PhD Film Studies in London United Kingdom | Queen Mary University of London

Queen Mary University of London's Film Research is structured around four key domains: Film Cultures, Film Philosophy, Film Practice, and Decolonizing Film, with the Centre for Film and Ethics serving as the primary research hub. We welcome applications from exceptional PhD candidates interested in collaborating within these broad research fields: The Film Philosophy group explores diverse philosophical traditions, spanning both Western (continental and analytic) and Eastern schools of thought. Researchers specialize in areas including ethics, ideology, Marxist and post-Marxist theory, phenomenology, film archaeology, environmental humanities, vegan cinema, end-of-life studies, finance in film, religious cinema, neurodiversity, gesture studies, and the works of philosophers like Agamben, Carroll, Benjamin, and Murdoch. Notable scholars include Lucy Bolton, Ashvin Devasundaram, Steven Eastwood, and others. The Film Cultures cluster examines cinematic histories, national film traditions, and institutional aspects of cinema. Expertise covers historical periods (from early cinema to post-9/11 film), national cinemas (including US, British, French, and Chinese), and topics like stardom, directors, production design, war representation, and film festivals. Members include Sue Harris, Annette Kuhn, Mario Slugan, and others. Film Practice research focuses on the creative and theoretical dimensions of moving image production, spanning documentary, artists' film, fiction cinema, and screenwriting. Researchers have produced acclaimed works addressing themes like displacement, environmental issues, neurodiversity, and identity. Core members include Yasmin Fedda, Sasha Litvintseva, and Daniel Mann. The Decolonizing Film cluster critically examines film studies' foundations, challenging Global North dominance through research on film restitution, archival imperialism, urban violence, and dewesternizing film theory. Researchers include Eugene Doyen, Nikolaus Perneczky, and others working on contemporary imperial impacts and alternative film histories.