Prof HJORT, Anne Mette

Professor Mette Hjort is carrying the concurrent title of Chair Professor of Film and Media.

Professor Hjort’s research spans the fields of film and media studies, theatre studies, literary studies, and philosophy. Much of her research has focused on the cinemas of small nations, with an emphasis on practitioner’s agency, creativity under constraint, gift culture, talent development, transnational collaboration, and artistic projects as alternatives or complements to cultural policy. Her research has been recognized by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS), through the Fieldnotes project which captures the contributions of “foundational scholars.” The Fieldnotes video is available here: https://video.com/416582967 (interviewer, Dr Missy Molloy).

Current research interests include moving images in the context of health and flourishing, filmmaking in the context of climate change, solidarity-based capacity building through North/South partnerships of equals, and film and public value.

Professor Hjort obtained her bachelor’s (hons) degree in English Literature, Theatre, and Film and Communications and master’s degree in Communications from McGill University, and her PhD in History and Civilizations from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Transnational Cinema Studies by Aalborg University in Denmark in 2017. Previous positions include Professor of Film and Screen Studies (and Head of the School of Film, Media and Journalism) at the University of Lincoln, Chair Professor of Humanities (and Dean of Arts) at Hong Kong Baptist University, Professor of Film Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Professor II of Arts and Media Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Associate Vice President (Academic Quality Assurance and Internationalisation) and Chair Professor of Visual Studies at Lingnan University, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature (and Head of Department) at Hong Kong University, Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies at Aalborg University, and Associate Professor of Film and Communications (and Programme Director) at McGill University. Professor Hjort has held visiting professorships at St Andrews University and University College London, and has also taught at Fudan University. She is an Affiliate Professor of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle and an Honorary Professor of the School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS) at University College London.

A founding fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities, Professor Hjort has served on the University Grants Committee (appointed by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive) and on the Board of the Danish Film Institute (appointed by the Danish Minister of Culture). Professor Hjort’s community engagement includes projects with FilmLab: Palestine, FilmLab: Zanzibar, and with the alternative film school, IMAGINE, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Professor Hjort regularly serves on the jury of the Zanzibar International Film Festival. She is a trustee of the UK charity Learning on Screen.