An interview with an award-winning British director, screenplays, video essays and podcasts will provide the first cut of a brand-new journal for film buffs.

Wednesday (January 20) will see the publication of the first issue of CUT/TO, a new, free, online cinema journal produced by students at Lancaster University.

Planning for the new journal began in October 2020, partly in response to the lockdown.

It was perceived as a way of providing a forum for the thoughts and creative work of the growing number of students who are studying film at Lancaster as well as those who simply have a passionate interest in the medium.

An editorial team of undergraduate and postgraduate students has been working over the past four months on the concept and design of the multi-media journal, as well as on writing and recording material, and editing submissions from Lancaster students.

The first issue of the journal contains essays, opinion pieces, screenplays, interviews, including an interview with award-winning British director Carol Morley, a video essay and a podcast.

The theme for the first of three issues a year is 'Cinema'. The second issue, due out in the spring, will be on the theme of 'Genre'.

“We've been trying to get this off the ground for some time, but the pandemic offered a good opportunity - it's been a way for us to keep contact with the students and to help them use some of the spare time they have,” says Dr Bruce Bennett, a Senior Lecturer and Director of Film Studies at Lancaster University.

“We are really excited about it and have enjoyed working on this over the last few months.”

The journal will be published online here, along with contact details, calls for submissions, and guidelines for anybody who is interested in contributing or participating.