Why Iowa?

Iowa helped pioneer film studies—and today, you can hone your craft and find your voice in America’s best small city for the arts.

Turn creativity into storytelling

Advance your craft

Learn from experts

See yourself here

Experience the energy of Iowa City, where filmmakers, dreamers, and storytellers turn vision into art.

Write your story

Iowa’s cinematic arts programs prepare you to think critically, create boldly, and lead in a changing media world.

faculty helping student with VR

15

Full-time faculty
student in camera check out

229

Undergraduate cinema majors

Fall 2025 data

179

Undergraduate screenwriting majors

Fall 2025 data

screenwriting student in class workshopping

70 +

Courses taught
student in theatre discussing films

News and announcements

International silent film retrospective highlights growing work at Iowa

Monday, October 5, 2026
Michael Cowan’s work for one of the field’s most prominent international gatherings coincides with new collaborations in silent film scholarship, music, and performance at the University of Iowa.

CLAS grad living dream producing ‘Pat McAfee Show’

Thursday, October 1, 2026
Fueled by the confidence he built as a University of Iowa student, Ty Schmit made a play in 2017 to join Pat McAfee’s fledgling media enterprise as an intern. Now he produces the retired football player’s daily sports show, which recently was acquired by ESPN.

When an image becomes a place: How Kaia Olsen reimagines visual storytelling

Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Kaia Olsen's experimental research invites audiences to move through photographically captured events reconstructed as three-dimensional spaces, revealing new perspectives and possibilities for storytelling.

Events

Homer Goes Hollywood: What Nolan's Odyssey Changes, Keeps, and Reinvents promotional image

Homer Goes Hollywood: What Nolan's Odyssey Changes, Keeps, and Reinvents

Thursday, October 15, 2026 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Iowa City Public Library; Meeting Room A
Lovers of film and readers of classic lit, and anyone in-between, please join us for a panel discussion of Homer's Odyssey as both a written work and an epic film!
Super-Powered Storytelling: On Writing Comics  promotional image

Super-Powered Storytelling: On Writing Comics

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 3:30pm
Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building
Join Cinematic Arts and comic book writer Ben Percy to learn more about how crafting a comic book parallels storyboarding a film! Listen in as he discusses the practice and craft of comic book storytelling and how to direct a small "set" of collaborators.
What Makes a Great Story?: Panel Discussion with Franklin Leonard and Ben Percy | Moderated By Rachel Yoder and Dean Bakopoulos promotional image

What Makes a Great Story?: Panel Discussion with Franklin Leonard and Ben Percy | Moderated By Rachel Yoder and Dean Bakopoulos

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Voxman Music Building
What separates a good story from a truly unforgettable one? Join acclaimed novelist, screenwriter, and comics writer Benjamin Percy and Franklin Leonard, founder and CEO of The Black List, for a wide-ranging conversation about the craft, business, and cultural impact of storytelling.
The Whale: Screening and Conversation with Samuel D. Hunter promotional image

The Whale: Screening and Conversation with Samuel D. Hunter

Thursday, October 29, 2026 6:30pm
Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building
Join award-winning playwright and Iowa Playwrights Workshop alumnus, Samuel D. Hunter, as he discusses his play and adapted screenplay of The Whale.
The Whale: Screening and Conversation with Samuel D. Hunter promotional image

The Whale: Screening and Conversation with Samuel D. Hunter

Friday, October 30, 2026 10:00am
Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building
Join award-winning playwright and Iowa Playwrights Workshop alumnus, Samuel D. Hunter, as he discusses his play and adapted screenplay of The Whale.
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