visions, an annual international film festival and conference that brings undergraduate film scholars and filmmakers together to share their work and ideas.

Students in critical studies courses curate, introduce, and write program notes for FST sponsored film events.

Film Studies students edit Film Matters, the first quarterly film journal written and edited by undergraduate students. Film Matters is published and distributed internationally by the UK publisher Intellect Press in collaboration with Film Studies and UNCW.

The Film Studies Internship program is a five time recipient of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Institutional Grant. The program places more than 100 students each year in film industry, film festival, and film publishing positions in North Carolina, New York, Los Angeles, and the United Kingdom.