Oregon in Ireland

Students Study Filmmaking and Irish Cinema in Dublin, Ireland

Story By: Dr. Michael Aronson
Photos By: Kaitlynn Tallman

Large Photo_CMYK

Students walk through ancient burial mounds at Brú na Bóinne, Ireland, during the Summer 2014 Study Abroad Program.

The crowd outside the theater was buzzing with the kind of collective energy that comes from having just shared a great film at a great film festival. As I looked around the throng of cinephiles for my Oregon students, I found most of them clustered in an animated group chatting with Jack Reynor and Will Poulter, the young stars of the film Glassland, an intense urban Dublin thriller that had just had its world premiere at the 2014 Galway Film Fleadh. “Fleadh,” pronounced similarly to ‘flaw,’ is the Irish word for festival, and we were all there as part of Cinema Studies’ inaugural study abroad summer program in Ireland.

Studying abroad is one of the great opportunities college students can participate in, 
regardless of where or what they study. Dr. Michael Aronson, Cinema Studies Director

Studying abroad is one of the great opportunities college students can experience, regardless of where or what they study. But we wanted to give our Oregon students the chance to immerse themselves in an international summer cinema program that would, like the major itself, blend critical studies with creative productive work. Students enrolled in the five-week program take course on Irish Contemporary Cinema and Digital Filmmaking at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, the home of Ireland’s National Film School, based just outside Dublin’s city center. The dramatic beauty of Ireland is a well-known attraction, but we also chose the country for its vibrant filmmaking community, the Film School’s excellent resources, and the opportunity to study a cinema that richly reflects its complex national history and identity. Many of the students who went this summer said it was one of the best experiences they’ve had while at college, and we look forward to offering it as an annual feature of Cinema Studies at Oregon.