Film Studies Research Guide 

What's Here

Organizations and associations play an important role in advancing film production, criticism, preservation and scholarship.  If you are involved in any aspect of film studies, film reviewing or filmmaking, you will almost certainly work with one or more of these groups.

The selected organizations and associations are organized under these catgories:

• Film Scholarship, Criticism and Teaching
• Promotion, Preservation and Awards
• Film Making and Film Industry

See also Festivals and Awards and the organizations listed there.

Selected Organizations and Associations for....

Film Scholarship, Criticism and Teaching

Association Française de Recherche sur l'histoire du Cinéma

French film historians and scholars association. Publishes the journal 1895 on film research, film history, methods and tools.

British Universities Film & Video Council

BUFVC promotes the production, study and use of moving image, sound and related media in higher education and research.

 

Society for Cinema & Media Studies

Devoted to the scholarly study of film, television, video and new media. Formerly the Society for Cinema Studies.

Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film (FIAF) (International Federation of Film Archives)

Association of film archives, dedicated to rescuing film both as cultural heritage and historical documents.

Promotion, Preservation and Awards

ASIFA-Hollywood

A California organization devoted to advancing animation. It is a branch of the ASIFA (Association Internationale du Film D'Animation).

American Film Institute

Advancing and preserving the art of the moving image. Includes the AFI Conservatory, the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival, and the AFI's National Center for Film and Video Preservation.

Broadcast Film Critics Association

The Broadcast Film Critics Association is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing 169 television, radio and online critics. Includes the Critics' Choice Awards, reviews of new releases, and more.

Centre national de la cinématographie (CNC)

CNC is a French regulatory, promotional and preservational organization for film.

International Documentary Association

Promoting nonfiction film and video, supporting documentary filmmakers, and sponsor of an annual documentary film festival.

Federation of Commercial Audiovisual Libraries International (FOCAL International)

International professional trade association representing film/audiovisual libraries, professional film researchers, producers and others working in the industry.

National Film Preservation Board (Library of Congress)

Includes the National Film Preservation Foundation, Moving Image Archives, National Film Registry, and information on preservation research.

U.S. National Film Registry

In 1988, the (United States) Library of Congress established the National Film Preservation Board, to preserve film deemed "culturally, historically, or esthetically important". Each year, the board selects 25 films to add to the National Film Registry. Herein is the complete list of those films so honoured to date.

 

Film Making and Film Industry

American Screenwriters Association (ASA)

Organization dedicated to the promotion of and encouragement of screenwriting as an art form.

 

Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA)

National association representing independent producers of diverse size and scope working in film, television, and multimedia.

Independent Film & Television Alliance

Formerly known as the American Film Marketing Association (AFMA), IFTA is the trade association for independent motion picture and television production and distribution companies.

 

Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford and dedicated to the development of artists of independent vision and the exhibition of their new work. Sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival.