Film studies professors have expressed concern that students struggle to make it through an entire film. Arts columnist and former film student Derek McArthur wonders why this is now the case.

There’s a crisis of attention span happening in the world right now – and it appears film is one of its sacrificial lambs.

The Atlantic spoke to 20 film studies professors and found a similar picture emerging of the last decade: that film students, ones who have specifically chosen film as their field of study, it should be noted, struggle to make it through feature-length films.

Professors who have in-person screenings on their itinerary see drops in enrolment. Internal viewing platforms show that half of the students watch the material, with only 20% managing to make it to the end. The icebreaker “What’s a movie you watched recently?” conjures up few answers from the class. Professors noted that many students arrive on campus with the depth of their knowledge limited to Disney movies. The fidgeting need to look at a phone screen always seems to overpower the curious need to look at the film screen in front of them.

Netflix and the films no one is actually watching

As a film student once myself, what professors are saying completely tracks with my own experience. The requirement to watch several films a week could be considered too much for fellow students.........

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