Why Study Film? More Than Just Watching Movies

As a film tutor at City Lit, I am often asked two questions. The first is deceptively simple: what’s your favourite film? The second is more searching: why study film at all?

The first question is difficult to answer, though if pressed, I usually choose Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves, 1948), directed by Vittorio de Sica. A landmark of Italian Neorealism, it tells the story of Antonio Ricci, a working-class man whose livelihood depends on his bicycle, only for it to be stolen. What follows is a deeply moving search through post-war Rome, as Antonio and his young son Bruno try to recover it. 

For me, it remains one of the simplest and most beautiful films ever made, and it carries an added poignancy as my Italian mother-in-law remembers seeing it as a child when it was first released. More broadly, it represents what film can achieve: a reflection of lived reality, a cultural document, and a piece of art that continues to inspire filmmakers worldwide.

So, why study film? 

Studying film is not simply about sitting in a darkened room and enjoying a story. It is about understanding the layers beneath what we see on screen. To engage with film fully is to ask questions: Why did a scene move me so powerfully? What does a film’s ending really mean? How does it reflect the culture, society, and history in which it was made?

A film studies course provides the tools to answer these questions and more. It allows you to:

• Become a more critical and discerning viewer: Learn to decipher visual cues, explore cinematography, editing, and mise-en-scène, and understand how filmmakers use these techniques to tell a story. For guidance, see Film Theory and Analysis Resources.
• Connect with history: Understand how a film’s aesthetic and narrative qualities developed over time, from early silent cinema to modern experimental techniques.
• Develop critical thinking skills: Go beyond surface-level plot points and discuss films with analytical depth, both in class and in conversation with others. 

Film is one of the most powerful cultural tools for reflecting and shaping society. Studying film allows you to: 

• Explore social and political context: Examine how films reflect politics, history, and social issues of their era. 
• Unpack cultural history: Trace cinema from Italian Neorealism to the French New Wave, Hollywood blockbusters, and beyond, observing how global events influenced filmmaking and vice versa. 
• Interpret modern media: From streaming platforms to social media trends, film studies equips you with the literacy to understand today’s visual culture.

Italian Neorealism, for example, influenced filmmakers across India, Africa, Japan, and Europe. Its focus on ordinary lives and authentic experiences inspired generations of directors, highlighting film’s ability to communicate both local and universal stories. 

Studying film in a group provides opportunities to share ideas and learn collectively. Group learning encourages debate, discussion, and shared discovery. In a supportive environment, you can:

• Spark lively discussion: Challenge ideas, test interpretations, and engage constructively with fellow students and tutors.
• Fuel creative practice: Aspiring filmmakers or artists can apply lessons from cinematic techniques directly to their own work.
• Expand your horizons: Discover genres, directors, and periods you might never have explored independently.

Collaborative learning strengthens understanding and makes the study of film an engaging and rewarding experience. 

If you already love film, a film studies course transforms a passive hobby into an active, educational experience. Courses for adult learners are flexible, from in-person sessions to online options, allowing you to explore cinema deeply at your own pace.

To watch a film attentively is to immerse yourself in a visual language that can be poetic and profound. Film challenges us, entertains us, and often leaves us changed. Studying film enhances that experience, helping us see more clearly, think critically, and engage more fully with the world.

In short: to study film is to understand something about ourselves, our history, and our culture. And that is why studying film matters.