Grounded in the essence of cinema and oriented toward the future of moving images, the Theater and Film Directing Program recognizes film as the seventh art with a well-established formal and conceptual foundation, while also engaging with the expanding technical and cultural boundaries of image-making in the broader visual ecosystem. The program embraces both the inheritance of film tradition and the imperative to redefine cinematic art in response to contemporary challenges.
Centered on the concept of "poetic cinema," the program cultivates students' capacity for both intellectual depth and formal intention in cinematic art, fostering a critical awareness of visual culture, a commitment to expanding the boundaries of image-based art, and a practical engagement with the integration of art, science, and technology. Through comprehensive training in script development, screenwriting, directing, and editing, the program produces outstanding film and media creators who are technically skilled, socially engaged, and culturally informed—building a directing education platform with both international vision and a distinct Chinese cultural perspective. Graduates are prepared for careers in narrative film, documentary, and broader media creation.
Curriculum Structure
Grounded in historical and contemporary perspectives, and informed by both tradition and transformation, the program is organized around four core pillars:
The first pillar focuses on linear film history, providing an in-depth study of the aesthetic foundations of cinema as an art form. It builds a solid grounding in literary, aesthetic, and cultural literacy while developing critical thinking in film history and theory. In the first year, courses include Western Film History and Close Reading of Literary Classics. The second year introduces Chinese Film History and Narrative Practice. The third year offers seminars on Philosophy and Culture, and Film Poetics. The fourth year is devoted to thesis writing and pre-production research for the graduation project.
The second pillar centers on the formal language and techniques of cinema, cultivating a strong command of film language, creative intention, directorial thinking, and editing sensibility. In the first year, courses include Directing Fundamentals and Audiovisual Language. The second year introduces Documentary Fundamentals and Directing Theory and Technique. The third year offers Sound Art and Directing and Performance.
The third pillar engages with post-cinematic discourses, examining new frontiers of contemporary image culture, the specificities of projection and screen interfaces, and fostering a pluralistic perspective and cross-media creative competence. In the first year, courses include Visual Design for Film and Television. The second year offers Graphic Language in Moving Images and Advertising Planning and Creative Strategy. The third year introduces Experimental Film and Film Music.
The fourth pillar is centered on image creation, guided by a creation-oriented philosophy and a progressive, hands-on training model. In the first year, the focus is on in-class creative exercises. The second year includes Short Film Creation, Documentary Production, and Advertising Film Production. The third year focuses on Thematic Creation Projects, and the fourth year culminates in the Graduation Film Project.
