ESCAC’s Bachelor’s Degree in Cinematography is a 240-credit, four-year programme offering an official university qualification (accredited by the University of Barcelona) fully designed in accordance with the new European higher education standards.
Built around a distinctive methodology structured on five core pillars (learning by doing, challenge-based learning, project-based work, the auteur-spectator approach, and academic instruction), the program equips students with both the technical and narrative tools of cinematic storytelling, enabling them to apply their skills across all audiovisual media.
From the third year onwards, students major through elective courses in one of the eight disciplines taught at the school: Production, Directing, Cinematography, Production Design, Screenwriting, Editing, Sound, or Documentary. During the fourth year, students further develop and consolidate their major through their Final Degree Projects (FDP).
Should the number of applicants for specific elective courses exceed the number of places available , a selection process will be implemented based on the following criteria:
To apply for ESCAC’s BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN CINEMATOGRAPHY, applicants must meet 2 requirements:
Application link for the April PAP session: https://formpap.appsescac.com/es
ESCAC’s Personal Aptitude Test (PAP) assesses the aptitude and attitude of prospective students. The result, PASS or FAIL, will be communicated via email, and successfully passing the assessment is a mandatory requirement for admission to the Bachelor’s Degree in Cinematography.
The PAP is held annually in either April or June. Candidates may only apply to one of the two sessions. Students who apply in April may not apply again in June. Whenever possible, applicants are highly encouraged to choose the April session, as applications submitted without completing this process will not be considered.
Full details regarding the PAP can be found at the following link.
Students exempt from the PAP:
Students who successfully complete the Foundation course are exempt from taking the PAP.
Admission to the first year of official university programmes in Catalonia is managed by the University Admissions Office of the Generalitat de Catalunya through the University Pre-enrollment process, which takes place during June on the University Admissions Portal.
To complete the pre-enrollment process, applicants must meet the academic requirements established according to their country of origin and previous studies.
The following link provides detailed information on the academic requirements needed to complete the University Pre-enrolment process, as well as further guidance regarding the application procedure.
The admissions process and application timeline for the Bachelor’s Degree vary depending on the applicant profile:
If you receive a PASS, you must complete the following steps to continue the admissions process:
Link to apply for the April PAP: https://formpap.appsescac.com/es
If you receive a PASS on the PAP, you must complete the following steps to continue the admissions process:
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES:
From July 10, 2026 onwards: University Place Allocation.
You will be able to check your place allocation for the Cinematography degree on the UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS PORTAL. If you have been allocated a spot, ESCAC will contact you via email with comprehensive information regarding the official enrollment process, which will take place throughout July.
July 14, 2026 (pending approval) – Informative Session
From the second half of July 2026 onwards – Bachelor’s Degree Enrolment.
Degree Objectives
The programme aims to provide students with the ability to express themselves through the audiovisual language by mastering its narrative mechanisms, while equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to creatively pursue the different professional disciplines of filmmaking: producing, screenwriting, directing, production design, cinematography, editing, and sound. At the same time, students will acquire a solid grounding in film studies, enabling them to analyse and critically assess a wide range of audiovisual works and discourses.
Learning Outcomes
Name of the programme: Degree in Cinematography
Degree awarded upon completion: Bachelor’s Degree in Cinematography by the University of Barcelona
Minimum duration of studies and ECTS credits: Four academic years and 240 ECTS credits
First year
Second year
Third year
Fourth year
First semester
Teaching period: September 15, 2025 – January 30, 2026
Continuous assessment: From September 15, 2025 to January 30, 2026
Single assessment: From January 8 to January 30, 2026
Reassessment: From February 9 to February 27, 2026
Second semester
Teaching period: February 2, 2026 – June 26, 2026
Continuous assessment: From February 2 to June 26, 2026
Single assessment: From June 1 to June 26, 2026
Reassessment: From June 29 to July 17, 2026
Christmas: December 24, 2025 to January 7, 2026
Easter: March 30 to April 6, 2026
11 September 2025, 12 September 2025 (bridge holiday), 12 October 2025, 1 November 2025, 6 December 2025, 8 December 2025, 1 May 2025, 24 June 2026
Teaching period: September 14, 2026 to June 4, 2027
Continuous assessment: September 14, 2026 to June 30, 2027
Reassessment: July 1 to July 16, 2027
September 11, 2026
December 7 and 8, 2026
Christmas: December 21, 2026 to January 8, 2027 (inclusive)
Easter: March 22 to March 29, 2027 (inclusive)
June 23, 2027
Two types of Final Degree Project are available: collective and individual.
