Course content and focus areas
The master's program "Film Culture: Archiving, Programming, Presentation" trains academic staff for film and media archives as well as institutions dedicated to film culture. It is the first degree program of its kind at a German university and has been offered by Goethe University (Department of Theater, Film, and Media Studies) in collaboration with the German Film Institute since the winter semester of 2013/14.
Building on advanced knowledge of film history and film theory, the program provides fundamental expertise in the technical, systematic, administrative, economic, and legal aspects of archiving, programming, and presenting common film and audiovisual media formats. Special focus is placed on the challenges of digitizing analog collections, maintaining digital archiving media, and publishing and circulating digital copies. Graduates also gain insights into the structures and practices of cinema and film culture, audiovisual media production and distribution, and the characteristics of markets for audiovisual media products. They become familiar with key issues in the area of copyright law, particularly the challenges surrounding usage rights and ownership rights in the circulation of film and audiovisual media materials. Finally, students develop theoretical and practical skills in curating films, including programming and presenting audiovisual media archive collections in cinemas, museums, festivals, and on digital platforms. The study of film is embedded within a broader framework of aesthetic and theoretical reflection on the role of curators and the cultural practice of exhibitions.
Graduates of the program are qualified to take on positions in areas such as cultural management, public and private film and media archives, companies in the film and audiovisual industry (including production and distribution firms as well as internet providers), television (editorial work, programming, media archiving), journalism/film criticism, internet editorial work and platform design, museum work with a focus on film and audiovisual media, and curatorial activities in film culture (cinema and festival programming, curatorial work in museums, exhibition spaces, and other visual arts institutions). Additionally, there is an opportunity to pursue further academic qualifications through a doctoral program.
The master's program is conducted by the Department of Theater, Film, and Media Studies at Goethe University in cooperation with the German Film Institute (Frankfurt) and incorporates courses from the university’s departments of law (Department 01), economics (Department 02), and language and culture studies (Department 09). Additional partners include the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation (Wiesbaden) and the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art (Berlin). For the comprehensive practical module, the German Film Institute and the university also arrange internships with other film culture institutions both in Germany and abroad. Broadcasting stations, independent collections, cultural foundations, cultural initiatives, festivals, distribution, and publishing further expand the range of film culture fields with which the program maintains connections.