Film Studies

Molly received her Master of Arts degree in Film Studies from the University of British Columbia in 2015.

Her thesis explored evocations of Henri Bergson’s philosophy of memory in the notorious AMC series Mad Men.

As a passionate academic interested in historical dramas, child/youth cinema, and literary adaptations, she has been invited to speak on the radio as well as at media studies conferences across North America.

Her first academic article on Rumble Fish, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film adaptation of the young adult novel by S.E. Hinton, was recently published in Boyhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal.

Katrin Bowen is a passionate teacher, and award-winning filmmaker.

She has taught and continues to teach Career classes for the acting, directing, and writing streams, Advanced Directing and Film History at Langara College, Directing and Acting at In Focus Film School, Screenwriting at Vancouver Film School, and is thrilled to be teaching world cinema at Alexander College.

Katrin directed her first feature film “Amazon Falls”, which went on to great critical success with a world premiere at TIFF, Best Feature Film Award at The Female Eye Festival, and Katrin won the vision award for best direction at the 2011 WIFTV Spotlight Awards.

Katrin’s second feature film: “Random Acts of Romance” was nominated for four Leo Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Screenplay, and played at film festivals as diverse as Miami and Cameroon, Africa.

Katrin is an Alumnae of the University of California at Berkeley, The Cannes Producing Intensive, Women in the Director’s Chair, The Toronto International Film Festival Talent Lab and The Berlinale Talent Campus.

David Van Der Merwe is a screenwriter and film critic who loves to guide students through the exciting road of writing for film & TV.

Focusing on insight into story principles, he has helped writers strengthen their story structure, sharpen dialogue, and perfect their script format to sell/produce their screenplays.

After completing a Master of Fine Arts in Cinema and Television, David taught at the American University in the Emirates in Dubai, participated as an ongoing judge at screenplay competitions in Hollywood and is currently teaching Film at Alexander College, Metro Vancouver.

Ashley is from Dublin, Ireland. He obtained a Masters of Art in History at the University College of Dublin (1998) and a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Acting from UBC in 2006.

Ashley has a lot of hands-on experience in the world of the performing arts, including many film and TV credits. Selected credits include: Turner & Hooch, Riverdale, A Million Little Things, Dirk Gently, DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow, Zoo, Supernatural, Watchmen, Stargate: Atlantis.

He has also been a part of over 50 theatre productions since arriving in Canada and has four Jessie Richardson (professional theatre) nominations & one win (Best Supporting Actor – Flare Path, 2017). He lives in Burnaby with his wife and two bratty boys.

Alec Christensen completed his MA in Cinema and Media Studies at the University of British Columbia in 2022. His thesis examined the prevalence of fictional Middle Eastern countries in American media, specifically in film and video games.

In his courses, Alec highlights the ways in which cinema shapes our understanding of the world and our various positions within it.

Michael completed his MA in Cinema and Media Studies at the University of British Columbia in 2022. Michael also completed a diploma in Film Production from Vancouver Film School in 2012.

Michael’s MA thesis examined the relationship between film and philosophy through the lenses of worldbuilding and religious rituals. Michael’s research interests include film-philosophy, auteurism, and Canadian cinema.

His most recent academic publication focused on the films of Michael Haneke. Outside of academia, he worked as an Associate Producer for the Vancouver-based independent film After Eden (2015).

At Alexander College, Michael teaches World Cinema and Canadian Cinema.

Kate completed her MA in Cinema and Media Studies at the University of British Columbia in 2022. As a lifelong lover of dance, music videos, and contemporary popular culture, much of her research focuses on K-pop internet fandom. Her thesis explored the significance of social media as a tool for strengthening parasocial relationships between K-pop fans and idols during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kate has also presented her work at various conferences across North America and received awards for her research on expressions of queerness in the film Call Me By Your Name. She has been published in academic journals such as Film Matters and was the co-editor-in-chief of UBC’s film journal Cinephile.

Zachery completed his MA in Moving Image Studies at Concordia University in 2023 following the completion of his undergraduate degree in Film Studies from the University of British Columbia in 2020.

Zachery’s MA thesis interrogated intersections between genre theory, affect theory, and ecocriticism in contemporary cinema and video games. Zachery’s other academic interests include film theory, phenomenology, and platform studies.

At Alexander College, Zachery currently teaches World Cinema.

Angela Morrison is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Cinema and Media Studies at the University of British Columbia. She received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. Her dissertation research is focused on contemporary melodrama and pop divas such as Mariah Carey, RuPaul, and Lady Gaga. She has previously given guest lectures and conference presentations on gender, sexuality, melodrama, camp, and queerness. She has a chapter in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Media and Vocality on melodrama, voice, and music. Her favourite film of all time is All That Heaven Allows (1955).