Film and the Digital Image

Film and the Digital Image is BCU’s first dedicated film research cluster, and a forum where staff, doctoral researchers and external partners collaborate in an interdisciplinary and inclusive manner. The cluster draws out existing scholarship, practice-based research, and industry innovation strengths within Digital Arts and Media at BCU.

The Film and the Digital Image research cluster provides a dynamic forum to support the development of both established and emerging researchers. As BCU’s first dedicated film research cluster, Film and the Digital Image enables staff, doctoral researchers and external partners to collaborate in an interdisciplinary and inclusive manner. We undertake film-based research and enterprise activities drawing on existing and new scholarship, and innovation within the broadly defined fields of Digital Arts and Media. 

The cluster is underpinned by support from the BFI, as part of its film education partnership with BCU. Cluster members also have extensive links with international film festivals (including the Cine-Excess International Film Festival), university departments, and the wider film and digital image industries. Through these connections, the cluster develops interdisciplinary research interventions in the Midlands, across the UK and internationally.

Areas of activity

• New approaches to national cinema
• The documentary image in regional, national and international contexts
• Creative and technological approaches to practice-based research
• Knowledge exchange and innovation projects that enhance digital image
• partnerships
• Community, third sector and activist film research
• Film festivals, curatorial practices and film-based collections
• Global genre cinema
• Women’s creative labour in cinema
• Transnational distribution and the streaming economy

Cluster members

• Professor Xavier Mendik (Cluster lead)
• Professor Valentina Vitali (Cluster lead)
• Dr Michael Bickerton
• Steve Chamberlain
• Andy Conway 
• Matthew Cusworth 
• Professor Ravi Deepres 
• Meera Darji
• Professor Rajinder Dudrah
• Cathy Easthope 
• Lianne Forbes
• Shaun Magher
• Dr Frank Mannion 
• Joe Miles 
• Nosa Obayiuwana 
• Nick Priest 
• Dr Daniel Sheppard 
• Eugenio Triana
• Kelvin Wong

Postgraduate researchers

• Joel Blackledge

• Thomas Sedgwick

• Samuel Dubois 

External members and partners

• Simone Pyne (British Film Institute)

• Professor Roger Shannon (Visiting Professor in British Cinema Industries)

Cluster members have developed a range of formal partnerships with external organisations in the region, across the UK and internationally. These collaborations underpin many of the cluster’s research and innovation projects. Current Film & the Digital Image partnerships include: 

• American Genre Film Archive (AKA AGFA [Austin, USA]) 

• Birmingham Royal Ballet (Birmingham)

• British Film Institute (London) 

• Cine-Excess International Film Festival (Birmingham) 

• Damselfish Productions (London) 

• Hong Kong Baptist University (China)

• University of Kerala (India) 

• Nunnery Gallery, Bow Arts (London) 

• Ronkel Media and Education (Mumbai, India) 

• Women in Cinema Collective (Kerala, India)