Film Studies Research

Elena
British
Film Studies Research MPhil/PhD

I decided to return to King's to do my PhD after an incredible MA year at the College. Besides being in about the most ideal location for a Film Studies course (between London's cinematic heart in Leicester Square and BFI Southbank), the course was inspiring, and the staff supportive. I am constantly amazed by the opportunities and support that the College and the Film department provide, with seminars and opportunities to improve academically seemingly at every turn. I know that I am a better academic for having studied at King's.

I was also fortunate enough to have been awarded a King's Alumni Bursary worth 20% of my fees, without which my dream of pursuing my studies further might not have been possible.

The Strand campus is right in the middle of my favourite part of London. It's near Leicester Square, Covent Garden, just across the river from Southbank, and there's always something nearby to do. London is the perfect city to study in; it's a different city every day, with something new to offer. It's a city filled with exciting opportunities, and all the facilities you could possibly need to further your studies. It is more expensive than most of the UK, but there are so many free attractions around, and the student Oyster Card is a big help with getting around.

I hope to progress with my academic career once I finish my studies. My course offers me the opportunity to get teaching experience alongside my studies, and to make contacts and meet some truly great people with similar interests. Coming to King's is one of the best decisions I have ever made...which is why I didn't hesitate to make the same decision twice.

Kosuke
Japanese
Film Studies Research MPhil/PhD
My research is on films made in Okinawa, Japan, between the late 1980s and the 1990s, which I am trying to understand in comparison with various new cinemas which emerged in the 1980s across other East Asian regions, including Hong Kong New Wave, Taiwan New Cinema and South Korean New Wave.

I chose King’s College London primarily because Dr Jinhee Choi, my MA supervisor at the University of Kent, moved to King’s last year. An expert in East Asian cinema, Dr Choi always gives me helpful advice on both my research on Okinawan cinema and other aspects of academic life.

I find the Film Studies Department at King’s College London a very vibrant research community for any researcher on Asian cinema, with top-quality faculty members such as Dr Choi and Professor Chris Berry, and a group of research students sharing similar interests. I and a few other PhD students are currently working together to start up a reading group on transnationalism in East Asia, which we are planning to develop next year into a series of talks given by UK-based scholars on East Asian cinema.

We benefit enormously from the availability of small grants offered by the School of Arts and Humanities. Fortunately, I am awarded with King’s Overseas Research Studentship, which covers my tuition fee and provides me with a stipend for living costs. Since life in London can be a little expensive, I could never have afforded to study at King’s, if it were not for this award.

I am grateful for the stimulating research environment and exciting training programmes that I can now enjoy, and am convinced that research and communication skills that I acquire at King’s will be essential for my future career as a film scholar.

Stephen
Australian/British
Film Studies Research MPhil/PhD
My doctoral project is centered around a series of British films made in Australia in the 1940s and ‘50s, and given that King’s hosts the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies and the top-rated film studies department in the UK, it seemed like a perfect fit. I was so intent on undertaking this research at King’s, that it was actually the only university to which I applied. And I was fortunate enough to secure an Arts and Humanities Research Council scholarship, which pays my fees and provides a living allowance, meaning I can focus entirely on my research without having to try to fit it around work.

King’s really is a great place to study. Obviously you can’t beat the central location in the heart of London (and just across the river from the BFI Southbank, perfect for a film student), but most important is having the freedom to undertake your research whilst being supported by a dynamic intellectual community.

I have co-supervisors from the Menzies Centre and Film Studies, both of whom are very supportive and encouraging of my project. As well as this one-on-one support, regular research seminars across the school of Arts and Humanities, technical training and personal development courses, links with other knowledge networks, and a focus on interdisciplinary interaction helps to broaden my knowledge and interests even further.

Once I have completed my studies, I hope to move into academic research and teaching, and King’s provides me with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to get a head start in academia.