The collective FDP is an audiovisual work created by groups of students, each of whom acts as a head of department in one of the technical or creative roles that have formed part of their training, according to their interests, aptitudes, and the elective course they have taken. The roles carried out by the students in the working groups are: screenwriter, producer, director, art director, director of photography, editor, and sound designer.
The FDPs are complete audiovisual productions (generally short films) developed through all their stages: pre‑production, production, and post‑production, using the school’s equipment and facilities and under the supervision of the school’s production company, Escac Films. Each student receives specific mentoring in relation to the role they perform in the creation of the audiovisual work.
The school has an FDP Committee, whose members are appointed by the School Board, and which is responsible for the following functions:
The individual FDP is a research project, study, or written report that constitutes an integrative exercise of the training received throughout the degree programme. It requires students to apply the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies acquired during their studies. Projects may be presented in two different formats:
The FDP proposals submitted by students will be assessed by the FDP Committee. Once approved, the Committee will assign a tutor to each student. The tutor is responsible for providing guidance and supervising the Final Degree Project. Initially, the tutor’s role is to assist the student in defining the project proposal, which must subsequently be approved by the FDP Committee.
Subsequently, the tutor’s guidance and supervision will focus on:
The FDP Committee is responsible for:
External internships are professional placements undertaken by students at companies and public institutions as part of their university education.Students carry out duties related to their field of study within companies operating in the audiovisual sector, primarily production companies with which the school maintains collaboration agreements.
The Internship Coordinator is responsible for reviewing and updating partnership agreements, incorporating new host organisations, monitoring the development of internship projects at each institution, and collecting the evaluations provided by the host companies.
The Academic Tutor is responsible for informing the student about the characteristics of the internship and monitoring their progress throughout the placement, holding regular meetings to assess its development.
The Professional Tutor is responsible for guiding and training the student within the host organisation during the internship period. They also prepare an assessment of the student’s development of competencies, skills, attitudes, and knowledge throughout the placement.
Upon completion of the internship, students are required to submit a final internship report.
Graduated in Film and Audiovisual Media from ESCAC (2007), specialising in Documentary Filmmaking. Since 2019, he has been a member of the experimental filmmaking collective CraterLab. He has contributed to publications including Contrapicado, Mondo Sonoro and Rockdelux. As a musician and editor, he has released more than a dozen works in Spain, France and the Netherlands. He is the creator of the documentary pieces Loop Film and Si al menos recuerdo el olor a tu ceniza.
Contact: yago.alcover@escac.es
Graduated in Film and Audiovisual Media from ESCAC (1998). Director of photography of Hijo de Caín (Jesús Monllaó, 2012), La rosa de fuego (Manel Huerga, 2012) and numerous projects shot in 3D. Colourist of the TV series Merlí and of the feature films La corona partida (Jordi Frades, 2016) and La vida libre (Marc Recha, 2017).
Contact: jordi.bransuela@escac.es
Graduated in Film and Audiovisual Media from ESCAC (2006); holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from the University of Barcelona (2009); a Master’s Degree in Contemporary Film and Audiovisual Studies from UPF (2009), and a PhD in Social Communication from UPF (2016). He teaches Film Studies and Thought and Creation in the Bachelor’s Degree in Cinematography. Author of the book No trespassing. De los cuerpos del cine a la conspiración contemporánea.
Contact: christian.checa@escac.es
Graduated in Film and Audiovisual Media from ESCAC specialising in Directing. Director of the feature films Tercero grado (2015) and Books & Drinks (2024). He also directed an episode of the television series Berlin (2023), as well as numerous music videos and commercials.
Contact: geoffrey.cowper@escac.es
PhD in Audiovisual Communication with a dissertation titled Narrativa audiovisual y cine de animación por ordenador. Los largometrajes de Mear Animation Studios. Holds degrees in Philology and Linguistics, and a DEA in Art History. Cinema professor at UB, URL, ENTI and ESCAC. Author of La muerte en el cine. 50 películas sobre el deceso.
Contact: jaume.duran@escac.es
Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and a Master’s Degree in Creative Documentary from the UAB. Lecturer at ESCAC and UAB. Film director and visual artist. She is the author, among others, of the feature film La 10ª carta (2014) and the short film Improvisaciones de una ardilla (2017), winner of the Best Documentary Short Film Award at the Málaga Festival.
Contact: virginia.garcia@escac.es
Graduated in Film and Audiovisual Media from ESCAC, specialising in Documentary Filmmaking. As a filmmaker, he has directed Imparables (2013), Jazz, What a Wonderful World (2010) and Con música lo escucharías todo mejor (2009). He is a professor at ESCAC, ECIB and UB. Alongside his teaching and filmmaking practice, he has worked as a programmer for the festivals DocsBarcelona (2007–2019) and Memorimage (2014–2019).
