Minor in Cinema Studies

Cinema Studies Minor Program Requirements The interdisciplinary minor in Cinema Studies consists of seven courses, completed with a grade of C or better, and with a minimum of three courses at the 300 level or above. The courses must be distributed as follows: Three required courses, Introduction to Film I and Introduction to Film II, 01:175:201 and 202 (01:175:210 may be substituted for either 01:175:201 or 202), and Senior Seminar in Cinema Studies, 01:175:425 (01:175:420 may be substituted for 01:175:425). Four elective courses, chosen from the list below, or among other courses approved in advance by the program director. A flyer listing qualifying elective courses is circulated during each pre-registration period. Students pursuing a minor in Cinema Studies must select five courses for the minor that are outside their major. Exception: English majors who pursue a Cinema Studies minor may include more than two 01:354 courses in their minor program, but only two of those may be counted toward the major. Only one production/filmmaking course may be counted towards the minor. Cinema Studies minors are encouraged to complete several other courses in film history, analysis or theory before enrolling in a filmmaking course. Please note that Cinema Studies courses generally include an additional mandatory weekly meeting time for screenings, or require students to view films outside of class at an on-campus facility such as the Douglass Library Media Services. MINOR WORKSHEET   Required Courses: 01:175:201 Introduction to Film I (3) Film study, with emphasis on basic concepts of film analysis (narrative, editing, mise-en-scène, sound) and the historical development of cinema as an institution. 01:175:202 Introduction to Film II (3) Film study, with emphasis on commercial cinema as an institution (genres, directors, stars) and on non-narrative types of film (documentary, experimental). 01:175:425 Senior Seminar in Cinema Studies (3) One or more topics selected for their relevance to the interdisciplinary study of film. Emphasis on advanced problems and issues together with methodology and theory. Extended research paper required on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor.Prerequisite: Permission of program director. As indicated above, the following course may be substituted for Introduction to Film I OR Introduction to Film II (01:175:201 or 202): 01:175:210 Close Readings of Cinema (3) Formal analyses of six or seven individual films; emphasis on visual track, sound track, and scenario-narrative construction. As indicated above, the following course may be substituted for the Senior Seminar in Cinema Studies (01:175:425) 01:175:420 Seminar: Film Theory (3) Major developments in film theory from the silent era to the present; writings on film by Eisenstein, Kracauer, Bazin, Metz, Barthes, and others; practice in different methods to analyze films. Approved Cinema Studies Elective Courses for the Minor (as of June 2019) 01:013:337: Film & Literature in South Asia (3) 01:013:365: Bollywood (3) 01:175:210: Close Readings of Cinema (3) 01:175:265/01:050:265: American Experimental Film & Video (3) 01:175:266/01:050:266: Cult Films in American Culture (3) 01:175:267/01:050:267: American Film Directors (3) 01:175:268/01:050:268: David Lynch & the American Film Avant-Garde (3) 01:175:315, 316: American Cinema I, II (3,3) 01:175:320, 321: World Cinema I, II (3,3) [321: Core: CC, Ahp] 01:175:350, 351: Major Filmmakers I, II (3,3) 01:175:370: Film Genres (3) 01:175:373: The Documentary (3) 01:175:377: Topics in World Cinema (3) 01:175:477: Advanced Topics in World Cinema (3) 01:175:420: Seminar: Film Theory (3) [Core: WCR] 01:351:303: Creative Writing: Screenwriting for Film (3) 01:351:308: Experimental Filmmaking (3; PLEASE NOTE that this course number also used for Playwriting; it only counts when topic is Filmmaking) 01:351:309: Creative Writing: Digital Composition (3) 01:354:205: Cinema Today (4) [Core: CC, AHp] 01:354:250: Films of Alfred Hitchcock (4) [Core: AHp] 01:354:270: American Screen Comedy (4) [Core: AHp] 01:354:301: Digital Cinema (4) 01:354:308: The Craft of Screenwriting (3) 01:354:312: Cinema and the Arts (3) 01:354:318: Films from Here: The Cinema of New York and New Jersey (4) 01:354:330, 331: Critical Methodology in Film (3,3) 01:354:335: Film Sound (4) 01:354:355: Films of John Ford (4) 01:354:356: Films of Jean Renoir and Fritz Lang (4) 01:354:360: Film Noir (4) 01:354:371: Film Melodrama (4) 01:354:374: Science Fiction Film (4) 01:354:375: Film and Society (3) 01:354:385: Theories of Women and Film (3) 01:354:391, 392: Special Topics in Film Studies (3,3) 01:354:410: Seminar in Film Studies (4) [Core: WCR] 01:420:305: The French Film in English (3) 01:420:306/01:175:306: Modern French Cinema (3) [Core: AHp] 01:420:307, 308: The French Film in French (3,3) 01:420:371, 372: Topics in French Cinema (3,3) 01:420:471, 472: Advanced Topics in French Cinema (3,3) 01:470:349: Contemporary German Cinema (3) 01:470:360: Classics of German Cinema (3) 01:560:320: Mafia Movies: Approaches to Genre in Italian and American Film (3) 01:560:345: Classics of Italian Cinema (3) [Core: AHo or AHp] 01:560:346: Contemporary Italian Cinema (3) 01:940:345: Spanish Film-English (3) 01:940:346: Spanish Film (3) [in Spanish] 01:940:347: Latin American Cinema-English (3) 01:940:348: Latin American Cinema (3) [in Spanish]

