Dr Emmie McFadden PhD, MA, BA
Senior Lecturer and Course Leader BA (Hons) Film Studies
Summary
I am committed to creating inclusive spaces for teaching and exploring theoretical frameworks that deepen our understanding of cinema. My approach fosters constructive, forward-thinking dialogue, encouraging open and critical discussions about film’s role in shaping cultural and social narratives and its potential to drive meaningful change in the world.
Passionate about bridging theory and practice, I emphasise work-based learning and digital skills, creating opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings. By collaborating with film organisations, I strive to enhance students' university experience and equip them with practical, industry-relevant knowledge and skills.
About
I am passionate about teaching critical and theoretical frameworks for analysing film that are both academically rigorous and industry-relevant. I have collaborated with prestigious organisations such as the BFI Film Academy, Reclaim The Frame, Sheffield DocFest, British Independent Film Awards, Irish Film Festival London, Cinema For All, and a variety of film venues and institutions.
I have had the privilege of hosting interviews, panel discussions, and Q&As with an impressive range of film creatives, including Florence Pugh, Clio Barnard, Margo Harkin, William Oldroyd, Maria Akbar, Alison Millar, and the cast and creative team of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, among others.
My academic and professional interests centre on the critical analysis of film through the lens of ideological representations of gender, race, sexuality, and nationality. In my teaching, I focus on exploring notions of ‘hidden-ness’ in film and film history, striving to highlight and bring visibility to marginalised identities and lived experiences both in front of and behind the camera. I am particularly committed to uncovering the often-overlooked contributions of women in essential production roles throughout film history.
Currently, I am writing my monograph, “Hidden” Irishness: Visualising the Irish in Britain, which examines the positive interrelations between British and Irish cinemas. Grounded in cultural debates around national, racial, ethnic, and gender identities, the work focuses on representations of the Irish diaspora and the depiction of bodies in both visual and verbal media, developing textual analyses to uncover ‘invisible’ groups.
Additionally, I have contributed to the revival and critical discourse around Pat Murphy’s Maeve (1981), hosting panel discussions for the Irish Film Festival London and publishing written works for the film’s BFI digitised re-release (2021) as well as the edited volume Maeve (eds. Lance Pettitt & Beatriz Kopschtz Bastos, 2022).
Teaching
Department of Humanities
College of Social Sciences and Arts
Subject area
Film and Theatre
Courses
BA (Hons) Film Studies
Modules
Film Programming
Thinking About Movies
Rights, Camera, Action
Film Dissertation
Research
Monograph on Irish Cinema - “Hidden” Irish: Visualising the Irish in Britain
‘Sites of Power: Memory, Storytelling, and Identity’ – Meave BFI Remastered Bluray, 2021
‘From Belfast to Maeve: Remembering as Re-vision’ in Maeve, Ed. Lance Pettit, Beatriz Kopschitz Bastos, 2022.
‘Memory to Film: Reviving the Irish Diaspora in Stephen Frears’ Liam’. In Viewpoints: Theoretical Perspectives on Irish Visual Texts, (eds.) Emma Radley and Claire Bracken. Cork University Press, 2013.
‘Hyde and Seek: English-Irish Hybridity in Stephen Frears’ Mary Reilly’. In Irish Studies Review, (19.1), February, 2011
Publications
Journal articles
McFadden, E. (2011). Hyde and seek: English–Irish hybridity in Stephen Frears'Mary Reilly. Irish Studies Review, 19 (1), 65-73. http://doi.org/10.1080/09670882.2011.541650
McFadden, E. (2010). Shakespeare on Silent Film: An Excellent Dumb Discourse. COMPARATIVE DRAMA, 44 (2), 245-248.
Book chapters
Mcfadden, E. (2022). From Belfast to Maeve: Remembering as Re-Vision. In Pettitt, L., & Bastos, B.K. (Eds.) Maeve - Ireland on Film - Screenplays and Critical Contexts. Editora UFSC: https://livraria.ufsc.br/produto/1251/maeve
McFadden, E. (2013). Memory to film: Reviving theirish diaspor in Stephen Frears' Liam. In Project Muse 4. (pp. 93-108).
Theses / Dissertations
McFadden, E. (2011). The in-between : Film adaptation, Irish cinema and diaspora. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Spiedel, S.
Other publications
Mcfadden, E. (2021). Sites of Power: Memory, Storytelling and Identity. BFI
Mcfadden, E. (2021). Sites of Power: Memory, Storytelling and Identity. BFI
Postgraduate supervision
PhD Supervisions
Catriona McAvoy, Below the Line: Decentering Narratives from the Stanley Kubrick Archive.
Anna Richards, A Critical and Cultural History of Sheffield DocFest
Lewis Kellett, Constructing and Representing Youth in 21st Century British Social Realist Cinema
Media
Emmie teaches Film Studies and her main research interests are Women and Film, Representations of Gender in Film, Queer Cinema, Human Rights and Film, Philosophy and Film, Film Adaptation, and Irish Cinema. She has conducted various interviews and Q&As with film directors and writers, including Mania Akbari, William Oldroyd, and Clio Barnard.