Immigration and Cinema

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

How are the mobility and experiences of migrants and their descendants represented and shaped by cinema? Filmmaking by and about migrants and their descendants in hexagonal France has expanded from the documentary and socio-realist vein to encompass increasingly diverse subjects and genres, such as comedy, historical drama, road movies, police movies, coming-of-age films, romance, “banlieue films,” ghost movies, and even science fiction. This cinematic production has gained visibility, commercial viability, mainstream recognition, and critical acclaim, signaling that filmmakers and actors of immigrant descent have gained an undeniable degree of access in the film industry. How can the social and cultural impact of these productions be assessed in light of continued police brutality in the banlieues, overt racism and implicit bias, as well as anti-immigrant sentiment in public discourses? As cultural representations, commercial commodities, and cinematic works, these films perform cultural interventions through storytelling; we will explore them together to examine the strategies and aesthetic choices these films and their makers adopt to make their voice heard, establish their place in the national narrative, and potentially reframe it.