Tag Archives: film and screen media

“I never expected to gain this much from my studies and practical experiences”

MA Film and Screen Media with Film Programming and Curating student, Riley Wong, talks about some of the experiences and opportunities she had whilst studying at Birkbeck.   

Stepping out of my comfort zone 

Many of us were influenced by the pandemic, including me. After graduating from my bachelor’s degree, I was stuck in Hong Kong and worked in a design company for a year. I liked my job, but my passion for films and dream of studying abroad was so strong that I started looking at courses and applying. When I got the offer to study film and screen media at Birkbeck, I couldn’t believe it. I knew this was a special opportunity, so I quit my job and started my journey to London.  

Why Birkbeck? 

I came to Birkbeck for several reasons. Firstly, Birkbeck is the only university I found which offers a film and screen media course with specific insight into film programming and curating. Secondly, there’s always a wide range of course-related activities and opportunities offered to film students. For example, in February, thanks to my place at Birkbeck, I found out I could join the Berlin International Film Festival as a student accreditation holder. This meant I could watch unlimited screenings and attend different masterclasses at the festival.  I had so much fun and gained valuable experience and knowledge from it. In addition to this, two months after the Berlin International Film Festival, I was honoured to be given a chance to work for Raindance Film Festival as a festival programme viewer, where I reviewed and commented on films that were submitted to their competitions.   

Work placement  

The work placement is an accredited part of the MA programme, where your tutor matches you with a suitable placement. I was initially worried that not many organisations would be interested in my profile, because I had no background with films before studying. But I didn’t give up, and nor did my tutor who was working hard to find a suitable match for me. Eventually I received an offer from UK-China Film Collab. Founded by Dr. Hiu Man Chan, UK-China Film Collab (UCFC) is an independent non-profit organisation, supporting a wide range of film-related collaborations and debates between the UK and Greater China. 

My ‘dream come true’ moment 

Supported by UCFC, I developed and organised a curatorial project in one of London’s most historic and important independent cinemas, The Prince Charles Cinema.  The programme was called “The Heroic Mission: Johnnie To Retrospective”. It featured three screenings of Hong Kong films, and conversation panels with the filmmakers and other associated experts. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity. Not only did I experience how a film festival programme is curated, I also learned how it’s organised logistically from start to finish. I also got an important insight into all the different stakeholders involved in a project, and how to communicate with them. Reflecting on my time at Birkbeck, I almost find it unbelievable. I had high hopes, but I never expected to gain this much through my studies and practical experiences. I feel like the passion that brought me to London, to study films, at Birkbeck has been strengthened, and going forward, I’d like to bring more Hong Kong film culture and directors in front of a UK audience. 

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My work placement experience at Europe’s biggest Chinese film festival

Shanshan Wu, MA Film and Screen Media student, shares her experience of studying at Birkbeck and finding a work placement. 

For the past four months, I have been doing my work placement at ‘Odyssey: a Chinese film season’, hosted by the non-profitable organisation UK-China Film Collab (UCFC). Thanks to Birkbeck and the placement host, I am leading the marketing team of Europe’s biggest Chinese film festival.  

A New Start 

After finishing my bachelor’s and my first master’s degrees in Filmmaking in Australia, I went back to China for work, and became a tutor of film training courses for young people. Then I realised I wanted more – I wanted to know more about the cinema market, film distribution, film curating, and, of course, film festivals. The world of cinema is so vast, and I wanted to expand my vision to different areas of the film industry in different parts of the world. 

Becoming a Birkbeck Student 

When researching film programmes in London, Birkbeck was my top choice. Its perfect location in the heart of Bloomsbury was a selling point, but so was its well-designed course modules in MA Film and Screen Media, which offered a wide range of options – from film curating to memory studies – all introducing and exploring cutting-edge topics and debates in the field. One of the things that interested me the most was the chance to do a work placement at a film or media related organisation. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to get hands on experience in the film industry to help start student’s careers. International students like me are often underrepresented in the professional circuit, so these kinds of opportunities are extremely precious to us.  

Securing the Placement 

For most of our fellow students, our tutors would listen to their work placement needs, and then match them with suitable placement hosts. I went through the same process, but I had also started looking for placements of my own accord too – I was really keen! My tutor, Dr Dorota Ostrowska, was so understanding and helpful in this process. When I said that I had been offered the voluntary Lead of Marketing role at ‘Odyssey: a Chinese cinema season’ film festival, she carefully considered the details. She wanted to make sure the work matched with my needs and really would be a beneficial placement for me. After the consideration, all the paperwork was signed, and the placement was secured!  

A Rewarding Journey 

Odyssey: a Chinese cinema season was held from May 10 to June 10.  With more than 60 films screened both online and in-person, and audience numbers over 2600, it is the biggest Chinese film festival in Europe this year. My placement has now ended, and I have learned so much and met so many great colleagues and friends.  

I’m so grateful to the festival and to the Birkbeck tutors for the support and insight they gave me on this journey. I now understand in detail the process of holding a film festival and discovered a new interest in film marketing and film distribution, which I had never thought of before. I’m sure this is just the beginning of another journey for me, and I can’t wait to explore more wonders of cinema.

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