Skadi Loist

Dr. Skadi Loist is Associate Professor of Film Studies in the Department of Art and Media Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. They joined NTNU in 2025 after serving as Assistant Professor for Production Cultures in Audiovisual Media Industries at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF from 2018 to 2025. Prior to this, Loist held positions as Postdoctoral Researcher/Lecturer at the University of Rostock (2014-2018) and Research Assistant/Doctoral Candidate at the University of Hamburg (2009-2013).

Loist earned their education in Media Culture, American Studies, Gender Studies, and Art History at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and Smith College, MA/USA. They completed their doctoral dissertation titled 'Queer Film Culture: Performative Aspects of LGBT/Q Film Festivals' in 2015.

Dr. Loist's research focuses on film festivals and circulation, digital methods, working conditions, diversity and sustainability, and queer film culture. Their work bridges theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding the screen industries, with particular attention to gender equity and intersectional analysis. They have pioneered the use of digital humanities methods in film festival research, creating datasets that track films' journeys through the global festival network. Current projects include QUADRIGA Berlin-Brandenburgisches Datenkompetenzzentrum for Digital Humanities (2023-2026) and the Gender Equity Policy (GEP) Analysis project.

Loist's publications span multiple languages and appear in journals such as Screen, NECSUS, and Studies in European Cinema. Their recent work examines gender inequality in Nordic film industries, sustainable practices in film production, and the impact of digital technologies on film festival ecosystems. As evidenced by their 2023-2025 publications, they are increasingly focused on evidence-based approaches to film festival research and gender equity policy analysis.

As a strong advocate for collaboration, Loist co-founded the Film Festival Research Network (FFRN) and the European University Film Award (EUFA). They have held leadership roles in NECS (Steering Committee 2015-21), SCMS, and GfM, and serve on the editorial boards of NECSUS – European Journal of Media Studies and Journal of Festive Studies.

Dr. Loist supervises multiple PhD theses in Media Studies, both scientific and artistic-scientific projects. They have secured significant research funding for projects examining gender equity and sustainability in the film industries, including the GEP Analysis project funded by DFG/ESRC/SSHRC (2021-2024) and the Film Circulation project funded by BMBF (2017-2022).

Loist is actively engaged with the Film Festival Research Network and continues to contribute to policy discussions on diversity and sustainability in the screen industries through their research and outreach activities, including their involvement in the OMNI Inclusion Data Initiative for collecting diversity metrics in the German film industry.