Is there a unifying element that could define European cinema at all? Or does it consist of unrelated national cinemas that co-exist side by side? What topics, characters or genres are European cinemas preoccupied with? What are the most important European film movements? And how did European cinema relate to or differentiate itself from its big rival Hollywood throughout the decades?

The seminar will discuss these and similar questions and give an overview of important developments in European cinema, from its beginnings in France in 1895 to alternative movements such as German Expressionism in the 1920s, Italian Neorealism after World War II, the French Nouvelle Vague in the 1960s, the numerous 1970s New Wave cinemas that were inspired by the French New Wave, the Danish Dogme95 movement in the 1990s, the Romanian New Wave in the 2000s and the most recent films by Greek New Wave directors such as Giorgos Lanthimos. The most important concepts that we will discuss in relation to European cinema are, among others, auteurism, realism and mise-en-scène.

This seminar is offered within the EPICUR project. Students from all member universities across Europe are welcome to join.

2-6 ECTS