Courses in London & Online

This taster of forthcoming film courses at City Lit in 2026 offers you the chance to think about which ones to take while also providing an opportunity to explore some of the key areas in film studies more generally.



Learn how to evaluate and discuss films while enjoying a working example of a City Lit film studies class.



We will view clips from a wide variety of films, exploring themes and technique in British, European and modern American cinema. There will be a chance to review term two film courses at City Lit (January - July 2026).

Rembrandt, one of the most famous painters of the Dutch Republic, was also an innovative printmaker. He produced a large oeuvre of printed works, which in their expressive effect and astounding use of light can be considered artworks which rival his paintings. This course will offer a deep dive into Rembrandt’s practice and the seventeenth century Netherlands to explore how he experimented with the medium. Rembrandt as a collector of prints will also be discussed.

Discover Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Learn about the forms of this work and the history behind the first performances.

The images of the Adoration of the Magi will be taken from medieval illuminated manuscripts, as well as panel paintings done for churches and chapels and fresco cycles. Artists covered include Italian artists such as Duccio, Giotto, Botticelli, Fra Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Gentile da Fabriano, and northern Renaissance artists including Gossaert and Breughel.

In this course we shall examine women in myth, women in religion and the everyday life of women. It will conclude with a visit to the British Museum.

Carefully-curated Christmas cornucopia overflows with seasonal films, from new entry The Holdovers (2023 Alexander Payne) to Home Alone (1990 Chris Columbus/John Hughes). This is a celebration of the genre of the Christmas film packed with clips and hidden gems: Scrooge (1951 Brian Desmond Hurst) remixed as a film noir, Lindsay Anderson’s Every Day Except Christmas (1957), his film about the old Covent Garden market later seen in My Fair Lady (1964) or Hitchcock’s Frenzy (1972) just before it closed down. Full of delights, discussions and a grown man dressed as an Elf (2003).

Beginning around the middle of the 19th century, a ‘new Christmas’ came into the fore; a reinvented Christmas, if you will. Why did this Christmas shift as it did – to produce the modern celebration many people still enjoy today? In this course, the stories of those groups and individuals who impacted this ‘reinvention of Christmas’ will be shared.

Discover the mysterious atmosphere to Hampstead on a tour after-dark where the streets are lit by old-fashioned lamps. We will wind through the narrow back streets and catch glimpses of its fascinating history from the glow of lamps and lit buildings. This tour is particularly stunning over the Festive season where subtle Christmas lights add to the effect. We will end at the historic Holly Bush Tavern where we can warm up with a drink!



Tour starts outside Wagamama 58-62 Heath Street, NW3 1EN Ends Hampstead Tube Station.

Do you want to know more about Western classical music? Explore selected topics and key works in Romantic and modern music on this informative 10-week course. Ideal for people with no specialist knowledge. NB: Break week 4 & 25 May 2026.

Boost your creativity and explore different approaches to digital photography. Put new ideas to practice by responding to creative briefs. Participate in group discussion, share your images and get feedback in an encouraging group environment.