Alex Turner (England)
BA (Hons) Film Studies, 2010

"Throughout the three years of my degree, studying at Anglia Ruskin University has given me not only great facilities, lectures, teachers and friends, but also great opportunities. The film department were always willing to help out and I would always get some invaluable experiences thrown my way.

One such opportunity came to me at the end of my final semester, when local filmmakers approached the university to find crew for their latest project. The project turned out to be an independent feature called Dimensions and, through the aid and recommendation of the film department, I was given the opportunity to work on it as a camera operator. Taking the experience I'd acquired from my course, I worked for the entirety of the four week shoot (which was very tiring!) and met some fantastic people.

Currently, I am in the planning stage for a series of short documentaries with an international charity. Being given the opportunities that I have, throughout my degree, I feel that I have a newfound confidence and ability which I owe to my time at the university. Without the three years of study, the great help and encouragement from the staff and the contacts they have shared, I would never have come even close to working in film. With all this, I feel I am getting closer every day."

Alex's Vimeo page

Artiom Barkun (Lithuania)
BA (Hons) Film Studies 2011

Artiom Barkun graduated in 2011 with a degree in Film Studies. Since graduating, Artiom has been working on a freelance basis, and continues to show his work at festivals. His film Miller won top prize at the KinoKolor film festival in Vilnius, and his short film Once in June has been shortlisted as part of the Aesthetica film competition.

"During my time as a student at Anglia Ruskin I made a number of short films. One of the main challenges that a first-time filmmaker is faced with is 'how do I show my work?' The variety of film festivals and their objectives is enormous and it is not easy to find the right festival for your work. In my situation it was very important to stay in contact with my university tutors who provided me with information about student festivals and screenings. Moreover, I greatly appreciate their initiative in organising film screenings at the Arts Picturehouse cinema, which is a rare opportunity for students to see their own films on a big screen as well as to show them to the general public. At present, my films have been screened in Cambridge, Sheffield, London and Canterbury, and happened to be among the best works twice."

Visit Artiom's Vimeo page

Alex Oliver (England)
BA (Hons) Drama and Film Studies, 2008

Alex graduated with a degree in Drama and Film Studies in 2008, and subsequently worked as Marketing Manager for the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse Cinema. She now works full time as a freelance filmmaker, and has worked with a range of organisations, including Arsenal Football Club's in-house television production company.

"Coming to Anglia Ruskin for my studies is one of the best decisions I have made. I really enjoyed how Film Studies was the perfect combination of theory and practice. I got the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of film as well as developing skills in filmmaking. I was given confidence by my lecturers to really start thinking about my film work seriously. The lecturers were very genuine and honest in their criticism.

As a work placement, I worked at the Cambridgeshire Film Consortium for the 'Working in Film' module which was a fantastic experience, and I was even given the opportunity of a paid position after the module had finished. It gave me the opportunity to gain administrative skills and film knowledge to practice.

I am lucky to now be freelancing full time as a video producer, camera operator and editor. My freelancing credits now include Arsenal TV, Cambridge City Council, The Junction, as well as others."

Visit Alex's Vimeo page

Deniz Johns (Turkey)
BA (Hons) Film Studies, 2009

Deniz graduated with a degree in Film Studies in 2010, and is currently completing her MFA in Communication, Art and Design at the Royal College of Art in London. She has been artist in residence at arts2 media, and has collaborated with Seven Sisters Group, 'Behind the Scenes', performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. She also contributed to the Edgware Road Project, with a screening of group work at the Serpentine in London.

"In these last three years, I have become immersed in so many creative activities that have helped me to grow personally and professionally. I have worked for the Cambridge Film Festival, I co-produced a short film, one of my video works was screened in an international film festival, another was screened at Arts Picturehouse in a special woman filmmaker's screening. In addition, I was awarded a grant by Anglia Ruskin University to participate in a unique silent film festival in Italy, Le Giornate Del Cinema Mut. The BA Film Studies programme gave me everything I needed academically and in terms of courage, morale and support. The lecturers were all eager to see me develop my talents to the full and for this I will always be hugely grateful."

Nicole Davidow (Namibia)
BA (Hons) Film Studies, 2009

Since graduating, Nicole has worked with producer Doug Lyman (The Bourne Identity) on the short film Camelthorns, based on a screenplay that she co-wrote. She also starred in the film. The film was included in the market at Rotterdam Film Festival and at Berlinale, where they were able to secure funding for the feature, which is scheduled for 2012 release.

