Skip to main content

Introduction to Cinema

Course dates: Thursday 08 October - Thursday 17 December 2026

Class timetable: 10 sessions (View class timetable for Thursday 08 October 2026 to Thursday 17 December 2026)

Timetable data for Thursday 08 October 2026 to Thursday 17 December 2026

Day of class Date of class Time Venue
Thursday 08-Oct-2026 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 15-Oct-2026 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 22-Oct-2026 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 29-Oct-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 05-Nov-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 19-Nov-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 26-Nov-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 03-Dec-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 10-Dec-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Thursday 17-Dec-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London

Location: Birkbeck Campus, Central London

Fees: £1640.00

Register

Course Overview

Love film? Our popular Introduction to Cinema short course is a thorough and lively introduction to cinema as an art form, as an industry and as pure entertainment. You will gain the skills and theory required to analyse and appreciate cinema, via screenings and discussion of a diverse and abundant range of films. The course explores film history and theory, from its beginnings to Hollywood, from documentary to blockbusters, and from art films to the avant-garde.

Assessment is via two 1500-word essays (50% each).

As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students whilst you learn.

This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:

Credits: 30 credits at level 4

Fees

Students are charged a tuition fee for each short course on registering. Please view details for this course, including dates, location and fees at the top of this page. Short course fees may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see our Fees Policy.

Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee

If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.

School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication

The school's teaching and research is highly interdisciplinary, spanning cultures and periods. Academic and practice-based study will equip you for a career in the creative and cultural industries.

Entry Requirements

Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.

This short course has no prerequisites.

As part of the registration process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.

International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.

How to Register

You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so register early.

If you want to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.