What Should My Portfolio Include?
The following documents are required for application:
- Completed and sent application e-form.The application form consists of the elements described below.
- Final university diploma of previous BA/MA degree(s) and their transcripts of records:
[A] A digital copy of your diploma (scan or clear photograph). If the original is not issued in English, Dutch, French or German, please also include an official translation into one of these languages. This can be provided by your school or by a sworn translator. If you have not yet graduated, you may submit an official statement from your institution confirming that you are enrolled in the final year, including your expected graduation date and the title of the degree you will obtain. If you have already graduated but your final diploma is not yet available, a provisional certificate of graduation will be accepted. Please note that only candidates who will graduate by 31 August 2026 are eligible to apply. If the original document is missing, you can upload in a certified copy of the original.
Legalisation of original diploma documents is not required during the initial application phase. However, additional documentation or verification may be requested if any details remain unclear during the admissions phase, or at the time of enrolment.
[B] Your transcript of records or diploma supplement. This should clearly document the full curriculum of your study programme, including the grades obtained.
- Candidates are required a good spoken and written English. The minimum required level of the English proficiency certificates is B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Please note however, that applicants can only prove their proficiency by the following means:
[A] Providing one of the following English certificates with the minimum scores listed below, issued within 5 years before the application deadline (from January 20th 2021):
- IELTS Academic with minimum overall band score 6.5 (with no section band score under 5.5)
- TOEFL iBT with minimum overall score 79
- Cambridge English Qualifications for higher education (B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency) with a minimum score of 170 on the Cambridge English Scale.
- Duolingo English Test with a minimum score 110
- ITACE for Students, with at least CEFR B2 results (Please be aware that this tests can only be taken in Belgium.)
[B] Providing a (high school or higher education) diploma from an English taught study programme in Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the United States of America.
We do not accept Medium of Instruction statements.
While a valid proof of English proficiency is required, the applicantʼs practical command of English will also be assessed during the interview. If the demonstrated language skills are deemed insufficient for successful participation in the programme, the application may not be retained.
- A Motivation Video
Make a video-selfie of maximum one (1) minute, answering in English the following three questions:
- What does film heritage mean to you?
- Why are you applying to the programme?
- What are your expectations of your future after this master’s programme?
The film must be uploaded to YouTube or to a similar platform with an unlisted link (no password!).
- Preliminary Graduation project proposal – no more than 500 words.
During the final semester, students will work on the FilmMemory Project, a creative graduation project. The ECTS sheet (course description) can be found here, on pages 23-26 of the PDF.
In no more than 500 words, please propose a project you would like to complete during the final semester adhering to one of the formats listed below. This project proposal is not binding but will help the Selection Committee to better understand student’s interests and assess creativity. (For more information about the FilmMemory curriculum, including the fourth semester, visit the curriculum section of the website.)
- Assignment – There are 3potential options to complete the student selection assignment: A critical written essay, a critical video essay, or a data analytics assignment. Students should choose one of the three options described below:
- 500-word Critical Written Essay. This written essay should be on an aspect of film history/or the work of a particular director/or an analysis of 2 cinematic texts, from the home country of the student. The work should display a basic command of theory and the capacity for independent research. Essays should be formulated using the Modern Languages Association citation style (MLA), must include citations and a bibliography, and should not exceed the word count of 500 words (This does not include the bibliography). It may contain images, but no more than five. The essay should have a cover page detailing the title of the essay and the name of the student. The text must be uploaded as a PDF file. The PDF file can be no larger than 5 MB. This can be achieved using Adobe software, however a simple online search will guide you to websites or tools that help you converting files into PDF format and (if necessary) reducing the size of PDF files. The essay must be written by the student for the purposes of this application.
- Critical Audio-visual Essay This video essay should, just like the written essay, be on an aspect of Film history/or the work of a particular director/or an analysis of 2 cinematic texts, from the home country of the student. The work should display a basic command of theory and the capacity for independent research. The video should last no more than 8 minutes. The voiceover and text must be in the English language. A list of sources should also be provided. Upload this film to YouTube, Vimeo or a similar platform. Use an unlisted link (!) with no password (!) Kindly note that only unlisted links are acceptable. If the film is made available for public access your application will be automatically disqualified. The film must be produced by the student for the purposes of this application.
- Film based data analytics project. This project should involve an analysis and visualisation of an independently selected dataset accompanied by a 1000-word research essay. The essay should introduce the proposed research question concerning the dynamics of film culture, clearly describe the dataset analysed, and critically discuss the produced data visualisations in the light of the research question to draw conclusions. We recommend using data from the premiere European Audiovisual Observatory’s databases LUMIERE (https://lumiere.obs.coe.int/) on the theatrical admissions of the films released in European cinemas and/or LUMIERE VOD (https://lumierevod.obs.coe.int/) on the availability of European works (film and TV content) on on-demand services in Europe. Both databases offer easy download options for datasets formed based on search queries. Other datasets relevant to the film industry will also be accepted. Essays should be formulated using the Modern Languages Association citation style (MLA), must include citations and a bibliography, and should not exceed the word count of 1000 words (bibliography not included). The essay and accompanying data visualisations (not more than three figures) must be uploaded as a single PDF file. The project should have a clear title (above the essay) and should contain the name of the student (below the essay). The PDF file can be no larger than 5 MB. A simple online search will guide you to websites or tools that will help you to convert files into PDF format and (if necessary) reducing the size of PDF files. Data analysis and visualisation must be performed by the student for the purposes of this application.
- A recent photo of the student (must be a high-definition image with white background)
- Copy of passport or ID card (EU) with expiration date.
It is highly recommended that the expiration date is 31 August 2026 or later.
- A residence certificate issued within 12 months before the submission deadline of the application, in accordance with the candidate’s municipality normal registration rules OR a certificate from the candidate’s place of work, study or training issued by the employer or institution in question.
- Digital Portfolio – You may have additional documents you would like to show to the selection committee. For example: sample writing, BA thesis, links to other video essays or audio-visual works, details of curatorial, archival or preservation work, etc. If this is the case, then you can make a portfolio and upload it as one (and only one) PDF document. The PDF file can be no larger than 5 MB. This can be achieved with Adobe software, however, a simple online search will guide you to websites or tools that help you to convert files into PDF format and (if necessary) reducing the size of PDF files. The Portfolio should have a title page with the name of the applicant and a table of contents (explaining the structure of the portfolio and the parts it is composed of).
It must be clear that (1) submitting a portfolio is not obligatory, (2) the Selection Committee may or may not take this portfolio into consideration. Crucial information should not be mentioned in this portfolio, but in the CV and motivation letter.