Organisation profile
Organisation profile
British Film and Television Studies has been one of the department’s established research themes for several decades. It is one of the things the UEA is best known for.
We are interested in the history of these media industries, particularly how British cinema and TV relate to debates around (for example) genre, authorship, gender and technological change.
Our long-standing strengths in this area have been supported by over £1.5 million in major research grants from the Arts and Humanities Research Council on British cinema in the 1960s, colour in British film, and British television comedy.
We regularly collaborate with the BFI, Studio Canal UK and Network Distributing on events and DVD releases. We also work closely with the East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) and their collection of local and regional film and television, most recently digitising over 140 short amateur films produced and/or directed by women filmmakers between the 1920s and 1990s.
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Profiles
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Keith M Johnston
- School of Media, Language and Communication Studies - Professor of Film & Television Studies
- MEDIA (media equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility) - Member
- Comics Studies Research Group - Member
- British Cinema & Television - Member
- Film, Television and Media - Member
- CreativeUEA - Steering Committee Member
Person: Research Group Member, Research Centre Member, Academic, Teaching and Research
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Melanie Williams
- School of Media, Language and Communication Studies - Professor
- MEDIA (media equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility) - Member
- British Cinema & Television - Member
- Film, Television and Media - Member
- Gender and Its Intersections - Member
Person: Research Group Member, Academic, Teaching and Research
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Sports is Politics. Study of the representation of gender, ethnicity and health in sports-themed audiovisuals (Sports-Politics).
Rovirosa, A. T. (Principal Investigator) & Williams, M. (Researcher)
1/09/25 → 31/07/28
Project: Research
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Mariagiulia Grassilli 'African Film Archives: collaborative practices of restoration and preservation of film heritage'
Grassilli, M. (Principal Investigator) & Johnston, K. M. (Co-Investigator)
1/09/25 → 31/08/28
Project: Fellowship
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AHRC Impact Acceleration Account
Jowitt, C. (Principal Investigator), Barrow, S. (Co-Investigator), Johnston, K. M. (Co-Investigator), Johnston, K. M. (Co-Investigator), Kassim, H. (Co-Investigator) & Vincent, N. (Co-Investigator)
Arts and Humanities Research Council
1/04/22 → 31/03/27
Project: Other
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Moving Amateur Movies: The International Amateur Cinema Network in the 1930s
Johnston, K. M., Tepperman, C. (Lead Author), Mariani, A. & Schneider, S., 6 Jan 2026, A Century In 16mm: The Remaking of Cinema. Wasson, H. & Waller, G. (eds.). Oxford University Press, p. 221-240 20 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
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Valuing the labor of women amateur filmmakers and the archivists who preserve their works
Johnston, K. M. & Arnold, S., 2026, Cultural Heritage Data and Power. Auclair, C., Dang, S.-M. & Junginger, P. (eds.). Meson PressResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
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A film-maker not a note-taker: A roundtable discussion on the craft of script supervision
Williams, M. (Editor), 6 Feb 2025, In: Open Screens. 7, 1Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile27 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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Bill Douglas Cinema Museum Visiting Researcher Stipend
Williams, M. (Recipient), 2023
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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Community University Engagement individual Media and Communications Award
Williams, M. (Recipient), 2013
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Activities
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Sport is Political and Feminine
Williams, M. (Keynote/plenary speaker)
1 Dec 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop or seminar
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Doing Women's Film and Television History 7th International Conference
Williams, M. (Speaker)
18 Jun 2025 → 20 Jun 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
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Channel Talent session, Film/Media
Williams, M. (Speaker)
5 Mar 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Schools engagement
Press/Media
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BFI Inside the archives - object of the week: Behind-the-scenes shots from the making of the first British Asian feature film
28/01/26
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blog
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Interview and discussion for Hammer Blu Ray release, The Man Who Could Cheat Death (on Hammer glamour)
27/01/26
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Media Coverage or Contribution
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BFI Inside the archives - object of the week: Ealing’s poster for the classic police drama The Blue Lamp
21/01/26
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blog