French Film ciné-club (Autumn)

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Come and join us at the French Film Ciné-Club, where once a week, for 10 weeks (and throughout the rest of the academic year), we will watch and discuss French film. Taking its cue from the famous Parisian ciné-club set up by the celebrated critic and writer, André Bazin, our contemporary incarnation of the film club will offer a curated series of French films for detailed study, discussion and debate. Each film will be introd...

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  • Start Date: 24 Sep 2026
    End Date: 03 Dec 2026
    Thu (Evening): 18:00 - 21:00
    In Person
    Location: Keeley Street
    Duration: 10 sessions (over 11 weeks)
    Course Code: HF345
    Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £181.00
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SKU
247445
Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £181.00

What is the course about?

André Bazin’s ciné-club was set up by him not simply as an opportunity for the screening and discussion of films, but as a tool for education. Bazin was as much a passionate advocate for the transformatory effects of community learning as he was for the significance of cinema and the ciné-club represented an opportunity for him to promote both. In following Bazin, the French Film Ciné-Club shares these same goals. This is a film studies course that foregrounds the importance and the value of the collective film viewing experience, but which also is concerned to ensure that the films screened are curated, introduced and discussed with the rigour associated with the study of film at City Lit.

This will be the first of three French Film Ciné-Club courses this year (the others will run in Terms 2 and 3).
Films screened will come from the list below and might include:

• Le jour se lève/Day break (Marcel Carné 1939) [Karine Chevalier]
• Casque d’or (Jacques Becker 1952) [Chris Darke]
• Zazie dans le métro (Louis Malle 1959) [Karine Chevalier]
• Le Mépris/Contempt (Jean Luc Godard 1963) [Chris Darke]
• Les demoiselles de Rochefort/The Young Girls of Rochefort (Jacques Demy 1967) [Karine Chevalier]
• Sans soleil/Sunless (Chris Marker 1983) [Chris Darke]
• L’appartement/The apartment (Gilles Mimouni 1996) [Karine Chevalier]
• Les Plages d’Agnès/The Beaches of Agnès (Agnès Varda 2008) [Chris Darke]
• L’artiste/The Artist (Michel Haznavivius 2011) [Karine Chevalier]
• Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako 2014) [Chris Darke]

Please note that films screened are subject to availability and may change.

What will we cover?

• The history of film as expressed through individual, indicative films
• The historical development of film form
• The development of cinematic self-expression through the articulation of a distinct visual style
• Film spectatorship, understood in both personal, historical and theoretical terms.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• Subject a film to detailed critical analysis
• Demonstrate familiarity with the key technical terms necessary for critical film analysis
• Have a broad awareness of important moments in film history as expressed through individual indicative films
• Be familiar with a range of theoretical perspectives in film studies
• Feel confident in discussing films in a group setting.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to aspects of the film subject area, in part through the collective viewing of films, but it will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing film knowledge.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

An introduction by the tutor, the screening of entire films, and large group discussions after the films have been shown. It might also be a good idea to see what you can find out about a given film in advance of the class but this is not essential.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You will require a pen and paper (or laptop/device) but the tutor will provide all other materials such as handouts.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Two further French Film Ciné-Club courses follow on from this one in Terms 2 and 3, but look also for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.

Karine Chevalier See more See less
Chris Darke See more See less

Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.