Accomplishments of Cinema Studies Students

Current students in the program: To be included in this section, email: cinema@rci.rutgers.edu Rutgers alumni who studied with CS faculty members: KAAMIL ALI graduated from Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Cinema Studies.  He also doubled majored with the School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies, earning a degree in Communication.  In the near future, he plans on working in public relations while attending film school at NYU.  He has made several one minute films regarding film theory, a twenty minute film about the controversial issue of marijuana legalization, and plans on making several more short films revolving around controversial topics such as prejudice and racism, heroism in war, and censorship. CHRIS CRAM graduated from Rutgers College in 1999.  Through John Belton’s  screenwriting class (while still a student), Chris got a job as a production assistant working for Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier on Chasing Amy.  He went on to work on a number of feature films and projects, eventually specializing in visual effects. Since 2007, Chris has worked as a studio executive for Universal in Los Angeles.  While there, he also earned an MBA from Babson College.  He is currently Vice President of Visual Effects for Universal, overseeing effects for feature films through all phases of development, production and post. He has worked closely with many filmmakers including Guillermo del Toro, Edgar Wright, Tony Gilroy, Sam Mendes, M. Night Shyamalan, Brett Ratner, and Judd Apatow. JAMES FAZZARO graduated from Rutgers College in 1997 with a Major in Biology and a Minor in Cinema Studies. While supporting himself with laboratory work he has developed and executed several independent short film and video projects while honing his skills as a cinematographer and editor. He has shot and edited numerous projects for other directors in the New Jersey and New York city area. In 2004 he received a Certificate for Cinematography from NYU SCPS after taking their immersive hands on courses.Currently James is preparing to transition into freelance cinematography and videography full time. He is putting together a reel of Super 8, 16/S16 and SD/HD video he has compiled over the last 12 years while continuing to amass more short film and event video credits. Recently he has teamed up with local producer James Morgart to form the Morgue-Art Productions LLC Company, with several shorts on the immediate horizon and the feature film Won Ton Baby to go in production for summer 2009. PAUL ANDRE FONAREV graduated from Rutgers College as an Edward J.  Bloustein Distinguished Scholar in 2003. He continued in the USC  School of Cinematic Arts, graduating in 2008 with an MFA in Film Production and a USC Annenberg Fellowship. Paul has edited and done sound work on numerous short films, two of which received Student Academy Awards in 2008. He currently works on independent feature films, commercials and short films as a sound editor and production sound mixer through his own company MISO Sound.The two Academy Award winners are "Pit Stop" and "A Day's Work."  "Have You Ever Heard About Vukovar?" played at Tribeca Film Festival. Some of the other shorts that Paul worked on were "Tully and Elsa," "Cheerbleeders," "Coons" and "The Restorationists." The feature that Paul did some production sound on was called I Am Bad. NICOLLE K. GALLO Nicolle Gallo graduated from Rutgers with a minor in Cinema Studies in 2009.  She spent the summers of 2007 and 2008 interning at ABC in Manhattan for the daytime soap opera "One Life to Live". She interned in production in 2007, and in the writing department in 2008. While there she contributed to several montages, including ones for the 2008 Daytime Emmy Awards.  She also aided the writers, assisted the producers, and rehearsed lines with actors.  Nicolle has a page on imdb as a result of her internship. LEA KOUSSOULIS graduated from Rutgers College in 2003.  In her senior year at Rutgers she worked at Miramax Films in Production Finance and New Media & Marketing.  She went on to take additional film classes at the School of Visual Arts in New York where she completed her own short film.  Since then she has served as a freelance Production Coordinator on various independent film projects and has remained active in the film community.  She regularly serves as a judge in the NJ Film Festival. Currently, Lea is a professional in the cosmetics industry working for L'Oreal.  She is a graduate student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York specializing in Cosmetics & Fragrance Marketing and Management.  She looks forward to applying her film and arts background to creative product development. MICHAEL LACANILAO graduated from Rutgers College in 2005 with a major in Philosophy and minor in Cinema Studies.  In 2007, he received his MA in Philosophy from the University of Rochester.  He has been studying at the Rochester Institute of Technology since 2008, supporting himself through scholarships, the occasional teaching job, as well as directing short films and commercials. In 2012, one of his promotional spots for the Little Theatre won ADDY awards at the local and district levels and is currently a national finalist.  At the moment, he is completing his MFA thesis, a film about undocumented immigrant students who grew up in the United States but find themselves swimming countercurrent to a system that is forcing them to return to home countries they know nothing about. Samples of work:  www.vimeo.com/hydrogliphix JESSICA LIPMAN graduated from Rutgers in 2008 with a major in English and double minor in Cinema Studies and Comparative Literature.  During her junior and senior year, she was a contributing writer and Vice President for The Rutgers Review, the university's alternative arts and entertainment biweekly newspaper.  She contributed articles about film culture, with topics ranging from actor highlights to film comparisons. In April of 2007, she volunteered for Tribeca Film Festival, working in the Panels Department. Her involvement in the planning department for the Tribeca Talks and ASCAP music events allowed her to gain experience with film event planning, publicity, and acquisitions.  Then, during the summer of 2007, she interned at New Line Cinema and HBO's Picturehouse, gaining experience in the Publicity Department and General Office.  Jessica begain making her own films at Rutgers University in the newly introduced Writers House courses. Jessica is currently a video editor for the Rutgers English Department. KEN RODGERS graduated from Rutgers as a Henry Rutgers Scholar in 1996 and went on to the School of Cinema-Television at the University of Southern California.  He earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program in 1998.  He spent two years working on script development with the production companies of director Oliver Stone and actor/director George Clooney.  Ken has also taught screenwriting at Rutgers. Since 2001, Ken has been a Senior Producer for NFL Films, where he has created content for dozens of channels, including HBO, ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, FOX, A&E and the History Channel.  He has produced  NFL Films Presents (ESPN), Biography (A&E), Inside the NFL (HBO), Monday Night Football, and the Sports Emmy Award-winning Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Kansas City Chiefs (HBO).  Ken has also directed the "I'm going to Disney World!" commercial campaign featuring Super Bowl champions. GREG SATZ graduated from the Rutgers Business School in 2009 with a major in marketing and a minor in cinema studies. Throughout his stay at Rutgers he has been actively involved in The Screenwriters Community of RU (SCRU) and Knight Time Productions (KTP). Becoming the president of SCRU and the treasurer of KTP has enabled Greg to continue the wonderful tradition of holding student film showcases every semester so that members of these clubs and the general public get the chance to see their creative works displayed on the big screen with a large supportive audience. In the future Greg plans to combine his love of cinema studies with his background in business to work for a marketing department in the television or film industry. He also intends to continue doing what he loves the most: writing and filming movies with friends and enjoying great films at theaters. JASON SCHARCH is a Senior in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program. He is a double major in Journalism and Media Studies and Visual Arts, a minor in Cinema Studies, and currently works as a Video Assistant and Marketing Intern for the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights football team. His past work experience includes interning for AOL Studios as a Production Intern, working for Rutgers University Television Network as the Public Affairs Manager, and producing promotional video material for the international organization ACM SIGGRAPH. Jason is the recipient of the 2009 and 2010 Flip Wilson Memorial Scholarship, the School of Arts and Sciences Academic Excellence Award, a National Finalist in the 2007 Video Product Development competition for SkillsUSA, and a Northern Regional Grand Finale contestant in the 2010 Campus MovieFest competition. He hopes to become a producer in the film or television industry, and plans on beginning work on that dream in May of 2011, when he will be graduating. JAMIE SHUALI graduated from Rutgers in 2004 with a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature and a minor in Cinema Studies. She has since been working on feature film and television sets in New York including Shortbus, The Devil Wears Prada, The Bourne Ultimatum, American Gangster, Law & Order and Noise. Jamie has also worked as an assistant to actors such as Nick Nolte, Jon Voight and Emmanuel Beart. Jamie has written and directed several short films including "Nihilists" (2004) and "Legume" (2005) which have screened at multiple festivals around the U.S. In early 2008, she wrapped up a horror short that she directed entitled "The Legend of Suzi" and is currently overseeing post production on a dramatic short entitled "Love Harriet" which she wrote and directed. Currently, she resides in Jersey City.

