Todd Berliner

Todd Berliner is Professor of Film Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he teaches film aesthetics, narration, and style, and American film history. He is the author of HOLLYWOOD INCOHERENT: NARRATION IN SEVENTIES CINEMA (University of Texas Press, 2010), HOLLYWOOD AESTHETIC: PLEASURE IN AMERICAN CINEMA (Oxford University Press, 2017), and HOLLYWOOD RENEGADE: ELAINE MAY, MIKEY AND NICKY, AND THE MAKING OF A MASTERPIECE (University of Texas Press, 2026). Professor Berliner is the founding chair of UNCW’s Film Studies Department and the recipient of two Fulbright Scholar awards, including the prestigious Distinguished Chair Award, Fulbright's highest honor. He holds masters and doctorate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.

Education

* Ph.D. in English, University of California at Berkeley, 1996. Dissertation: When Movies Grew Up: Hollywood Films of the 1970s
* B.A. in Psychology and English, University of California at Berkeley, 1986

Specialization in Teaching

Selected Courses:
American Cinema 1927-1960
American Cinema Since 1961
American Narrative Cinema of the 1970s
Approaches to Film Aesthetics
The Cinematic Mind: Cognition and Film
Cognitive and Neoformalist Film Theories
Film Authors: Elaine May
Film Authors: John Cassavetes
Film Authors: Martin Scorsese
Film Styles & Genres: Film Noir
Film Styles & Genres: Hollywood Style
Hollywood and the Art of Entertainment
Hollywood Films of the Seventies
Introduction to Film Study
Introduction to Film Study & Production
Storytelling in the Cinema
Writing about Film

Research Interests

Film aesthetics, style, and storytelling; American film history; Hollywood and independent American cinema; film genres; narratology; films of the 1970s

Professional Service

* Coordinator, Master’s Program in Film Studies, Department of Film Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2025-present.
* Associate Chair, Department of Film Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2014-2016.
* Founder and Chair, Department of Film Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2002-2005. Proposed and oversaw the department’s formation, curriculum, and initial development.

Honors & Awards

* László Országh Distinguished Chair in American Studies, Fulbright Scholars Distinguished Chair Award. U.S. Department of State, Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, February-June 2012. Reserved for “eminent scholars,” the Distinguished Chair Awards are Fulbright’s highest honor.
* Fulbright Scholars Award. U.S. Department of State, Hanoi University of Theater and Cinema (Đại Học Sân Khấu & Điện Ảnh Hà Nội), 2005-2006.