Film Studies

This guide is offers links to film studies resources from the LCC Library and on the open web. Use the blue tabs to navigate between pages. 

The LCC Library has access to hundreds of books and ebooks, and thousands of articles about films, filmmakers, and genres. A word about terminology: the terms film, cinema, and movies all refer to the same medium. "Film studies" and "cinema studies" refer to the history, analysis, and criticism of film work. Media using high-def video are considered movies if they are screened with theatrical release (vs. video art in an installation setting). "Motion pictures" is a very old school term for movies, and it is (sadly) still used in library catalogs. Depending on what platform you are searching you may need to use more than one term in your research.

Film criticism and film reviews are foundational sources for film studies research. You will find many sources for film reviews and analysis on the tabs for Books and articles, and Resources on the web. Many film review sites aggregate viewers comments and scores (stars, tomatoes, and ranking) but these sites are generally not sufficient for academic research. Use reviews and commentary from expert sources such as historians, critics, filmmakers, or curators whenever possible.

If you have questions about this guide or the resources mentioned, please contact LCC librarian Claire Dannenbaum.

Visit our streaming platform Kanopy for dozens of films from world cinema, about filmmakers, and film genres.

Browse the Kanopy collection for Film Studies. 

Browse the Kanopy collection about Filmmakers.