By Cameron Miller |ContributorCommunication Lecturer Luis Antunes described a moment in his life as an undergraduate when he saw a flier in a bookstore with a publisher for film studies. His fascination with this simple flyer led him to pursue film as a profession.“I want it all, and basically I think the way to have it all is to teach, do research and make films. I think they connect, all three,” said Antunes when asked what the scope of his dreams were.His intention, with all these aspirations, was to figure out why film as a medium is so rich with meaning and important to the human experience.Such goals led him to becoming a teacher, author and maker of film. Years of hard work brought Antunes a B.A. in Portuguese language and literature, an M.A. in communication sciences with a specialization in film and television, a Ph.D. in film studies from the University of Kent and another Ph.D. in aesthetics from Kent and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He has also written a book titled “The Multisensory Film Experience" (University of Chicago Press, 2016).Antunes, a native of Portugal, eventually applied for a job at Augusta University, and his achievements led him to becoming a lecturer of several communications classes, including filmmaking, digital editing, television production and media literacy, subjects in which he flourishes. He also helps supervises a wide range of video projects for both students as individuals and the Department of Communication's Marketing Committee.Throughout his career, he has received several awards, his proudest being the Research Award at Kent. This along with all of his publications have reminded him of why hard work and passion are so significant.Antunes’ aspirations were not without their obstacles. Bringing new and original ideas to such a broad field was the biggest challenge for him.“Sometimes your ideas might not be accepted right away or they might be, you know, rejected because they question some of the established knowledge,” Antunes said, “and that was a hard thing for me to deal with.”Language barriers were a completely separate struggle. He attended more than 20 international conferences, visiting Denmark, Norway and England, to understand the unique approaches to film that cross-cultural scholars had. This helped him to understand film’s purpose and how it transcends just being a medium.In teaching, it’s evident that he has a hunger to give students the same learning experience that he craved when he was in school, and he admits he is still learning every day through his own teaching process.Antunes is far from finished with his endeavors. He is currently at work on his second book and the script for his first feature film. Contact Cameron Miller at cammiller@augusta.edu.