Contact: daniel.jariod@escac.es
PhD in Pedagogy, with a dissertation titled Structural Models for Short Film Screenwriting (2014). Holds a degree in Catalan Philology from the University of Barcelona (UB). He is the Head of Studies at ESCAC and has been a lecturer in several screenwriting courses since the 1994–95 academic year.
Contact: jaume.macia@escac.es
Holds a degree in Art History from the UB. Film producer, manager of Marimon Padrosa SL (Mar & Mi Producciones). Screenwriter and director. Author of the books El montaje cinematográfico and Diccionario incompleto del guión audiovisual.
Contact: joan.marimon@escac.es
Graduated in Art History from the University of Valencia and graduated in Film and Audiovisual Media from ESCAC, specializing in Cinematography. Director of photography of the feature film Mí querida cofradía and of several short films, commercial spots and music videos.
Contact: vanesa.sola@escac.es
Graduated in Film and Audiovisual Media from ESCAC, specializing in Editing. Holds a Master’s Degree in Ópera Prima, also specializing in Editing. Film editor of feature films such as The Girl from the Song (Ibai Abad, 2017) and I’ve Always Wanted to Direct (Steve Jacobs, 2020).
Contact: gerard.vila@escac.es
PhD in Communication from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), specialising in Film Studies, Gender Studies, and Star Studies, with a dissertation on the femme fatale archetype in Spanish cinema during the Franco regime.
Contact: nuria.cancela@escac.es
Film critic, programmer and lecturer. Holds a PhD in Aesthetics of Audiovisual Media from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). Member of the selection committees of the Gijón and Sitges festivals.
Contact: gerard.casau@escac.es
Filmmaker and documentarian, graduated from ESCAC. Author of documentaries such as Sasha, Shootball, Vitals and Fugir. His work has been screened at international festivals and on platforms such as HBO.
Contact: felix.colomer@escac.es
Researcher specialized in the representation of women in the history of cinema. She holds a PhD in Communication from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and is a postdoctoral researcher in the CINEMA group. Her work focuses on gender studies, comedy, and female archetypes in cinema.
Contact: Samantha.dasilva@escac.es
Hispano-Venezuelan filmmaker based in Barcelona, known for a body of work positioned at the margins of non-fiction, with a strong documentary and essayistic approach. Author of titles such as Iván Z, Color perro que huye and Oleg y las raras artes, his filmography has been screened and awarded at international festivals and major cultural institutions.
Contact: andres.duque@escac.es
Cultural journalist, film critic and PhD in Communication from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). His research focuses on Film Studies,particularly iconology, visual motifs, gesture studies, and star studies, with contributions published in journals such as Feminist Media Studies and L’Atalante.
Contact: josep.lambies@escac.es
Director of Photography, holds a degree in Art History from the University of Valencia and graduated in Cinematography from ESCAC. She has signed the cinematography of films such as Mi querida cofradía and Los buenos modales, selected at festivals such as Málaga and Seminci.
Contact: vanesa.sola@escac.es
Film director and screenwriter, specialized in both fiction and documentary. Graduated in Cinematography at ESCAC, he has directed short films such as Insidia, Silente and María, the latter nominated at more than 20 festivals and shortlisted for the Goya Awards.
Contact: paco.ruiz@escac.es
Director and screenwriter specialized in horror, thriller and true crime. He has directed feature films and short films such as Killer Book Club and Los inocentes, as well as award-winning works screened at various film festivals.
Contact: carlos.alonso@escac.es
Film director and screenwriter, graduated from ESCAC. He made his debut with Otel·lo, a film recognised at international festivals and awarded the Pepón Coromina Prize. He has also directed episodes of series such as Cites, El Chapo, Tijuana, and Mariachis.
Contact: hammudi.alrahmoun@escac.es
The center’s quality system is based on the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area developed by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and adopted by the European Ministers of Education in Bergen (2005). It follows the guidelines established by the quality assurance agencies such as the Agency for the Quality of the University System of Catalonia (AQU Catalunya), the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA), and the Agency for Quality in the Galician University System (AGSUG) under the AUDIT programme, and complies with the requirements set out in the regulations governing official university degrees issued by the Ministry of Education and Science.
The center’s quality system integrates all activities related to quality assurance of official bachelor’s and master’s degrees. It deploys the Internal Quality Management System (SGIQ) as the main tool to be used both in the design phase of the programmes and in their continuous monitoring, ensuring the achievement of the training objectives, their modification where necessary, and their accreditation (VSMA cycle).
See more about the Quality System
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