We believe in the intrinsic value of art and its critical contribution to society. Research is an integral part of art. Grounded as it is in the practice of art, or, in our case, the practice of filmmaking, artistic research produces knowledge. Knowledge relevant to the worlds of art – all major movements in cinema were the result of artistic research – but also knowledge that extends beyond the arts or cinema. Thus, our Master’s programme ‘Artistic Research in and through Cinema’ can be said to operate at the crossroads where the art practice meets the production of knowledge.

We believe that education is about creating ‘conditions of possibility’.  It is about creating a framework in which students (or ‘researchers’ as we prefer to call them) are given the space to give form to their own development. This framework requires a focus on process rather than product, a non-hierarchical relation between teachers and researchers, an understanding of subjectivity as driving force, and an emphasis on the group as a context of support rather than competition. 

Our practice driven MA programme has a clear focus: artistic research in and through cinema. This focus sets it apart from other film programmes, both in film or art schools and in universities. 

We define ‘artistic research’ as an open-ended trajectory in which thinking and making are one, and which privileges questions over answers, process over product, experimentation over mere execution and long-term effects over short term gain. It is neither a discipline nor a methodology. Instead, it’s a state of mind, a ‘mentality’ or an attitude.