Film Information Resources: Books & Articles

Starting your research

For general guidance or tips on doing your assignment(s), start your research here.

Library catalogue

Books, journals, DVDs and other media located in the SFU Library can be found using the library catalogue.

If you're new to using the library catalogue, visit our SFU Library Catalogue Search Guide.

For details about finding media such as DVDs, sound recordings, and images, consult the Media page of this guide.

Lists of new Contemporary Arts resources added to the SFU Library are updated on a monthly basis. You can also browse through lists of all resources added to the library within the last week or the last month.

Journals and magazines

The print indexes and online databases will help you locate journal and magazine articles, film reviews and filmscripts.

Print Indexes

• Film literature index. (1973-2004) PN 1993 Z935
• Film review index. 2 vols. PN 1995 F463
• New York Times film reviews. PN 1995 N4 and PN 1995 N41. ( New York Times now available online from 1851- .)
• Retrospective index to film periodicals, 1930-1971. PN 1993 Z923 1975

Databases

Key databases for Film articles and reviews:

• Film & Television Literature Index: International index to scholarly and popular journal literature on film, television and video.
• Film Literature Index (FLI): Citations to journal articles, film reviews and book reviews published between 1976-2001. For later years consult the Film and Television Literature Index.
• Communication & Mass Media Complete: Indexing & abstracts for over 300 journals in the fields of communication, mass media studies, linguistics and film including full text for nearly 200 journals.
• International Index to the Performing Arts: Multidisciplinary index to journals for the Performing Arts (drama, theater, dance, film, television).
• Humanities & Social Sciences Index: Covers basic periodicals on all social sciences and humanities topics.

For a full list of databases relevant to your research, see the Film databases list.

You can also try the databases listed for Communication.

Electronic journals

Search the electronic journals database to find online editions of film journals available through the SFU Library. Search by title keyword or subject, or browse the selected list of e-journals relating to Motion Pictures.

Filmscripts

Try searching the Library Catalogue by author, title or the subject Motion Picture Plays to find filmscripts in the SFU Library. For other guides to filmscripts, try:

• American Film Scripts. One thousand film scripts searchable by scene, character, director, and more.
• British Film Institute National Library Catalogue
• Praxis Centre for Screenwriters
• SimplyScripts Links to free, downloadable published and unpublished filmscripts, screenplays, transcripts of movies, television, anime, and radio shows.