"Studying Film Studies at Anglia Ruskin has helped me a great deal in many ways, as it provided a very broad introduction to the film industry. We wrote, directed, edited, produced and acted in the films we made. However, I also really enjoyed the theoretical part of the course, studying international and national cinema, genre and gender studies, history of cinema, cinema as an art form and analyzing work by a range of directors. We watched many films every week and discussed them, which I personally think helped me the most.

I am very grateful for the help I have received from my lecturers during my studies, coming from Namibia, I was not as familiar with the Industry and as English is not my first language I struggled with that too, but whenever I had a question or concern I could e-mail one of my tutors and received immediate help. Also after my studies I received help from my lecturer Toby Venables, who also received a special thanks on the credits for the Camelthorns short film."

Ingrid Endresen Thorseth (Norway)
BA (Hons) Media Studies, 2012

"I decided to apply for a bachelor in Media studies at Anglia Ruskin University after reading about what I though would be a very interesting and relevant course. Today I am convinced that I made the right decision two years ago. I have truly enjoyed most of the modules, and I feel that many of them are highly relevant for what I want to do when I finish my degree. When I have needed assistance the teachers have been very helpful. Overall I am very pleased with my first two years doing media studies at Anglia Ruskin University, and I'm certain that I am going to miss the university and the town after I graduate next year."

Ed Frost (England)
BA (Hons) Film Studies 2012

"One of the advantages of studying Film at Anglia Ruskin University is benefitting from the industry expertise of the tutors on the course. Alongside their continued support throughout your studies, they are great at inspiring students to partake in extra-curricular activities and placements to help boost your CV, something that has given me great confidence as the course has progressed. As well as arranging a three-week internship at Optimum Releasing (now Studiocanal) in the summer between years two and three, I was also put forward for a two-week stint working at Sight & Sound magazine, something of a dream come true for me personally.

These working roles in different sectors of the British film industry have complemented the career path that the course has been leading me toward. The range of theory and practice modules have allowed me to test out my strengths and abilities in many areas of film both inside and outside of the course, including getting involved with the Campus Cinema, as well as writing for a variety of UK film blogs, including CineVue. Building upon my interest in film journalism and criticism, I have been appointed the film sub-editor for the university magazine Apex, as well as generating a reviewing blog for students to upload and share their film writing. I also wrote for the 31st Cambridge Film Festival magazine, Take One, and had a short animation screened as part of a 'Best of' student work programme, experiences that only the Film Studies course at Anglia Ruskin could have afforded me."

Ivan Stoyanov (Bulgaria)
BA (Hons) Media Studies, 2011

"I found the degree to be very flexible as it gave me free reign to tailor the theoretical and practical aspects of contemporary media to my own needs. My strong interest in the crossdisciplinary field of continental philosophy, political communications theory and new media technology was fostered in a Department with an internationally recognised research culture. Being informed by the most current debates, I developed a high degree of measured reasoning and a depth of knowledge about media reportage, commentary and production.

The 'News and Feature Writing' elective came in particularly handy with its practical exercises that included structure, style and layout. These enabled me to become the winner of a six-month Arts Journalism bursary scheme with leading online publisher Culture24."

Sean Duffy (England)
BA (Hons) Media Studies, 2011

"Having the opportunity to gain work experience in the media industry allowed me to get a foothold in the world of teaching media. My time at Clacton County High school helped me see the benefits of teaching media studies to the younger generation, and to value the abilities that can be encouraged in students through their academic progression. My time during this module was of great credit to my tutor as she guided me through in order for me to achieve the maximum benefit from the work placement.

I have no doubt that my time at Anglia Ruskin will benefit me greatly in the future. The teaching quality I have received has been of the highest possible standard. With the education I have received over the past three years I am sure that there is a career in the media industry for me."

Dominic De Vere (England)
BA (Hons) Communication and Film Studies, 2005

"The course provided a flexible balance of practice based modules and critical theory. This balance, in retrospect, has been incredibly important towards developing a career in the arts, enabling one to work fluidly and efficiently across various modes of film production through editing, cinematography, film and digital technologies. The diverse range of material introduced is a further key to the success of the course, with a wide range of filmmakers - across the entire filmmaking spectrum - along with the introduction and discussion of important writers and theorists, to explore ideas surrounding contemporary culture and the development of critical thinking in relation to film history.

Regular visits and screenings by artists and filmmakers provided further opportunities to view and discuss contemporary work, both from the UK and further afield. The course is taught by practicing filmmakers, who regularly exhibit their own work. Their knowledge and experience provided great opportunities for career development, and made the stages following academic study clear and accessible. This combination, alongside excellent access to equipment, facilities and technical expertise, provided an excellent foundation for both pursuing further academic study on completion of my degree and developing the skills necessary towards a sustained career in the arts."