Are you passionate about cinema and eager to dive deeper into its history? This intensive summer school in Antwerp gives you the chance to explore film history in an inspiring international environment. Over the course of seven days, you’ll combine screenings, lectures, and seminars while engaging with leading scholars, critics, and fellow students from around the world.
Each edition focuses on two key themes in film history: such as a director, actor, genre, movement, or historical moment, approached from multiple historical and theoretical perspectives. A true highlight of the programme is the chance to view and discuss rare archival films, screened in optimal cinema conditions.
Alongside approximately 20 screenings, you will take part in 10–15 interactive lectures and seminars, developing your ability to analyse films in depth and debate complex ideas with confidence. By the end of the week, you’ll have expanded your knowledge, sharpened your critical skills, and built valuable connections within the international film community.
In 2026, the focus will be on Global Melodrama. From its earliest days, cinema has drawn on melodrama to heighten conflict, emotion, and suspense. Silent films used its gestures to tell stories without words, while the rise of the feature film relied on its patterns of crisis and resolution. Far from being a fixed genre, melodrama is a flexible, travelling mode that has shaped Hollywood and taken root across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Its global circulation shows how melodrama brings social and political tensions to life on an emotional level, producing some of the most influential and enduring works in cinema history.
Organised by the University of Antwerp, in collaboration with Cinea (Flemish Service for Film Culture), and in partnership with De Cinema and CINEMATEK, this summer school runs alongside Cinea´s Summer Film College (ZomerFilmCollege), with which it partly overlaps.
Target group
The summer school is aimed at Master's and PhD students in film and media studies or related disciplines, with a strong interest in film history.
Participants should have a basic knowledge of film history and film theory (BA level).
Location
This summer school takes place in De Studio - De Cinema (Maarschalk Gérardstraat 4, 2000 Antwerp). This location is located in the city centre of Antwerp.
Micro-credential and study credits (ECTS)
6 credits will be awarded upon successful completion of the programme according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Credits will be awarded by the University of Antwerp based on completion of the preparatory assignments, full and active participation in all lectures, screenings, and seminars, delivery of a presentation, and submission of an individual paper after the course.
To include the credits in the curriculum at the home institution, participants need an agreement with the responsible person at their university. University of Antwerp students eligible to include the ECTS credits as part of their study programme must register via Mobility Online and SisA.
All certificates of completion are issued as a micro-credential.
Learning outcomes
Deeper knowledge of a specific topic in film history, aligned with the annually changing theme of the summer school.
Understanding of key film theoretical concepts and debates, and the ability to connect them to the study of cinema.
In collaboration with
Cinea (the Flemish Service for Film Culture), has been spreading knowledge of film history and film styles throughout Brussels and Flanders since its creation in 1994. During events such as the Summer Film College (ZomerFilmCollege), Cinea highlights film heritage in all its intriguing facets and all its incarnations from the late nineteenth century until today, always from a film-historical and aesthetic standpoint. is a Flemish organisation promoting film culture through screenings, festivals, and educational programmes, encouraging diverse perspectives and critical appreciation of cinema.
CINEMATEK, the Royal Belgian Film Archive, preserves, restores, and presents the rich history of cinema, offering audiences access to a remarkable collection of classic and contemporary films.
De Cinema, is an arthouse venue in Antwerp showcasing independent and innovative films, serving as a lively meeting place for cinephiles and cultural exchange.
Social programme
Antwerp Summer & Winter University offers a number of fun social activities to let participants discover the beautiful city of Antwerp and meet fellow students in a more informal way.
Examples of activities in past editions are a networking reception, a guided city walk, a pub quiz, a boardgame night, and rooftop yoga. All activities in the social programme are offered free of charge.
A few weeks before the start of the summer school, confirmed participants will receive an overview of all activities available during the programme, along with the opportunity to register.