Fall 2026 Cinema class schedule: Sept. 16, Sept. 30, Oct. 14, Oct. 28, Nov. 11, Dec. 2.
A full breakdown of the films is below. Register now before the class fills up!
This Zoom class on French and Francophone cinema and film offers a diverse mix of classic and contemporary French language films. The instructor, Manon Bellet, is a passionate and knowledgable cinephile of francophone film.
In this course, after watching French language films, we will examine their directors and actors, analyze the themes and language, and learn vocabulary and expressions related to a specific film and to cinema in general. Each class includes an open discussion in French and English.
This course provides a deeper understanding and analysis of French language films in a relaxed environment on Zoom. Because the class is virtual, the students are asked to watch the film (in French with English subtitles) before the lesson.
Topic for this semester: Réalisatrice: Women Directors of French Film
These six lessons will focus on a number of modern and contemporary French female film directors. The classes will begin with the first woman to direct a film. From 1896 to 1906, she was probably the only female director in the world; she was French, and her name was Alice Guy. The other sessions will focus on more contemporary female directors who have made their mark on 21st-century French cinema.
September 16th
Alice Guy, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, 2019
An energetic documentary about pioneer filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché that is both a tribute and a detective story, tracing the circumstances by which this extraordinary artist faded from memory and the path toward her reclamation.
September 30th
Three Films by Alice Guy-Blaché (A House Divided, Canned Harmony, and Falling Leaves)
A House Divided (1913), a couple each suspect that the other is having an affair and, upon the advice of a lawyer, they agree to “live together separately.” Handwritten notes serve as a substitute for verbal communication between the protagonists and demonstrate Guy’s skillful use of evolving narrative and stylistic devices.
Canned Harmony (1911), an early Solax comedy directed by Guy, incorporates devices including cross-dressing from the French Grand Guignol theatrical tradition. Billy, Evelyn’s sweetheart, disguises himself as a virtuoso to impress her father. A phonograph secretly played by Evelyn shows Guy’s ongoing interest in suggesting sound in the “silents.”
Falling Leaves (1912) features the beautiful sets of Henri Menessieur, a Solax regular, who also worked on Guy’s 1906 Gaumont passion play. Madame Blaché wrote and directed the drama, which addresses the then-topical subject of tuberculosis in a heart-warming story of a young child’s determination that her older sister survive until the last leaf falls.
October 14th
Justine Triet, Sibyl, 2019
Sibyl is a psychotherapist who returns to her first passion: writing. Her newest patient, Margot, is a troubled up-and-coming actress, who proves to be too tempting a source of inspiration. Fascinated almost to the point of obsession, Sibyl becomes more and more involved in Margot's tumultuous life.
October 28th
Claire Denis, 35 Shots of Rum (French: 35 Rhums), 2008
35 Shots of Rum (French: 35 Rhums) is a 2008 drama film directed by Claire Denis. 35 SHOTS OF RUM is the moving story of a father and daughter whose close-knit, tender relationship is disrupted by a handsome young suitor.
November 11th
Céline Sciama, Petite maman, 2021
Nelly, an eight-year-old girl, has just lost her beloved grandmother and is helping her parents clean out her mother's childhood home. The film follows Nelly coping with the death of her maternal grandmother by understanding better and bonding with both her mother and grandmother in the past.
December 2nd
Alice Diop, Nous, 2020
Nous (released as We in English) is a 2020 French documentary film directed by Alice Diop. The 115-minute feature explores a kaleidoscopic portrait of people living along the RER B commuter train line that cuts through Paris from north to south, weaving together a tender look at multicultural communities, working-class lives, and the director's own autobiographical reflection.