The Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library Project

The Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library is a research collection located at the of School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University, Caulfield. The Library consists of comprehensive holdings in film and screen studies, including books, periodicals and papers donated by Melbourne-based film critic and arts writer, Freda Freiberg. This project seeks to catalogue and selectively digitise these materials to make the collection accessible online. It will also establish an annual study grant to support research projects that utilise the collection’s unique holdings, particularly those that relate to feminist film pioneers. In short, this project will unlock the potential of this valuable research collection by facilitating expanded access for national and international film studies communities and fostering new research projects and scholarship.

Team: Associate Professor Constantine Verevis (MFJ) and Associate Professor Deane Williams.

The Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library: a short history

The Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library is a research collection housed at the School of School of Media, Film and Journalism (MFJ), Monash University (Building B, Level 4, Room B4.46, Caulfield Campus)

The material in the Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library had its beginnings in what was the Monash Film Group (1960s).

The modest collection was initially held in the Dept. of Visual Arts library and then in the School of Literary, Visual and Performance Studies library at Monash University, Clayton Campus.

It was moved to Caulfield (storage) when the School of Media, Film and Journalism was established in 2014.

This small collection of film books and journals was gradually added to through contributions by film studies academics, such as Prof. Tom O'Regan and Assoc. Prof. Adrian Martin.

There was a large influx of items through the single donation of Freda Freiberg.

Further contributions came later from Dr. Ina Bertrand, Annette Blonski, Dr. John Hughes, John Politzer, Susan Stewart, Ken Mogg, Naji Dellal, and METRO magazine.

In 2018, in consultation with the Head of MFJ, Prof. Mia Lindgren, the collection of items was named in honour of Melbourne-based film critic and historian Freda Freiberg and given a home at Caulfield, building B, level 4.

The Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library was launched by Prof. Tom O'Regan at the Screen Studies Assoc. of Australia Aotearoa and New Zealand (SSAAANZ) conference, Monash Caulfield, 21 November 2018.

Consisting of around 2000 books and hundreds of periodicals, the Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library was relaunched by Head of MFJ, Assoc. Prof. Shane Homan, at its new location at Caulfield B4.46 on 15 March 2023.

View the Freda Freiberg Library catalogue here.

Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library Grant

Overview

The School of Media, Film and Journalism invites proposals from students wishing to undertake the Master of Arts (Research Training) with a research focus that utilises the resources of the Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library. This Grant is designed to showcase the unique holdings of the Library, which include rare books and journals, special collections, newspaper clippings, press kits, ephemera, and other significant artefacts from the film and television industries.

The Grant provides a one-off stipend of $5,000 (AUD) in 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029.

Visit Freda Freiberg Film and Screen Studies Library Grant for more information.

Freda Freiberg Life and Work

FREDA FREIBERG (1933–2024) was a film historian and arts writer-critic.

She taught film history and theory in several tertiary institutions in Melbourne including the Department of Visual Arts at Monash University.

As a writer-critic, Freda reviewed Film and photographic exhibitions for various publications, including National Review, LIP, Cinema Papers, Eyeline and Photofile.

Her research areas included women’s cinema and feminist film theory, represented in particular by the groundbreaking book Don’t Shoot Darling! Women’s Independent Filmmaking in Australia, co-edited with Annette Blonski and Barbara Creed (1987).

Freda also conducted extensive research on the pre-war, war-time and post-war Japanese cinema, including her monograph Women in Mizoguchi Films (1981).