Major

Major in Cinema Studies The interdisciplinary major in Cinema Studies consists of eleven courses, completed with a grade of C or better, and with a minimum of five courses at the 300 level or above. Majors choose one of two options: “History and Theory” or “Production and Criticism.” All majors must complete the following core requirements: Two introductory courses, Introduction to Film I, and Introduction to Film II (01:175:201 and 01:175:202). Close Readings of Cinema (01:175:210) may be substituted for either 01:175:201 or 202; Three electives, from the list of “approved electives” below, or from among other courses approved by the program director; The Senior Seminar in Cinema Studies (01:175:425). Seminar: Film Theory (01:175:420) may be substituted for 01:175:425. Five additional courses are required for each option. Options within the Major A. “History and Theory” Option In addition to the courses required of all majors, students pursuing this option must complete the following:        1. Two survey courses: American Cinema I (01:175:315) and American Cinema II (01:175:316) OR World Cinema I (01:175:320)           and World Cinema II (01:175:321);        2. Two courses in Non-US Cinemas, from the following list: 01:013:365: Bollywood 01:175:321: World Cinema II [this course will not double count if it is used to satisfy the survey requirement] 01:420:305: The French Film in English 01:420:306/01:175:306: Modern French Cinema 01:420:307, 308: The French Film in French 01:420:371, 372: Topics in French Cinema 01:420:471, 472: Advanced Topics in French Cinema 01:470:349: Contemporary German Cinema 01:470:360: Classics of German Cinema 01:560:345: Classics of Italian Cinema 01:560:346: Contemporary Italian Cinema 01:940:345: Spanish Film-English 01:940:346: Spanish Film [in Spanish] 01:940:347: Latin American Cinema-English 01:940:348: Latin American Cinema [in Spanish]       3. One Theory course: Seminar in Film Theory (01:175:420) OR Theories of Women in Film (01:354:385). Students may include as electives additional courses listed as Non-US or Theory, if they are not used to fulfill core or option requirements. B. “Production and Criticism” Option In addition to the courses required of all Cinema Studies majors, students pursuing this option must complete the following: Two Survey courses: World Cinema I (01:175:320) and World Cinema II (01:175:321) One course in Auteur and Genre Studies, from the following list: 01:175:377      (ONLY when topic is “Global Horror”) 01:175:350      Major Filmmakers I 01:175:351      Major Filmmakers II 01:354:360      Film Noir               01:175:370      Film Genres (may take twice, if different subtitles) 01:354:371      Film Melodrama      01:354:374      Science Fiction Film  01:560:320      Mafia Movies: Approaches to Genre in Italian and American Film       3. Two production courses, from the following list; additional lists of available production courses from the Mason Gross BFA in  Filmmaking curriculum are included on preregistration flyers each semester: 01:351:303      Creative Writing: Screenwriting for Film 01:351:308      (ONLY when topic is “Experimental Filmmaking”)      01:351:309      Creative Writing: Digital Composition  07:081:243      Media I-A           07:081:244      Media I-B 07:081:343      Media II-A          07:081:344      Media II-B           Students may include as electives additional production courses, or courses listed as Non-US, Auteur/Genre, or Theory, if they are not used to fulfill core or option requirements. MAJOR WORKSHEET Additional Information A flyer listing qualifying elective courses is circulated during each preregistration period, and course descriptions are posted on the program’s website. Cinema Studies majors are encouraged to complete other courses in film history, analysis, or theory before enrolling in a filmmaking/production course. Cinema Studies courses generally include an additional mandatory weekly meeting time for screenings, or require students to view films outside of class at an on-campus facility such as the Douglass Library Media Services. Courses that are primarily about film and may count toward the major and minor are listed under the subject codes 175 (Cinema Studies), 354 (English/Film Studies), 013 (AMESALL), 050 (American Studies), 082 (Art History), 195 (Comparative Literature), 420 (French), 470 (German), 560 (Italian), 565 (Japanese), 563 (Jewish Studies), 940 (Spanish and Portuguese) and 988 (Women’s and Gender Studies). Transfer students and Study-Abroad students must obtain approval from the program director of courses for the major. Students are urged to consult the program director for further information. List of Approved Cinema Studies Elective Courses for the Major (as of June 2019) 01:013:337: Film & Literature in South Asia (3) 01:013:365: Bollywood (3) 01:175:210: Close Readings of Cinema (3) 01:175:265/01:050:265: American Experimental Film & Video (3) 01:175:266/01:050:266: Cult Films in American Culture (3) 01:175:267/01:050:267: American Film Directors (3) 01:175:268/01:050:268: David Lynch & the American Film Avant-Garde (3) 01:175:315, 316: American Cinema I, II (3,3) 01:175:320, 321: World Cinema I, II (3,3) [321: Core: CC, Ahp] 01:175:350, 351: Major Filmmakers I, II (3,3) 01:175:370: Film Genres (3) 01:175:373: The Documentary (3) 01:175:377: Topics in World Cinema (3) 01:175:477: Advanced Topics in World Cinema (3) 01:175:420: Seminar: Film Theory (3) [Core: WCR] 01:351:303: Creative Writing: Screenwriting for Film (3) 01:351:308: Experimental Filmmaking (3; PLEASE NOTE that this course number also used for Playwriting; it only counts when topic is Filmmaking) 01:351:309: Creative Writing: Digital Composition (3) 01:354:205: Cinema Today (4) [Core: CC, AHp] 01:354:250: Films of Alfred Hitchcock (4) [Core: AHp] 01:354:270: American Screen Comedy (4) [Core: AHp] 01:354:301: Digital Cinema (4) 01:354:308: The Craft of Screenwriting (3) 01:354:312: Cinema and the Arts (3) 01:354:318: Films from Here: The Cinema of New York and New Jersey (4) 01:354:330, 331: Critical Methodology in Film (3,3) 01:354:335: Film Sound (4) 01:354:355: Films of John Ford (4) 01:354:356: Films of Jean Renoir and Fritz Lang (4) 01:354:360: Film Noir (4) 01:354:371: Film Melodrama (4) 01:354:374: Science Fiction Film (4) 01:354:375: Film and Society (3) 01:354:385: Theories of Women and Film (3) 01:354:391, 392: Special Topics in Film Studies (3,3) 01:354:410: Seminar in Film Studies (4) [Core: WCR] 01:420:305: The French Film in English (3) 01:420:306/01:175:306: Modern French Cinema (3) [Core: AHp] 01:420:307, 308: The French Film in French (3,3) 01:420:371, 372: Topics in French Cinema (3,3) 01:420:471, 472: Advanced Topics in French Cinema (3,3) 01:470:349: Contemporary German Cinema (3) 01:470:360: Classics of German Cinema (3) 01:560:320: Mafia Movies: Approaches to Genre in Italian and American Film (3) 01:560:345: Classics of Italian Cinema (3) [Core: AHo or AHp] 01:560:346: Contemporary Italian Cinema (3) 01:940:345: Spanish Film-English (3) 01:940:346: Spanish Film (3) [in Spanish] 01:940:347: Latin American Cinema-English (3) 01:940:348: Latin American Cinema (3) [in Spanish] 07:081:243: Media I-A 07:081:244: Media I-B 07:081:343: Media II-A 07:081:344: Media II-B

Learning Goals

Majors and Minors will achieve mastery of the close textual analysis of moving image media, a crucial form of visual literacy in the 21st century. They will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the history of the film medium and major international film movements and creative figures, and will gain familiarity with the conventions of narrative and genre in the cinema, as well as with more experimental forms of filmmaking. Majors and Minors will employ critical thinking and basic theoretical concepts to achieve an understanding of the interrelationship of film with shifting social, political, and cultural trends. They will also develop their critical writing skills, and produce an extended analytical and/or research paper in a seminar setting in the program's capstone course.

