BA (Hons) Available in Clearing

Film

Explore theories and histories of film and cinema, and develop creative skills in filmmaking, screenwriting and a range of creative, practice-based modules.

Start date: September 2025
Location: Cambridge
Duration: 3 years
UCAS course code: P303

Start date: September 2025
Location: Cambridge
Duration: 4 years with foundation
UCAS course code: P304

Start date: September 2025
Location: Cambridge
Duration: 4 years with placement
UCAS course code: P305

10th

in the UK for Learning Resources.

Source: NSS 2025

Discover the history of global cinema and learn how cinema reflects and affects society by studying a range of genres, from avant-garde cinema to Hollywood blockbusters.

You’ll also explore the language of cinema from the perspective of a creative practitioner, writing screenplays and making experimental, narrative and non-fiction films using digital video as well as 8mm and 16mm film.

Why ARU?

Use our extensive industry links to make contacts, find work placements, and take part in live briefs
Get hands-on in our specialist film facilities, with full training from our technical team
See your films screened at Cambridge Arts Picturehouse and take part in film festivals
Prepare for many careers in the film industries including screenwriting, filmmaking, and journalism
Receive support from our expert lecturers and close-knit community of students and graduates across disciplines

Study at an award-winning university

We were named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.

Careers

Our BA (Hons) Film degree will help you prepare for a career in many film and cinema-related roles.

These include film and television production or post-production, journalism, screenwriting, programming and curation, festival management and public relations.

You might also decide to continue on to a Masters course, such as our MA Film and Television Production. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Where have other Film graduates worked?

Where have other Film students found work experience?

How can ARU help with my employability and career development?

Teaching and modules

Join our course to dive into global cinema, create your own films and explore screenwriting. Expand your creative and intellectual horizons.

Nina Lübbren, Course Director

You’ll start the course by discovering new ways of analysing and thinking about film from different perspectives.

You'll also learn about various aspects of filmmaking including screenwriting, cinematography, sound recording and editing.

In Year 2 you’ll explore theoretical issues around spectatorship and representation, including the changes introduced by digital cinema, and take part in critical discussions and debates around documentary cinema.

Finally you’ll bring together all you’ve learned on an individual research project and consider notions of gender in film, as well as extending your knowledge and expertise in an area of your choice.

Student work

Our student showcase

ARU MA Film Production student Megan Wiggins shares her highlights from the 2023 CFF, and its benefits to the community and ARU students.
A film by students James Pearson and Martha Wallam.
A film by student Liz Michael.
A film by student Lauren Powell.
A film by student James Pearson.
A film by student Grete Kutkaite.
A film by Carmen Vincent, Film Studies Study Abroad student.

What will I study?

Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.

Year 1

Film Language and Concepts
Creative Moving Image
Screenwriting: The Short Film
History of Global Cinema
Into ARU
Filmmaking on Film: Super 8mm *
Anglia Language Programme (15 credits) *

Year 2

Theorising Spectatorship
Classical Hollywood Cinema
Documentary Film Theory
Ruskin Module (15 credits)
Filmmakers on Film
Independent Cinema: US and Beyond *
Filmmaking on Film: 16mm Filmmaking *
Non-Fiction Filmmaking *
Film Criticism and Reviewing *
From Script to Screen *
Anglia Language Programme (15 credits) *

Year 3

Special Topics in Film Studies
Creative Industries Major Project
Screenwriting: Writing and Selling the Feature Film *
Experiments in Film and Moving Image *
Screen Drama Production *
Film Journalism *
Independent Film Practice *
Gender and Popular Cinema *
Narrative in Global Cinema *
Anglia Language Programme (15 credits) *

Module details

To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.

Year 1

Foundation in Humanities, English, Media, Social Sciences and Education

Module details

You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.

Placement year

Work Placement - Cambridge School of Creative Industries

Module details

What happens on a foundation year?

What happens on a placement year?

How is Film assessed?

Who teaches Film at ARU?

Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.

Dr Nina Lübbren
Associate Professor
Dr Simon Payne
Associate Professor
Dr Tina Kendall
Associate Professor
Dr Sarah Gibson Yates
Senior Lecturer
Neil Henderson
Deputy Head of School
Dr Tanya Horeck
Professor

Facilities

You'll have access to all of our creative industries facilities including:

film studio with overhead lighting, tracks, dollies and green screen
multi-camera television studio with modular set panels
full range of location kit and sound-recording equipment
editing suites with Da Vinci Resolve and the full Adobe Creative Cloud software suite
finishing suite with audio monitoring and grading panels
Aaton cameras and Steenbeck editors for 16mm film production
motion capture equipment
podcast and video capture system.

ARRI Alexa camera
Media Service loans
Media Service loans
Media Service helpdesk
Film editing suite
Film editing suite
Film studio
Green screen studio
Screening room

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Entry requirements

UK students

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email [email protected] for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

International students

English language requirements

Making you an offer

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Fees and funding

UK students

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

If you start a course on or after 1 August 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £25,000. This is called repayment Plan 5. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £25,000. After 40 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

If you started a course on or before 31 July 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £27,295. This is called repayment Plan 2. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £27,295. After 30 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£1,400 Placement year (2024-25)

International students

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

Placement year fee

Living costs

Bursaries, sponsorship and working

Apply for Film

Clearing places available

UK students, apply through Clearing for a September 2025 start

Apply through Clearing

UK students

Call our Clearing line

01245 686868

UK students

Apply through UCAS for 2026

Apply through UCAS

International students

Apply direct

Apply online

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Film

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Careers

Teaching and modules

Student work

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Facilities

Entry requirements

BA (Hons)

Important additional notes

With foundation year

Important additional notes

With placement

Important additional notes

International students

English language requirements

Fees and funding

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Apply for Film

Clearing places available

UK students

01245 686868

UK students

International students

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