110 IB Film Extended Essay research questions, crafted in alignment with IB EE criteria — all questions selected by IBExtendedEssayWriters are focused, analytical, and allow for in-depth exploration of film form, theory, style, or context.

These are divided into:

• ✅ 25 Simple but Interesting
• ✅ 25 Unique and Not Overused
• ✅ 25 Complex and Challenging
• ✅ 25 Current and Up-to-Date
• ✅ 10 Fun and Unusual

Each question focuses on film elements (cinematography, editing, mise-en-scène, sound, performance), comparative analysis, or thematic and directorial styles, using close textual analysis of specific films and supported by relevant film theory or criticism.

🟩 25 Simple but Interesting Film Extended Essay Topics

(accessible, focused on film form or narrative)

1. How does Alfred Hitchcock build suspense through editing in Psycho (1960)?
2. To what extent does mise-en-scène in The Grand Budapest Hotel contribute to its visual storytelling?
3. How does Quentin Tarantino use nonlinear narrative structure in Pulp Fiction (1994)?
4. How does sound design enhance emotional tension in A Quiet Place (2018)?
5. To what extent does lighting contribute to mood in The Godfather (1972)?
6. How does 1917 (2019) use continuous shots to immerse the viewer in war?
7. How does La La Land (2016) use color to reflect emotional development?
8. How is character isolation conveyed through framing in Lost in Translation (2003)?
9. To what extent does Schindler’s List (1993) use cinematography to emphasize moral complexity?
10. How does Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) blend fantasy and realism through production design?
11. How does Slumdog Millionaire (2008) use montage to convey memory and trauma?
12. In what ways does Her (2013) use setting and color to reflect loneliness?
13. How does The Truman Show (1998) use mise-en-scène to represent surveillance and control?
14. How is time manipulated through editing in Memento (2000)?
15. How does The Social Network (2010) use dialogue to develop character conflict?
16. How does The Shining (1980) use symmetrical composition to build unease?
17. To what extent does Spirited Away (2001) use animation techniques to construct identity?
18. How is the theme of duality explored through costume in Black Swan (2010)?
19. How does The Matrix (1999) use visual effects to represent philosophical concepts?
20. How does Gravity (2013) use sound and silence to heighten emotional tension?
21. How does The Lion King (1994) use music to support narrative arcs?
22. How does The Shape of Water (2017) use water as a visual motif for emotional expression?
23. How does The Dark Knight (2008) portray chaos through Joker’s dialogue and action?
24. How does Little Miss Sunshine (2006) use mise-en-scène to satirize the American Dream?
25. How does Inception (2010) use set design to blur the line between reality and dream?

🟦 25 Unique and Not Overused Film EE Questions

(focused on lesser-known films, directors, or global cinema)

26. How does Apichatpong Weerasethakul use long takes to reflect memory in Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)?
27. How is postcolonial identity portrayed in Timbuktu (2014) through visual storytelling?
28. To what extent does The Lunchbox (2013) use mise-en-scène to explore loneliness in urban India?
29. How does The Handmaiden (2016) use perspective shifts to manipulate audience perception?
30. How is femininity constructed through silence and space in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)?
31. How does Son of Saul (2015) use shallow focus and close-up to convey trauma?
32. How does Roma (2018) use black-and-white cinematography to evoke nostalgia and realism?
33. How does Rashomon (1950) challenge narrative reliability through camera perspective?
34. How does Persepolis (2007) use animation to depict the psychological impact of war?
35. To what extent does Wadjda (2012) use visual symbols to portray resistance in Saudi society?
36. How does Amélie (2001) use exaggerated cinematography to reflect internal emotional states?
37. How does The Act of Killing (2012) blur the line between documentary and performance?
38. How does Ten (2002) by Abbas Kiarostami use minimalism to explore gender roles in Iran?
39. How does The Piano (1993) use landscape as a metaphor for repression and freedom?
40. How does Toni Erdmann (2016) use deadpan humor to critique corporate culture?
41. How does In the Mood for Love (2000) express romantic longing through cinematography and music?
42. How does The Wind Rises (2013) explore pacifism and ambition through visual metaphor?
43. How is Indigenous identity represented through performance and music in Samson & Delilah (2009)?
44. How does City of God (2002) use editing and camera movement to reflect youth and violence?
45. How does Capernaum (2018) use child perspective to highlight systemic injustice?
46. How is spiritual alienation conveyed in The Seventh Seal (1957) through symbolic imagery?
47. How does Dogtooth (2009) use absurdity to critique authoritarian family dynamics?
48. How does A Separation (2011) portray moral ambiguity through narrative structure?
49. How does Paprika (2006) reflect dream logic through editing and animation?
50. To what extent does Waltz with Bashir (2008) use animation as a tool for memory reconstruction?

