Cinema Studies

CINEMA STUDIES, IRES, COMPARATIVE LITERATURE, ENGLISH, NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES, FOLKLORE AND PUBLIC CULTURE — Filmlandia is a film series running during winter and spring 2026. Each term will feature seven film screenings that spotlight Oregon’s unmistakable cinematic fingerprints. The screenings are free and open to the public.

CINEMA STUDIES — Associate professor Masami Kawai is making her first feature film, "Valley of the Tall Grass." It is both a personal journey and a community-centered story that expands the landscape of Indigenous filmmaking and invites audiences to consider the stories, people and objects we too often overlook. She's using Eugene, Oregon, as the backdrop.

CINEMA STUDIES — Elle Thompson '26 is a cinema studies major interested in pursuing casting. To learn more about the specialty area and get experience, she secured an internship with a Portland-based casting company and has experienced just about every aspect of the business. It has solidified her career plans.

CINEMA STUDIES, EAST ASIAN STUDIES — For Natalie Jacobsen explored multiple majors before landing on cinema studies and media history. That well-rounded education took her across the globe and to her current position as director of marketing and communications at Airlink, a humanitarian aviation nonprofit. She is also a published novelist!

THEATRE ARTS — Known for her standout roles in FX’s “Fargo” and “Legion” and HBO Max’s “Tokyo Vice,” professional actor Rachel Keller visited University of Oregon's Department of Theatre Arts and spent the day engaging with students, offering insights into acting and the film industry.

Ten years in, the Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Series continues to teach and inspire cinema studies majors as they look for ways to make their Hollywood dreams come true. This year's visiting director, Sean Wang, participated in a masterclass that gave cinema studies students open and realistic insight into what it takes to make a movie.

CINEMA STUDIES — This year’s visiting filmmaker for the 10th Annual Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Series is director Sean Wang, an Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker from the Bay Area. The community is invited to a screening of his independent film, Dìdi (弟弟), followed by a Q&A session on Thursday, April 24. Cinema Studies students can register for a masterclass on directing on Friday, April 25.