Griffith Film School

Griffith Film School Griffith Film School is a film and screen studies institution within Griffith University located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The school delivers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in screen production, screen studies and animation, and engages with Australian film and television industries through festivals, research centres and partnerships. It is situated on the South Bank campus near cultural institutions and collaborates with national and international organisations across film, television, animation and digital media sectors.

History

The school's origins trace to Griffith University initiatives in the 1970s linked to the rise of Australian cinema and collaborations with organisations such as the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, South Bank Theatre precinct and the Queensland Institute of Technology during a period influenced by the Australian New Wave, Sydney Film Festival networks and funding from bodies like the Australian Film Commission and Screen Australia. Early development involved partnerships with cultural institutions including the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane Festival and production companies active in the Queensland screen sector like Bazmark Productions and Village Roadshow. Through the 1980s and 1990s the school expanded alongside national screen policy shifts linked to the Committee for the Arts and the growth of television drama commissions by organisations such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Network Ten and Seven Network. In the 2000s and 2010s the school strengthened postgraduate research with connections to entities like the Australian Research Council and international collaborators such as the British Film Institute, Sundance Institute and Venice Film Festival laboratories.

Academic programs

Griffith Film School offers degrees spanning practical production and theoretical studies with coursework and research pathways comparable to programs offered at institutions like the National Film and Television School, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and the Vancouver Film School. Degree options include undergraduate Bachelor programs, honours year arrangements, Master of Screen Arts and Masters by Research that intersect with areas promoted by bodies such as the Australian Screen Production, Distribution and Exhibition network, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards ecosystem and curricula influenced by textbook resources from publishers like Routledge and Oxford University Press. The school supervises doctoral candidates who engage with topics linked to festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival and theoretical frameworks traced through work by scholars associated with the British Film Institute and the Film and Television Institute networks. Collaborative teaching pathways have been developed with international partners including the University of California, Los Angeles, La Fémis, National Institute of Dramatic Art and industry training bodies like the Screen Skills Australia initiatives.

Facilities and resources

Facilities include production studios, sound stages, digital post-production suites, motion-capture systems and colour grading rooms equipped to standards seen in facilities operated by organisations such as Village Roadshow Studios, Fox Studios Australia, Netflix production hubs and animation houses like Animal Logic. On-campus resources interface with cultural neighbours including the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and the State Library of Queensland collections for archival research into holdings comparable to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Technical training is supported by camera and equipment inventories drawn from industry suppliers used on productions for Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, BBC and Channel 4 projects. The school also maintains screening venues for public exhibition and festival programming that mirror operations at venues like the Palace Cinemas, Dendy Cinemas and municipal cinemas participating in the Melbourne International Film Festival circuit.

Notable alumni and faculty

Alumni and faculty have participated in high-profile productions, awards and institutions including recipients and nominees associated with the Academy Awards, AFI Awards (Australian Film Institute Awards), BAFTA and the Emmy Awards. Past and present faculty and graduates have worked with filmmakers and organisations linked to names such as Baz Luhrmann, Peter Weir, George Miller, Jane Campion, Phillip Noyce, Gillian Armstrong, Antonio Banderas (festival collaborations), Werner Herzog (guest seminars) and production companies like Roadshow Films, Punchdrunk and Matchbox Pictures. Alumni careers span screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography and animation across projects connected to broadcasters such as the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), SBS (Special Broadcasting Service), HBO, Amazon Studios and streaming services like Stan.

Research, festivals and industry partnerships

Research centres and initiatives coordinate projects in screen history, production practice, animation and digital media with links to the Australian Research Council, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and festival partners including the Brisbane International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival labs, Cannes Marché du Film and the Berlin International Film Festival markets. Industry partnerships encompass co-productions, internships and commissioning arrangements with companies such as Matchbox Pictures, Flying Bark Productions, Animal Logic, Screen Australia funding pathways and international broadcasters including the BBC and NHK. Festival programming, public screenings and research symposia leverage relationships with curatorial and archival organisations like the British Film Institute, Museum of Modern Art film departments and the National Gallery of Australia to support student exhibition, professional development and collaborative scholarship.

Category:Film schools in Australia