Two students adjust cameras to record a guitar player on the soundstage.

KU Film & Media Studies

The world has stories to tell. Through analysis and production, we explore who we are, where we've been, and where we're going.

Film & Media Studies

350+
students
14,148
sq. ft. of Soundstage, Studio, and lab space
$1.8M
of production equipment

Our People

An instructor stands next to a video camera and talks to a large group of students.

Our Faculty

Our world-class faculty inform the community with their research as well as lending their talents through production work. Many have been recognized in the industry through publications in prominent journals and through recognition and awards in the film community.
A student reads over a script while the camera hovers nearby.

Our Students

Lourdes Kalusha-Aguirre has a passion to inspire political engagement through film. Several of the films she’s created have won awards, including a 2019 Brosseau Creativity Award from the Spencer Museum of Art, and been screened as part of major events like the New York Latino Film Festival.
A woman in black crouches outside a window.

Our Alumni

After graduating with a Film & Media Studies degree in 2018, Chloe Burns lived the film student dream of moving to Los Angeles and working in the industry. That is, until the pandemic brought the world to a halt. No industry was hit harder than film, leaving less-established workers in the dust.



Latest News

TOPEKA — Academy Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker Kevin Willmott welcomed the U.S. Army’s decision to set aside courts-martial convictions of 110 Black soldiers, including 19 executed for involvement in World War I-era race rioting in Houston.
LAWRENCE – Kevin Willmott is unsure whether his 2020 film, “The 24th,” helped lead to this week’s decision by the U.S.



Upcoming Events

Become a Jayhawk

Join the KU Film & Media Studies Department
Apply Here!

Student Projects

Students work together to create a new musical arrangement of "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers.

John Dawkins – Vocals
Klaudia Manis – Drums
Prof. Brandon Draper – Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keys, Producer, Lead Engineer
Assistant Engineers – Jackson Goodrich, Bennett Doyle, Bryn Montierth, Carter Dalton, Erica Torres, Elian Figueroa, Denzel Garrett, Charles Kinzel, Matej Babic, Fayth Reeves
John McCluskey – Video Producer, Editor, Captions
Bennett Doyle – Director of Photography

Opportunities in FMS

A man sets up a light on a Soundstage while another watches.

Internships

FMS students are encouraged to get professional experience through internships. Besides improving your skills, the connections you make have the potential to lead to paid employment.
A student in plaid holds a camera aimed at another student with a clapper board.

Student Clubs

Collaborate and expand your skillset by producing films with other students.
Students gather in a group outside while the sun sets.

Study Abroad

Expand your community and learn about other cultures while getting college credit.