Lavinia Brydon

Dr. Lavinia Brydon is a Senior Lecturer in Film at the University of Kent, where she also serves as MA Film Convenor and co-leads the Centre for the Sustainable Built Environment. She holds a PhD in Film Studies from Queen Mary, University of London, and has taught at institutions including Queen Mary and Birkbeck. Her research focuses on film and visual culture’s engagement with space, environment, and community, employing walking as both critical and creative methodology. She has led major projects like the AHRC-funded Unfiltered Coast (2021–22) and Liminal Spaces (2021–22). Brydon is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has received awards for her innovative teaching, including a University Teaching Prize (2016). She currently chairs the Short Film Studies editorial board and serves as External Examiner for Swansea University’s Film and Visual Culture program.

Her academic roles include former Director of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) for the School of Arts (2019–2022), leading the successful Athena SWAN Bronze Award submission. She has also directed the Film, Media and Culture Research Centre (2015–2018). Brydon’s teaching emphasizes experiential learning, such as her “live cinema” project supported by a Teaching Enhancement Award (2018–19). She actively supervises research on topics like eco-horror, seaside festivals, and small-town cinema representation.

Brydon’s publications span Mediapolis, NECSUS, and Short Film Studies, addressing themes like eco-criticism, urban cinema, and psychogeography. Her edited volumes include a special issue on “Difficult Women” (2020) and a journal section on “Screen Media and Middling Cities” (2024). She collaborates on public-facing projects, including the Estuary Café (2021) and Wandering with(out) Invitation (2022), blending academic research with community engagement.