Anthony Guneratne

Anthony Guneratne is a Professor of Film Studies at Florida Atlantic University's Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication. Holding a PhD from Indiana University, Bloomington, he teaches graduate courses including Film History and Historiography (FIL 6026) and Film Theory and Criticism (FIL 6807), alongside undergraduate courses covering film history, criticism, and sound in cinema.

His research focuses on the intersections of film, literature, and performance, with particular expertise in Shakespeare studies, adaptation theory, and Third Cinema. Guneratne employs interdisciplinary methodologies drawing from semiotics, microhistory, New Historicism, and Bakhtinian theory to examine how artistic media facilitate cultural interactions across historical periods, from Renaissance texts to contemporary film movements.

His publication record reveals evolving scholarly interests from documentary realism and Indian cinema in the 1990s toward increasingly sophisticated examinations of Shakespeare's presence across visual media, culminating in his 2017 work on electro-digital reproduction and Shakespearean performance. His research demonstrates consistent engagement with archival practices and historiographical methods, particularly in what he terms 'microcinehistory.'

• Fellow of the Folger Shakespeare Library
• Fellow of the American Philosophical Society
• Fellow of FAU's Dorothy F. Schmidt College

As both practitioner and theorist, Guneratne has participated in film production, curated film retrospectives, and performed musical repertoire spanning from the Renaissance to mid-20th century. His 2016 presentation at the National Gallery of Art on 'The Vitagraph Shakespeare Cycle' exemplifies his commitment to bridging academic scholarship with public engagement in film culture.