Advising

For advising, please contact: Professor David FreskoAssistant Undergraduate Director, Cinema Studies For career advising in the Arts, Communication, and Entertainment, please contact Barbara Zito at Rutgers Career Services: barbara.zito@rutgers.edu

Careers

University Career Services Career Services: Student Resources Rutgers Internship & Co-op Program (RICP)

Graduate Certificate Program

Increasingly, graduate students enrolled in a variety of different M.A. and Ph.D. programs at Rutgers are choosing to pursue advanced work in film. The Graduate Certificate Program in Cinema Studies is designed to prepare these students to engage in rigorous research and teach within this field. Students interested in pursuing the certificate should meet with the director of the Cinema Studies Program to discuss the requirements, which include: Successful completion of nine graduate-level credits (three courses, with a grade of B or above in each), fulfilled through: One core course, "Film Theory and World Cinema" (16:195:522). With prior approval from the director of the program, another graduate course in cinema which includes close textual analysis and a significant consideration of film theory may be substituted. Two elective graduate courses in cinema, approved in advance by the program director. Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in scheduled seminars to fulfill this requirement. However, in some cases one of the electives may be a directed research/independent study course, supervised by a Cinema Studies member who is also a member of the Graduate Faculty, in consultation with a second member of the program and Graduate Faculty. Successful completion of a significant research project in cinema. At the M.A. level, this may include a master’s thesis, if required by the student’s program, or an article-length seminar paper. At the Ph.D. level, it is expected that the student pass a field exam in cinema, if one is offered in the home department, and/or that a substantial part of the dissertation will be devoted to cinema studies issues. Alternatively, a scholarly article focused on film may also fulfill this component of the certificate. Students satisfying these requirements will be awarded the Graduate Certificate in Cinema Studies upon completion of their degree. Please note that this is not a stand-alone program. In order to pursue this Certificate, students must already be enrolled in an M.A. or Ph.D. program at Rutgers. Current certificate students, for example, are completing doctoral work in Comparative Literature, Spanish and Portuguese, German, English, and other related fields.

Fall 2010 Film-related Graduate Seminars

Fall 2010 Film-related Graduate Seminars     Screening German Histories in Post-War Film:  German Film from 1945 to the Present 16:195:609:01; Index 17576; T 4:30 - 7:10 PM                                  GH-102; CAC Taught in English Cross-Listed with 16:470:672:01Professor Fatima Naqvi In this course, we will look at a variety of feature films by Fassbinder, Wenders, Herzog, Haneke, Schlöndorff, von Trotta, Tykwer, Ruzowitzky (among others), and focus on issues of guilt, remembrance, gender, homeland, and national self-fashioning in the wake of World War II. How does the Second World War and its legacy inflect these films? What socio-political and economic factors influence the private and collective identities that these films articulate? How do the predominant concerns shift with the passage of time? Readings of classical film theory (Kracauer, Benjamin, Metz, Barthes, Doane, Mulvey) and current scholarship on German film (Kaes, Rentschler, Elsaesser, Santner, Kuzniar, Gemünden). History of French Cinema: “La qualité française” and the Evolution of French Cinema, 1940-1960 16:420:678:01 F 1:10-3:50 SC 114/CAC Professor Alan Williams After a short overview of French film history, we will concentrate on the cinema of the German Occupation and of the postwar period (before the New Wave).  We will consider not only the landmarks of the Tradition de la Qualité but also the other currents of the period(s), some of which will ultimately feed into the Nouvelle Vague. The course is taught in English, and all films screened will have subtitles in English, but please note that the majority of the readings are in French, with no adequate translations available. Required Texts: Noel Burch & Genevieve Sellier, La Drôle de guerre des sexes du cinéma français (1930-1956), Nathan, (978-2200343552). André Bazin, Qu'est-ce que le cinéma?, Le Cerf, (978-2204024198). Alan Williams, Republic of Images: A History of French Filmmaking, Harvard University Press, (978-0674762688). Theory and Praxis in Transatlantic Revolutionary Filmmaking 16:195:519:02; Index 18311; M 3:55-6:35 PM  CPH-103B; D/C M 7:15-9:45 PM (Film Screening)  RAB-001; D/C Cross-Listed with 16:940:597:01 Professor Susan Martin-Márquez Beginning in the late 1950s a number of radical filmmakers from Europe sought to create new forms of filmmaking that challenged both the aesthetic and ideological regimes of dominant film industries such as Hollywood, in many cases in order to promote revolutionary thinking and activism among viewers. At the same time, however, revolutionary conflicts and movements were occurring “on the ground” throughout Latin America and the African continent, and foreign and local filmmakers alike sought to engage with the dramatic events on film.  In this course we will explore the complex networks of exchange and influence that resulted from the rise of both revolutionary movements and revolutionary filmmaking in the 1960s in Western Europe, Latin America, and Africa. We will discuss the evolution of revolutionary cinema out of politicized forms of “auteurist” filmmaking; the role of the manifesto in the consolidation of alternative strategies of production and reception; and the influences that resulted—or were rejected or denied—from the exchange of films, texts, equipment and people. In addition to critical readings on the films under consideration, we will study a number of theoretical explorations of ideological “interpellation,” and of the relationship between film and ideology. Written exercises: midterm scene analysis paper; final seminar paper. Prior knowledge of film analysis welcome but not required; we will begin the semester with a “crash course” in the close reading of film. This course will be taught in English.  Required films will be shown with subtitles, and readings will be made available in English, though in some cases students who choose to do so may read them in the original language, or in translation in languages other than English. Directors whose works are likely to be considered: Leopoldo Torre-Nilsson; Leonardo Favio; Fernando Solanas; Patricio Guzmán; Glauber Rocha; Tomás Gutiérrez Alea; Humberto Solás; Manuel Octavio Gómez; Sara Gómez; Ruy Guerra; Nelson Pereira dos Santos; Jean-Luc Godard; Chris Marker; Agnès Varda; Gillo Pontecorvo; Mikhail Kalatozov; Ousmane Sembène; Djibril Diop Mambety.  Several “Barcelona School” filmmakers may also be discussed.  We are likely to read theoretical and critical works by: Theodor Adorno; Walter Benjamin; Louis Althusser; Peter Wollen; Geoffrey Nowell-Smith; Michel de Certeau; Fredric Jameson; Stuart Hall; Judith Mayne; Robert Stam; Ismael Xavier; D.N. Rodowick.  We will also read the major revolutionary film manifestos by Solanas and Gettino; Rocha; Gutiérrez Alea; and García.

