Cinema and Visual Theory

The course aims to provide students with a general understanding of the critical tools underpinning filmology, conceived both as a theory of cinematic visuality and as a methodology for film analysis. It will enable students to understand the viewing experience created by cinema, exploring the relationship between reality and representation, the visible and the invisible, animism and documentary, while fostering familiarity with the language of film and introducing them to the practice of specialist film criticism. A specific objective of the course is to enable students to acquire an in-depth understanding of at least one of the following cinematic forms, selected on a rotating basis across different editions of the course: a narrative genre, experimental cinema, documentary, the essay film, scientific film, or post-cinema, with the aim of examining their role within modern and contemporary visual culture. The critical tools acquired during the course may be applied in more advanced studies in image theory, as well as in cultural programming and dissemination, and in all professional contexts dedicated to promoting the artistic and epistemic potential of film.

Knowledge and understanding
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
· demonstrate knowledge of cinematic language and filmmaking techniques;
· analyse films and understand their visual logic.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
· compare different filmic objects and situate them within their historical, cultural, and aesthetic contexts;
· position cinema within the broader field of visual culture and visual arts.