The Master’s program “Film Culture: Archiving, Programming, Presentation” prepares academics for work in film and media archives and other institutions of film culture. It is the first program of its kind at a German university and is offered by the Goethe University (Institute for Theatre, Film and Media Studies) in cooperation with the DFF in Frankfurt am Main.
In addition to the various departments and archives of the DFF, the program benefits from a varied, well-developed and long-standing partnership with a large number of cultural and audiovisual institutions in the Frankfurt area, and also cooperates with numerous national and international institutions.
Archiving, Programming, Presentation
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Digitization has fundamentally changed all areas of research and practice in film culture. The institutions’ need for qualified academic personnel who, on the basis of a profound knowledge of film history and theory, can meet these challenges in a specifically competent, critical and visionary manner is obvious.
At the same time, an “analog turn” can be observed, especially a redefinition of the concept of the archive, both in the field of artistic practice and in terms of indexing and presentation. Archival preservation and indexing of the international film heritage, curatorial and experimental access to the material, and presentation of the digital or analog moving image to audiences no less in motion are areas of tension and challenge for film cultural work and scholarly reflection.
Perspectives
The MA Film Culture trains academic staff for film and media archives and film cultural institutions. The program is also an answer to the question of how smaller programs that do not train for the teaching profession can support the transition of their graduates into the workforce.
The degree qualifies students for positions in cinematheques, film and media archives, print and television editorial offices, museums and collections specializing in film and audiovisual media, film industry companies, independent associations or initiatives, as well as for curatorial work in the exhibition, cinema and festival sectors. In addition, there is the possibility to follow up the program with a doctoral degree.
