School of Economics & Political Sciences Department of Digital Arts and Cinema

Post Graduate Programme: "Cinema in Education: Theory and Creative Practices"

HISTORY AND THEORY OF FILM

The course aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the most important milestones in the history and theory of cinema, delving into selected topics and using appropriate methodological and theoretical frameworks. Through the study of theoretical texts and the viewing of suggested films, students will be able to select and use appropriate theoretical tools in their film analysis, teaching and research. The course will discuss approaches such as narratology, theories of montage, realism, the politics of creators, theories regarding film genres, psychoanalytic approaches, postmodernism, cultural studies, post-colonial perspectives, etc.

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

interpret cinematic developments as a multifaceted phenomenon by understanding the technological, artistic, cultural and economic parameters of these changes
classify the main works, movements and creators and theoretical approaches of world cinema, and recognize their influences on contemporary cinema and other forms of artistic creation (theater, literature, performing arts, visual arts, video art, television, video games).
critically apply theoretical concepts, approaches and methodologies of film studies and use them in the organization of teaching scenarios
analyze in depth classic texts of film studies and understand the most important approaches of film theories
compare different forms of cinematic narrative and be able to select appropriate examples from the history of cinema in educational processes
evaluate the role of festivals in the construction, promotion and promotion of new movements, trends, directors and small national cinemas
understand contemporary developments in relation to the role of the cinema, distribution and online screening of films.

Indicative course topics:

History and cinema: the image as evidence and cinema as historical narrative
Classical narrative and Hollywood cinema: the development of direction
Theories of montage and avant-gardes of the 1920s and 1930s
Realism, neorealism and European modernist cinema
The politics of creators and the French Nouvelle Vague
Theories of cinema genres
Postmodernism in cinema and digital arts
Post-classical narrative: the example of New Hollywood
Fear in cinema: psychoanalytic approaches
Cinematic time: forms of minimalist narrative and slow cinema
Cultural studies and issues of social representations in cinema
The role of film festivals in the emergence of new movements
World cinema: Post-colonial approaches to cinema
Documentary and observational cinema