Global Francophone Cinema

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course focuses on French-language films that transcend national boundaries, depicting movements - and individuals - that go beyond borders and allow us to understand how current cinematic creations are not limited to "Franco-French" actors and productions, but extend around the globe. We study a number of films that deal with questions of immigration and migration in the French context, recent films that reveal the current multicultural environment within the hexagonal space of France. We also examine films that come from the larger francophone world, from locations such as Algeria and Senegal. Assignments include brief written responses to each of the films under study, an oral presentation, two short papers, and a final paper. We will read two novels that are related to very recent films as well and explore the relationship between the written work and the cinematic creation. The goals of this course are not limited to increasing students' knowledge and understanding of the art (and the politics) of filmmaking; they are also are meant to enhance their appreciation of diverse cultural settings that interact and intersect with France in important ways in a contemporary world marked by postcolonial tensions and "globalized" transnational relations. Taught in French.