Spring 2011 Film-related Graduate Seminars

Spring 2011 Film-related Graduate Seminars Antonioni and Fellini: The Challenge of (Post)Modernist CinemaInstructor: Giancarlo Lombardi (visiting professor from the Graduate Center/CUNY)This course will juxtapose the rich and complex film production of two Italian auteurs, Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni. While Fellini and Antonioni’s films differ in style, narrative preference, and political orientation, they evidence a common self-reflexive concern for the relationship of cinematic images, sounds, and stories. Neorealism will serve as a starting point for an analysis of Fellini’s postmodern negotiation of autobiographical surrealism as well as Antonioni’s peculiar reframing of cinematic modernism.  This course will analyze Antonioni and Fellini’s most important films, placing their work in (film) historical contexts, and theorizing their interest in the aesthetics of cinematic representation and the politics of storytelling. Course requirements: Each week, students will be expected to watch a movie at home. They will also participate in weekly online discussions on the Blackboard discussion board. At the end of the course, they will submit a final paper (15-20 pages).Fridays, 11-1:40; IT-204 (CAC)

Members of the Certificate Faculty

Leslie Fishbein, American Studies; Ph.D., Harvard Nicole R. Fleetwood, American Studies; Ph.D., Stanford Sandy Flitterman-Lewis, English; Ph.D., California (Berkeley) Susan Martin-Márquez; Ph.D., Pennsylvania Andrew C. Parker, Ph.D., Princeton Michael Rockland, American Studies; Ph.D., Minnesota Meheli Sen, AMESALL; Ph.D., Emory Rhiannon Noel Welch, Italian; Ph.D., California (Berkeley) Alan Williams, French; Ph.D., SUNY (Buffalo)

Graduate Seminars

Spring 2020 Graduate Seminars Fall 2016 Graduate Seminar Spring 2016 Graduate Seminars Fall 2015 Graduate Seminar Spring 2015 Graduate Seminar Fall 2014 Graduate Seminar Spring 2014 Graduate Seminars Fall 2013 Graduate Seminar Description Spring 2013 Graduate Seminar Description Fall 2012 Graduate Seminar Description Spring 2012 Graduate Seminar Description Spring 2011 Film-related Graduate Seminars Spring 2010 Film-related Graduate Seminars Fall 2010 Film-related Graduate Seminars

Cinema Studies now offers a BA!

Students pursuing the major may choose between two options: History and Theory, and Production and Criticism. More information is available here.

What do employers want?

Communication, critical thinking and intercultural skills. Read more here.

Congratulations to our 2016 Award Winners

Pictured above: Janine Wahrendorf (Graduate Essay Award) and Glenn Edridge (Scholarly Media Project Award). Pictured below: Julia Hernandez (Undergraduate Essay Award).

Congratulations to our 2017 Award Winners

Congratulations to our 2017 award winners: Rudrani Gangopadhyay (Graduate Essay Award) and Adam Maric-Cleaver (Undergraduate Essay Award).

Congratulations to Professor Meheli Sen

Cinema Studies is pleased to announce that Professor Meheli Sen has been awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor. Congratulations!

