Apply to MFA Programme in Film

How to apply

You need to complete the following three steps:

1. Apply to the programme

Apply to the MFA Programme in Film on universityadmissions.se.

Application deadline: 15 January 2027

2. Submit your portfolio

Submit your portfolio through SlideRoom.

Portfolio deadline: 15 January 2027

3. Document your eligibility

Submit the required documents through universityadmissions.se to show that you meet the entry requirements. Make sure your documents are correct and submitted by the deadline. 

Provide application documents

Documentation deadline: 1 February 2027

If you have studied in Sweden, you normally do not need to upload documents. Check that your qualifications are correctly registered under My pages on universityadmissions.se.

Entry requirements

To be eligible for the MFA Programme in Film, you must have:

• a Bachelor's degree in Film or other relevant field of of at least 180 credits or equivalent.
• English 6 or equivalent.

You can apply even if you have not yet completed your Bachelor's degree. 
Final year of Bachelor's studies 

Prior learning

If you don't meet the formal entry requirements, you may be considered eligible through the following:

• other relevant educational qualifications  
• relevant work experience or other practical experience
• relevant artistic skills and abilities

Submit official, certified documentation of your qualifications or experience on universityadmissions.se by the application deadline: 15 January.

Exemptions are not granted for the English language requirement (English 6).   

Portfolio instructions

Your portfolio must include:

1. Motivation Letter
2. Areas of Inquiry
3. Background and Experience
4. Film Work Samples

Important things to consider

• Your application must be written in English.  
• If you include projects or work in your portfolio created in collaboration with others, briefly describe the nature of the collaboration and your individual contribution.
• If you have used generative AI to create or process images, sound, or text we ask that you describe how you used it.  

Instructions 

1. Motivation letter - max 3000 characters including spaces. 
   In your motivation letter, explain why you are applying for master’s-level study at this point in your artistic practice and why you have chosen this programme in particular. You should explain your interest in inquiry-led education in film. Your response should be specific and grounded.  
   
   Please address the following:  
   - Where you are in your practice now? 
   Briefly describe your current artistic practice. Identify the questions, challenges or areas of development that are important to you at this stage.  
   
   - Why you want to undertake master’s-level study?  
   Explain what you hope to develop, reconsider or strengthen through further study, and why this feels relevant or necessary for your practice now.  
   
   - Why this programme?  
   Describe how your aims relate to the programme’s educational profile, curriculum, learning environment or ways of working. Focus on the aspects that are genuinely relevant to your development rather than repeating wording from the programme description.  
   
   - What you hope to achieve through the programme? 
   Give a clear sense of what you hope to develop during the programme in terms of your artistic practice, methods, knowledge or ways of working. 
   
    
2. Areas of Inquiry - Max 4000 characters including spaces. 
   In this section, write about the questions or concerns you are curious about right now – the kind of thing you might want to spend two years exploring during the Master’s.  
   
   Please address the following:  
   - What are you curious about? Name one or two questions, themes or concerns that genuinely interest you at the moment.  
   
   - Why is it worth exploring more broadly and why does this matter to you?  
   
   - Who else is exploring this? Name some artists, filmmakers, writers or thinkers – from any field, does not need to be only film – who have engaged with similar questions. Briefly say what you find interesting or useful in their work.  
   
   - What would you want to do differently, or add? Briefly describe where you think there is room to take this further, respond to it, push against it, or bring something of your own to it. 
   
   Important to consider:  
   - This is neither a research plan nor a proposal for a film project. That you will develop gradually, together with your teachers, once you are here. What we want to understand is how you think, what draws your curiosity, and how you might go about exploring a question.  
   - Write honestly and clearly, not as you imagine an academic committee would want to hear it.  
   - It is completely fine if your interests are still forming, broad, or even a little unresolved.  
   - You do not need to reference film exclusively – literature, visual art, music, performance, philosophy, or anything else that shapes how you think is welcome.  
   
   Keep it concrete: better to explore one or two questions with some depth than to list many things briefly.
    
3. Background and experience - max 3000 characters including spaces. 
   
   List and briefly describe your academic, artistic, and professional experiences relevant to studying film at the MFA level. Organize your response under the following headings: 
   
   - Education and Training 
   List what you have studied, where, and the dates of your studies. Briefly explain how your academic background shapes your perspective on filmmaking, what knowledge or methods you can contribute to your peers, and how it informs your artistic approach.
    
   - Creative and Professional Work 
   List relevant film projects and/or other artistic work in which you have participated. For each project, include the title, year, and your specific role (e.g., director, cinematographer, editor, producer), making clear your responsibilities and contributions to the work. 
   
   - Other Relevant Experience 
   List any other experiences that have shaped your development as a filmmaker or creative practitioner, such as work outside film, community engagement, collaborations, etc. Briefly describe how these experiences have influenced your perspective, practice, or approach to filmmaking. 
    
4. Work Samples 
   You are required to submit one or more film samples in which you have played a decisive professional role. Your role must be clearly identified in the credits.  
   
   Samples may consist of excerpts from a longer film, stand-alone scenes or sequences, or a complete short film. You may also submit a project created specifically for this application.  
   
   The total running time of all samples must not exceed seven minutes. Any material beyond this limit will not be considered, as the jury will only review the first seven minutes. It is therefore essential that you select and edit your material carefully.   
   
   If you are submitting work samples in a language other than English, you must include English subtitles.  
    

Submit your portfolio

Submit your portfolio through SlideRoom

Before the deadline

• You can start your application at any time during the application period.
• You can save your progress, log out and return later.
• SlideRoom closes at midnight (CET) on the day of the application deadline.
• You will receive a confirmation email when your portfolio has been submitted.
• We recommend uploading your materials at least 24 hours before the deadline.
• Portfolios cannot be submitted after the deadline.

Assessment

Your application will be assessed based on the following criteria: 

1. Quality and Level of Work – Artistic and technical standard of submitted material.
2. Motivation for Studies – Clarity of reasons for undertaking the programme.
3. Area(s) of Inquiry – Ability to identify and articulate a possible field of inquiry to pursue during the Master’s. 
   
   The assessment is made by an admissions jury consisting of the Programme Director and representatives from the department.   

Interviews

The highest-ranked applicants will be invited to a digital personal interview. Invitations will be sent to to the email address registered with universityadmissions.se. 

Your interview will be based on the following criteria: 

1. Ability to articulate, critically reflect on and develop ideas about artistic practice and inquiry. 

The final assessment is based on the application and the interview.

Key Dates