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About the Cinema Department

The Cinema Department was founded amid the political activism and artistic experimentation of the 1960's. Today, as then, the Cinema Department is committed to a curriculum which recognizes cinema to be an independent, powerful and unique medium in the world. Cinema programs combine theory and practice; students are encouraged to engage in scholarship and to pursue production in all forms of cinematic expression.

In the 1990's, a new facility was constructed, featuring a 2500 square foot shooting stage, greatly enlarging the department's post-production studios and labs, and beginning the transition from analogue to digital processes. A new screening room, the Coppola Theatre (FA 101), equipped for both 16mm and 35mm projection and featuring a Dolby sound system, was named for former Dean of Creative Arts August Coppola, whose efforts were primarily responsible for funding the new building. Digital upgrades to sound and editing labs have further modernized the department's production facilities.

Undergraduate cinema majors can earn a B.A. in Cinema, a general program in theory and practice that also offers a distinct emphasis in animation; graduate students work toward an M.A. in Cinema Studies or an M.F.A. in Cinema.

SFSU Cinema alumni have distinguished themselves as Oscar nominees and winners, high-profile animators, software designers and faculty members teaching on campuses worldwide.

Prospective & Transfer Student Resources