Cuban Filmmaking Today

Cuban Filmmaking Today December 1, 2017, 4 PM, AB-1180 Please join us for a screening of five short films by young directors working in the new context of independent filmmaking in Cuba. Cuban producer Jesús Hernández Bach will be present for a discussion of these films, which deploy a rich variety of techniques to represent a diversity of life experiences on the island. Free and open to the public. All films will be subtitled and our conversation will also be in English. Co-sponsors: Department of Spanish and Portuguese; Center for Latin American Studies; Rutgers Global Swan, Black Neck, White Neck/Cisne de cuello negro, cisne de cuello blanco, dir. Marcel Beltrán, 2009; 13 min.| Cisne cuello negro, cuello blanco. Dir. Marcel Beltrán Cuba, 2009, Spanish with English subtitles, 13 min., B/W SynopsisTaken as a madman and excluded by his family, Sergio Abel has an unusual coherence in his speech. A man of the country who loves his people, he tries to transmit a message of hope with his swans--the utopia of a better world. Bio Marcel Beltrán was born in Moa, Cuba. He earned a BA with highest honors in film studies at the University of the Arts (ISA) and a degree in Documentary at the International School of Film and Television (EICTV) in San Antono de los Baños, Cuba. He was featured in the 2015 Miami International Film Festival’s Cuban Independent Emerging Film/Video Artist program. On several occasions he received the Best Film and Best Director award at the Cuban Institute of Cinematic Arts and Industry’s Young Filmmakers Festival (ICAIC’s Muestra Joven), and last year he won the Coral Award for Best Short Film at the Havana Film Festival. His documentary Swan Black Neck, White Neck was shown at the 2013 Documentary Fortnight at MoMA in New York. His documentary Parihuela has been screened at several international festivals such as the Busan International Short Film Festival 2011 and Documenta Madrid 11. He participated in the Talent Campus Guadalajara 3, the Kino Off-Courts Trouville 2011, the Encuentro Cinergía in Costa Rica 2014, the Rotterdam Lab 2015 and in the Independent Imaging Retreat (Film Farm) in Mount Forest, Canada. ABCs/Abecé, dir. Diana Montero, 2013; 15 min. Abecé. Dir. Diana MonteroCuba, 2013, Spanish with English subtitles. 15min, Color SynopsisFacing her husband´s authority, Leoneidi, a 12-year-old girl living in Sierra Maestra, Cuba, struggles to combine play with motherhood and her obligations as a wife. Bio A graduate in Art History from the Faculty of Arts and Letters at the University of Havana, Diana Montero (Cuba, 1986) is a documentary director who graduated with the 23rd Generation from the International Film and Television School (EICTV) in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. She also studied at Concordia University in Montreal. She has produced and directed several documentary shorts, such as Miracle Worker (2014), ABC’s (2013), Just Like Cats (2013), and He Is You (2012). Her work has been screened in several film festivals and cultural institutions around the world. He Is You was part of the Sights and Sounds: Global Film and Video exhibition at the Jewish Museum in New York. Miracle Worker was shown at the Latino and Iberian Film Festival at Yale University. Her documentary ABCs has won several awards, including the UNICEF Award at the 56th Bilbao Film Festival “ZINEBI”; Best Documentary Film at the 34th VGIK International Student Festival, Moscow, 2014, and Best Documentary Short at the 2014 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. Since 2015 she lives and works in the United States. Connected/Conectifai, dir. Zoe García, 2016; 16 min. Conectifai. Dir. Zoe García.Cuba, 2016, Spanish with English subtitles. 18min, Color SynopsisIn 2016, ETECSA – the only telephone company in Cuba – installed Wi-Fi routers in 18 public parks across the country. For many Cubans, this meant being able to go online for the first time. This portrait of one of these parks with Wi-Fi in Havana shows how a new social meeting place is the result, as every day crowds of people with smartphones, tablets and chairs turn up to cluster together around the antennas.They help each other get online, roam around looking for better reception, and peer down at their screens together. During the day, old ladies turn up and in the evenings there are groups of young people. In the meantime, commerce is also flourishing, with vendors selling internet cards, drinks and snacks (“Pork crackling with Wi-Fi!”). Here, everyone has an opportunity to contact loved ones, explore social media, upload photos and find internet dates – very normal activities that reveal a rapidly-changing Cuba. BioZoe García is a graduate in Mass Communication Studies, specializing in photography, from the University of the Arts (ISA) in Havana, Cuba. Beginning in 2008 she studied documentary filmmaking at the International Film and Television School (EICTV) in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. She has directed the following documentaries: Todo tiempo pasado fue mejor, El mundo de Raúl, Retrato, Submission, Solo de Cuica, and El Vientre de la ballena, which is currently in production. Son of a Dream/El hijo del sueño, dir. Alejandro Alonso, 2016; 9 min. El hijo del sueño. Dir: Alejandro Alonso.Cuba, 2016, Spanish with English subtitles. 9min, Color SynopsisAlejandro Alonso’s uncle Julio César went to the US in the Mariel exodus in1980, due to the tensions surrounding being homosexual in Cuba.Over the next 15 years he tried unsuccessfully to reunite with the filmmaker’s grandmother, until he contracted HIV and disappeared without a trace. Letters and postcards that served as a bridge between them are now Alejandro Alonso’s compass to find him. BioAlejandro Alonso graduated with a degree in Documentary from the International School of Film and Television (EICTV) in 2016. He has participated in several Talents of the Future workshops at the New Latin American Cinema Foundation in Havana. He received a scholarship to attend the second Ibero-American Human Rights Documentary Workshop in Bolivia in 2013. His films have been screened in festivals in Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, the United States, Indonesia, Holland, Spain, Georgia, Switzerland, Germany, Romania and France. His documentary Crisálida received the Best Short Film Award at the Oaxaca Film Festival and at the New York City Short Film Festival in 2013. The Farewell had its premiere at IDFA and won the Best Film award in the Aciertos category in FICUNAM (Mexico), as well as the Full Frame President’s Award in the US; it also received a special mention at the 44th Sehsüchte in Germany and was the Best Documentary at the Gibara Film Festival in Cuba. Duelo most recently had its world premiere at Cinéma du Réel, and Alonso’s first feature film The Project premiered at Visions du Réel this year. He is the current coordinator for the MA Alternative Cinema program at EICTV in Cuba. Batería, dir. Damián Sáinz, 2016; 15 min. Batería. Dir: Damián Sainz. Cuba, 2016, Spanish with English subtitles. 15min, Color SynopsisThe ruins of an ancient military fortress outside Havana have become a clandestine gay cruising spot. The old walls and the rubble give shelter not only to Cuban male homosexuals, but also to a culture of resistance and socialization. BioDamián Sainz graduated from the University of the Arts (ISA), Havana, Cuba in Media Arts and from the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños (EICTV) in Documentary Direction. He also studied at the Mel Hoppenheim Film School in Montreal (Canada) and in the Cinema Department at HEAD Genève (Switzerland). Sainz has worked as a director, editor and producer of documentary films in Cuba, Canada, Switzerland and Spain and has collaborated with visual art projects like the Galería Continua, the Inventario at the Ludwig Foundation and the online project Docuselfie. His short documentary films have been selected to screen and received awards at several international film festivals such as the Havana Film Festival, the Fribourg in Switzerland, FICUNAM in Mexico and FICU in Uruguay. Sainz teaches documentary cinema at the EICTV in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. He lives and works as an independent filmmaker in Havana.

