In September, COMD Associate Professor Colleen Kennedy-Karpat met with 60 colleagues in Babelsberg/Potsdam, Germany to discuss contemporary issues and advancements in film school research programs.
Dr. Kennedy-Karpat’s presentation, “Prestige and the New Research Landscape,” introduced questions about how institutions and researchers determine the value of their work in film research, and how their work contributes to wider perceptions of prestige.
Sponsored by GEECT, the European branch of CILECT (World Organisation of Cinema, Audiovisual and Media Schools), and co-organized by Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf and La Fémis (Paris), this Thematic Event on “Research in Film Schools in Turbulent Times” brought together film school faculty from across Europe and as far away as Australia. The purpose was to address concerns, discuss best practices, and share findings from recent and ongoing research projects.
Bilkent COMD has been a full institutional member of CILECT, a selective association with member schools around the world, since 2019. Of the organization’s five regional subgroups, GEECT is the largest with more than 100 member schools.
Left to right: Panel chair Kirsi Rinne (Aalto University, Finland) and panelists Sarah Kordecki (Film University, Babelsberg, Germany), Colleen Kennedy-Karpat (Bilkent COMD), and Filip Gabriel Pudło (Łódź Film School, Poland) take questions after presenting at the GEECT event “Research in Film Schools in Turbulent Times.” PHOTO CREDIT © 2026 Nick Hempel, IKF, Filmuniversity Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, reproduced with permission.
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