🟥 25 Complex and Challenging Questions for IB Film EE

(theory-driven, abstract, or requiring deep comparative or technical analysis)

51. How does Fight Club (1999) reflect Lacanian psychoanalysis through character fragmentation?
52. To what extent does Blue Velvet (1986) explore the uncanny using Freudian theory?
53. How does Metropolis (1927) visualize class struggle through German Expressionism?
54. How does Persona (1966) deconstruct identity through mise-en-abîme and intertextuality?
55. How does Mulholland Drive (2001) represent dream logic through non-linear structure and symbolism?
56. To what extent does The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) use visual distortion to express psychological horror?
57. How does Birdman (2014) use continuous takes to simulate the theatrical form within cinema?
58. How is gender performativity constructed in Orlando (1992) through editing and mise-en-scène?
59. How does The Mirror (1975) use non-linear memory to structure cinematic time?
60. How does Requiem for a Dream (2000) depict addiction through audio-visual fragmentation?
61. How does The Tree of Life (2011) use visual imagery to explore existential questions?
62. How does Holy Motors (2012) question cinematic identity through meta-performance?
63. How does Synecdoche, New York (2008) blur reality and fiction through mise-en-scène?
64. How does Under the Skin (2013) use minimal dialogue and sound design to explore alienation?
65. How does Brazil (1985) use dystopian mise-en-scène to critique bureaucracy?
66. How does Mirror (1975) utilize Tarkovsky’s theory of “sculpting in time”?
67. How does Le Mépris (1963) use color and composition to analyze the breakdown of relationships?
68. To what extent does The Holy Mountain (1973) operate as allegorical cinema?
69. How does Sans Soleil (1983) blur the lines between essay film and fiction through voice-over narration?
70. How does Pi (1998) reflect paranoia and obsession through cinematographic distortion?
71. How does Solaris (1972) use slow pacing to explore philosophical concepts of memory and guilt?
72. How does The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) critique capitalism through science fiction narrative?
73. To what extent does Enter the Void (2009) portray consciousness using experimental cinematography?
74. How does Tropical Malady (2004) use dual narrative structure to reflect spiritual transformation?
75. How does The Double Life of Veronique (1991) depict metaphysical duality through lensing and performance?

🟨 25 IB Film EE Current and Up-to-Date Questions

(films or topics from the past 5 years, addressing modern themes or technologies)

76. How does Barbie (2023) use production design and color to critique gender stereotypes?
77. How does Oppenheimer (2023) use nonlinear narrative and sound design to represent internal conflict?
78. How does Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) use editing and multiverse narrative to explore identity?
79. How does Nope (2022) comment on spectacle and surveillance through genre blending?
80. How does Dune (2021) use scale and minimalism to reflect colonial power structures?
81. How does The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) explore friendship and isolation through landscape and dialogue?
82. How does The Batman (2022) use low-key lighting and framing to reframe superhero noir?
83. How does Aftersun (2022) use handheld cinematography and silence to portray memory and grief?
84. How does Past Lives (2023) explore the concept of fate through stillness and pacing?
85. How does The Whale (2022) use confined space to enhance character study?
86. How does Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) innovate animation to reflect multiverse aesthetics?
87. How does The Fabelmans (2022) blend autobiography with fiction through visual storytelling?
88. How does TÁR (2022) explore power and cancel culture through long takes and performance?
89. How does Don’t Look Up (2021) use satire and editing to critique media response to crisis?
90. How does The Zone of Interest (2023) depict horror through absence and soundscape?
91. How does CODA (2021) use sound and silence to express emotional perspective?
92. How does Sound of Metal (2019) convey auditory loss through immersive sound design?
93. How does Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) use gaze and framing to explore female desire?
94. How does Jojo Rabbit (2019) blend comedy and tragedy through mise-en-scène and costume?
95. How does The Power of the Dog (2021) use landscape and silence to convey repression?
96. How does Drive My Car (2021) use theatrical adaptation and language to explore grief?
97. How does The Menu (2022) use mise-en-scène to critique class and consumption?
98. How does Bardo (2022) use surrealist visuals to explore identity and exile?
99. How does Triangle of Sadness (2022) satirize power structures through absurdist staging?
100. How does Napoleon (2023) portray historical memory through editing and cinematography?

🟪 10 Fun and Unusual Questions for Your Film Extended Essay

(quirky but analytical, ideal for creative thinkers)

101. How does The Lego Movie (2014) use animation to parody and celebrate cinematic tropes?
102. How do Wes Anderson’s symmetrical shots affect viewer perception of character and space?
103. How does Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) blend comic book aesthetics and video game logic in film form?
104. How does Shaun of the Dead (2004) use editing and genre to parody zombie horror?
105. How does Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) use mixed media to construct identity?
106. How does The Truman Show function as metafilm by commenting on the act of watching?
107. How does Clue (1985) use multiple endings to subvert narrative expectation?
108. How does Borat (2006) blur the lines between satire and documentary through mockumentary style?
109. How does Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) blend live action and animation to comment on race and labor?
110. How does The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021) use stylized animation to reflect generational conflict?