Module manager: Rachel Johnson
Email: r.johnson@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as an Elective
This module explores the practice and theory of film programming. What are the decisions that are made and the actions that are taken to bring films to audiences at theatres, film festivals and streaming platforms? How does the way in which films are presented impact an audience’s understanding and appreciation of the material? In an era when practically any film is available at the click of a button, what is the role of the film curator? How does the curator, in selecting, highlighting and contextualising material add value to the work? The module will encourage students to think about these questions, introducing them to the ways in which these issues have been explored by cultural theorists, film scholars and film professionals. The final part of the module will then challenge the students to apply what they have learnt to the curation of their own hypothetical film programmes, accompanied by programme notes and a critical commentary outlining their rationale.
This module aims to:
1. introduce students to the core practical and intellectual issues related to film programming and curating for cinemas and festivals.
2. investigate historical and contemporary developments and innovations in film programming and exhibition.
3. introduce students to new research and scholarship in film studies related to film festivals and film exhibition.
4. teach students how to develop and curate their own stimulating, intellectually and thematically coherent research-based film programmes for cinemas and film festivals.
5. provide students with the practical skills required to curate a film programme.
On completion of this module students should be able to:
1.Identify the core practical and intellectual issues related to film programming and film exhibition.
2. Examine a range of historical and contemporary innovations in cinema exhibition across the world, and critically evaluate recent scholarship on the subject.
3. Design and curate a stimulating, intellectually and thematically coherent film programme with a clear rationale informed by research into film history and an awareness of the practical challenges of curation.
4. Evidence practical skills in film curation such as: writing effective marketing copy for films and film programmes, using industry-specific film databases, and identifying film licenses and their cost.
5. Discuss the cultural, intellectual, artistic and economic significance of film programming in specific contexts.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
6: Communication skills: Communicate effectively through clearly written solutions; tailor complex information against competing needs and demands to a target audience.
7: Critical thinking: Weigh arguments and perspectives and identify gaps in knowledge.
8: Creativity: Make connections across differing perspectives in order to generate ideas and demonstrate imaginative thinking and originality.
9: Planning, organisation and time management: Produce a plan of action for undertaking a project; demonstrate the ability to meet deadlines through working effectively on a project brief
This module will introduce students to theories and practices of film programming in a variety of contexts, including venues such as cinemas, film festivals, pop-up screenings as well online platforms such as Mubi.
The module will begin by defining film programming and encouraging students to think about this phenomenon both as a profession that requires certain skills, knowledge and expertise, and as a creative act with important social, intellectual and cultural implications.
After establishing this understanding of film programming and the role of the film curator we will then move on to a discussion of the network of intermediaries involved in the process, including film producers, distributors, theatres, festivals and archives. Classes will offer students the knowledge and practical skills for working with such intermediaries – for example sourcing and negotiating film licenses.
Following classes on the pragmatics of film programming, the course will trace a series of case studies – examples of real-world film programmes – which reveal different aspects of and approaches to curation, such as: thematic and identity-based/activist film programming, in-person and online film festivals, and the production of paratexts as a crucial component of the programming process. These case studies will focus on exploring the unique challenges curators face when programming different kinds of material. Discussion will also centre on the importance of understanding audiences, as well as the role of cinephilia, and research and film historiography in the curation of film programmes.
These discussions of case studies will be grounded in engagement with film curators, venues, platforms and paratexts, with curators being invited to share their approaches to programming; film screenings being held in cinemas, festivals and pop-up venues where possible; and the opportunity to access the Special Collections’ archives of Leeds Film Society and Leeds International Film Festival catalogues.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film Screenings | 9 | 2 | 18 |
| seminars | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Fieldwork | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Private study hours | 260 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 40 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 300 | ||
Students' progress will be monitored on a regular basis via classroom participation, group discussions and presentations (formative), which will also allow for peer feedback. Students will be given formal feedback on their first assignment (1 x 1000 word essay = 50%). In the final week of term, students will present their curated film programme in a live pitching session. They will receive feedback from the module leader and their peers, which will support their completion of the second assignment (curated film programme and critical commentary).
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | 1000-word analysis of example film programme, in relation to an essay question (student choice) | 40 |
| Assignment | Portfolio, to include an outline of curated film programme and 2000-word critical commentary | 60 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 29/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team