Film, Media and Visual Arts Research
We work in overlapping thematic areas where the visual is explored in relation to social and political structures, other arts and social contexts.
Collaborative and cross-disciplinary research
Our research spans a wide range of languages, including:
- Chinese
- Japanese
- French
- German
- Spanish
We work on visual cultures from Europe, East Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and North Africa. We collaborate with artists, filmmakers and academics in a number of countries.
We also have links with colleagues in other parts of the University, especially with the School of Arts and Cultures and with the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology.
Research expertise
The key research aims of staff working in this area relate to the theorising of the image. We address this via two main approaches to the study of film and the visual arts:
- images/texts and their production
- the reception of the image
Our research expertise includes:
- audiences and spectatorship
- authorship
- gender and sexuality
- genre and stardom
- national cinemas and postcolonial cinemas
- urban space and street art
Our staff lead major research projects including the AHRC-funded Screening Violence and the Chinese Independent Film Archive.
Doctoral research
For doctoral research, students can choose from a wide range of research topics and language areas. Staff who research in this field are willing to supervise postgraduate research in a wide range of language areas including:
- Chinese-language cinema
- French cinema
- Spanish cinema
- Latin American visual cultures
- North African visual cultures (especially Algerian)
- Japanese popular culture
- Genre in international cinema
- Stardom in international cinema
- Postcolonial cinemas