Cinema Studies Program Awards 2018

The Cinema Studies Program held its Awards Lunch on April 26, 2018. We honored two faculty members who are retiring, Professors John Belton and Richard Koszarski. CS students and faculty will miss you!We also celebrated the tenuring and promotion to Associate Professor of Rhiannon Welch, and presented the Undergraduate Essay Award to Dayna Hagewood and Gabrielle Woods, and the Graduate Essay Award to Chiara Degli Esposti. Several other graduating senior majors were present: Chelsea Lebron, Elorm Ocansey, and Austin Renna—congratulations! Associate Professor Rhiannon Welch Retiring professors John Belton and Richard Koszarski (center) with CS students and faculty Essay Award winners, left to right: Dayna Hagewood (undergraduate); Chiara Degli Esposti (graduate); Gabrielle Woods (undergraduate) On April 24, 2018 members of the Senior Seminar presented their final projects in a symposium they organized on “Neorealism as Counter Cinema.” Congratulations to the students on a wonderfully stimulating series of talks, and many thanks to Professor Rhiannon Welch for inspiring and mentoring them throughout the semester! Student presenters, left to right: Thomas Evans; Elorm Ocansey; Dorian Alton; Andrew Schuller; Marcus Grey; Erin Keane; Benjamin Peraria; Anjali Patil; Johanna Morales; Gabrielle Woods; Chelsea Lebron; Bruce Lemyre; Bronwyn Kelly; Molly Burns; Dongshen Cai; and Hector Ayarza

Congratulations to all of our graduating majors and minors!

Four of our CS majors braved the pouring rain on May 13 to march with Cinema Studies in the SAS Convocation: l to r: Elorm Ocansey, Tom Evans, Dan Bacsik, and Dak Johnson.

Small Grants Program for Graduate and Undergraduate Students

DEADLINE: Monday April 1, 2019 The Cinema Studies Program is delighted to continue our program in support of graduate and undergraduate student research in the discipline (including scholarly media projects such as film restoration or film essays), and undergraduate filmmaking projects. Applications may be submitted by graduate students pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Cinema Studies and who are still eligible for SGS funding, and by undergraduate students who are declared Majors or Minors in Cinema Studies. Awards will be granted based on need, for legitimate reimbursable expenses only, and based on the academic or creative merits of the proposed film/film studies project (please note that we are not able to provide funding for projects that are not focused specifically on film). Reimbursements will generally be applied to term bills. SAS travel and research reimbursement policies will be observed; for more information, please consult: https://policies.rutgers.edu/sites/policies/files/40.4.1%20-%20current.pdf Awardees are required to submit a one-page report indicating how they used the funds by December 1, 2019; their projects may be featured on the Cinema Studies website. Graduate students must submit a 250-500 word description of their research project, as well as a budget detailing how they plan to use the funds (for example, travel to archives; acquisition of necessary primary research materials; travel to an academic conference to present a film paper; etc.). Please note that these funds are meant to supplement other sources of graduate student research support provided by Rutgers’ School of Graduate Studies, or by home department or other academic unit funds. Generally, CS grants to graduate students will not exceed $500. Undergraduate students must submit a 250-500 word description of their research or filmmaking project, as well as a budget detailing how they plan to use the funds (for example, for travel to archives; acquisition of primary research materials; equipment rental; mise-en-scène costs; etc.). Generally, CS grants to undergraduate students will not exceed $250. All applications will be evaluated by the Cinema Studies Awards Committee. Please complete the application form on the second page and send it along with the other required application materials, all in one electronic file labeled “CS grants YOUR LAST NAME,” to the Director of Cinema Studies, Professor Susan Martin-Márquez: susanmm@rutgers.edu.
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