Dr Matteo Ciccognani

Dr Ciccognani holds a BA in Humanities with a focus on Cinema (2007) and an MSc in Film Studies, Theatre, and Digital Media (2009) from the Università degli Studi di Roma. He was awarded a PhD in Social Sciences at the University of Leicester, where he is currently a Lecturer in Management and Screen Studies in the School of Management and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His research explores the intersection of film and media with organisational studies, including the use of audiovisual texts to understand and teach management.

My research interests span film theory, organisational performance in narratives and cinema, the use of films in management teaching, self-reflexivity in  film, media and figurative art, the relationship between cinema and surveillance, the evolution of language in corporate-sponsored films, ideology critique in movies, and audiovisual products examining local and regional territories and questions of habitability.

I am particularly interested in how audiovisual products can serve as practical blueprints for students and professionals across sectors, helping them reflect on their performative roles and foster a productive climate of mutual collaboration in the classroom or workplace. This research agenda is informed by my work on corporate cinema, surveillance in film, and metacinematic practices, as evidenced in my publications, which include studies of Italian and global cinema, investigations of experimental filmmaking processes, and critical analyses of sponsorship and narrative structures. Through both theoretical and applied lenses, I explore how audiovisual texts illuminate organisational dynamics, mediate cultural and ideological practices, and offer pedagogical tools for management education.

Journal Articles:

Ciccognani, M. (2025) 'Politics of sponsorship: Fetishized narratives and authorial detours in Italian cinema', Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies, 13(4), 383–401, https://doi.org/10.1386/jicms_00319_1.

Ciccognani, M. (2023) 'The enduring legacy of Hollywood’s "individualist revolutionaries"', Interregnum, 6 November. Available at: https://interregnum.ghost.io/the-enduring-legacy-of-hollywoods-individualist-revolutionaries/.

Ciccognani, M. (2022) 'Exploring Modes of Surveillance in Films', CINEJ Cinema Journal, 10(1), 89-123, https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2022.444.

Ciccognani, M. (2020) 'A critical glance into the metacinematic gestures of The Act of Killing', Journal for Cultural Research, https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2020.1836979.

Ciccognani, M. (2020) 'Organising the illumination of the filmmaking process: The experimental contribution of The Five Obstructions', Organizational Aesthetics 9(2), 42-61. Available at: https://organizationalaesthetics.org/index.php/oa/article/view/117.

Edited Books:

Latini, G. (2024). Image-Worlds: A brief history of corporate cinema, Translated and Edited by Matteo Ciccognani, Roma: Edizioni Kappabit (available here).

PhD Thesis:

Ciccognani, M. (2018) Metacinematic Gestures: an investigation of the productionist aspect of self-reflexive films, PhD thesis, University of Leicester, Leicester (available here).

Social Sciences and Management Studies

Film and Media Studies

Organisational Culture and Storytelling

Corporate Social Responsibility

MN2018 - Management Theory and Debate (UG)

MN3126 - New Technology, Work and Organisation (UG)

MN2116 - Corporate Social Responsibility (UG)

MN1012- Principles of Human Resource Management (UG)

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Modules taught in the past:

MS1012 - Global Cinema (UG)

MN1014 - Business, Economy and Society (UG)

MN2503 - Management in Organisations (UG)

MN3100 - Strategy (UG)

MN3102 - Critical Analysis for Management (UG)

MN7203 - Organisational Behaviour (MN2014)

MN7407 - Management in Practice (PG)

MN7036 - Corporate Governance (PG)

MN7408 - Research Methods for Managers (MN7408)

MN7558 - Strategy, Business, Information and Analysis

MN3201 - Project (Management) (UG)

MN3200, MN3510 - Dissertation (UG)

MN7410, MN7411 - Dissertation (PG)

MN7371, MN7504 - HRMT Research Methods and Dissertation (PG)

Dr Ciccognani invites enquiries regarding his research and teaching interests, which include management, film studies and aesthetics.

• Student-Nominated Superstar Awards for Best Lecturer, 2026, 2024, University of Leicester.

• LIAS Fund, Pioneering Partnerships, £2000- Project Title: "More than Frames: An Interdisciplinary Forum on Visual Language and Management Pedagogy", 2026, University of Leicester.

• Teaching Development Fund, £2000 - Project Title:  "Re-Imagining Management Education: A Multimodal Pedagogical Approach to Film and Linguistic Inclusivity", 2025 , University of Leicester.

• Full tuition waiver and maintenance grant for PhD studies, 2013 – 2017, University of Leicester.

• Best Presentation Awarded, Winter Ph.D. Conference, "The Metacinematic Gesture and an Introduction of its Productionist Side", 2016, University of Leicester.

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

• Member of Consulta Universitaria Cinema