The new Center for Film Studies will meet student needs by creating projection and production facilities and by consolidating faculty and administrative offices, which are now dispersed in several buildings, in a new facility connected to the Cinema Archives' home on Washington Terrace. The new state-of-the-art film theater will have perfect sight lines and will provide quality viewing from all seats, and the production laboratories will allow the teaching of virtual, digital, and 16mm filmmaking techniques. The building will also include a lobby that will allow for archival exhibitions and receptions. Future plans include additional classrooms and archival storage space with appropriate temperature and humidity controls to better protect the Cinema Archives' collections.

"Wesleyan’s Film Studies Program has provided a model that other schools emulate," said Wesleyan President Douglas J. Bennet. "We are proud of our program, our faculty, and the students and alumni who are doing such great work. We are especially grateful to the alumni and friends of Film Studies for their support. We look forward to having a facility that truly supports the work that gets done here."

"The secret of our success has been to place film studies squarely within the context of the liberal arts," said Jeanine Basinger, chair of the Film Studies Program. "Cutting-edge film is a function of the quality of thought that goes into it. However, having the right facilities for production and screening will enable our students to do their very best work."

The Film Studies Program at Wesleyan combines film history and theory with the art and technique of filmmaking, within a liberal arts context. This combination of discourse and technique was revolutionary in film studies 30 years ago at the program's outset, and as a testament to the importance of Wesleyan's program within the academic world, most film schools across the country now include similar curricular elements. The outcome of this well-rounded approach is also evident in the professional film community - where a network of Wesleyan Film Studies alumni hold leadership positions.

Thus far, Wesleyan has received over 100 individual gifts and pledges to enable construction of the center, amounting to over $3 million for of the $5.6 million cost of the first phase. Among the Wesleyan alumni who have contributed are Rick Nicita '67, head of Creative Artists Agency, and Joss H. Whedon '87, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The planned site for the Center for Film Studies is located at the northern edge of the University campus fronting on Washington Terrace and adjacent to the Center for the Arts. The site was chosen because of its relationship to the current home of the Film Studies and Cinema Archives offices -- 301 Washington Terrace.

Wesleyan's current fundraising campaign seeks to raise $55 million toward a total of $130 million in planned facilities improvements to be implemented over the next decade. Wesleyan has currently raised $188 million toward the $250 million campaign goal.

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