Fémis

Fémis
Name	Fémis
Native name	École nationale supérieure des métiers de l'image et du son
Established	1986
Type	Grande école
City	Paris
Country	France
Coordinates	48.8760°N 2.3508°E
Campus	Rue Francœur, Montmartre

Fémis is a French national film school located in Paris, founded to train filmmakers, producers, screenwriters, cinematographers, editors, sound designers and distributors. It evolved from institutions associated with the CNC (France) and the postwar restructuring of film training influenced by figures linked to Cahiers du cinéma, La Fémis predecessors and national cultural policy shaped by ministries such as the Ministry of Culture (France). The school has produced graduates who have worked on international projects alongside institutions including Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and companies like Pathé, Gaumont, StudioCanal, Arte (TV network) and Canal+.

History

The school's lineage traces to state-supported training initiatives after World War II that involved organizations such as the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée and technical schools associated with studios like Billancourt Studios and Rivoli Studios. Reforms in the 1970s and 1980s driven by ministers such as Jack Lang and cultural administrators from the Ministry of Culture (France) led to the founding of a consolidated national school in 1986, succeeding programs connected to IDHEC alumni networks and critics from Cahiers du cinéma and Positif (magazine). In the 1990s and 2000s, directors and pedagogues who studied under auteurs linked to François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda and Alain Resnais influenced curricula, while graduates began receiving awards at César Awards, Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and international festivals including SXSW, Toronto International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival and Rotterdam International Film Festival.

Campus and Facilities

Located in the Montmartre area, the campus occupies repurposed municipal buildings near landmarks such as Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, Rue des Martyrs and the Quartier de Clignancourt. Facilities include sound stages, screening rooms, editing suites, color grading theaters, and mixing studios outfitted with gear from manufacturers like ARRI, RED Digital Cinema, Avid Technology, Adobe Systems, Blackmagic Design and Dolby Laboratories. The library and archives host collections linked to institutions such as the Cinémathèque française, holdings from producers like Marcel Carné and repositories related to movements including French New Wave, Cinéma du look, and international archives such as British Film Institute, Institutional Film Archive (IFFR) equivalents. Partnerships grant access to postproduction houses including Technicolor, laboratory services like EFILM, and exhibition platforms such as MK2 and UGC.

Academic Programs

Programs span directing, screenwriting, cinematography, sound, editing, production and distribution, and include workshops influenced by practitioners from Alain Cavalier, Claire Denis, Olivier Assayas, Jacques Audiard, Luc Besson, Costa-Gavras and educators with backgrounds at La Sorbonne, École normale supérieure, Collège de France and conservatories like Conservatoire de Paris. The curriculum emphasizes auteur practice, collaboration, and industry skills aligned with professional bodies such as SACD, Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques, SCAM and unions like Syndicat Français de la Production Audiovisuelle. Joint programs and exchanges link to universities and schools including New York University Tisch School of the Arts, London Film School, La Fémis partner institutions such as FIAF, European Film College, HFF Munich, Le Fresnoy, CalArts, and research collaborations with CNRS labs in media studies and with publishing entities like Gallimard for theoretical seminars.

Admissions and Selection

Admission is highly competitive, with multi-stage selection processes involving written tests, portfolio reviews, practical exams, and interviews judged by panels including filmmakers, producers and scholars associated with Cannes Film Festival selection committees, representatives from companies such as France Télévisions, TF1, Canal+, distributors like Wild Bunch, StudioCanal, and institutions like CNC (France). Candidates often prepare dossiers referencing filmographies of auteurs such as Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and contemporary directors like Pedro Almodóvar, Wes Anderson and Greta Gerwig. Admissions statistics and selection criteria are monitored by oversight bodies including the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (France) and sometimes subjected to debates in outlets such as Le Monde, Libération, Télérama and trade journals like Variety and Screen International.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni include directors, screenwriters, cinematographers and producers who have gained recognition at César Awards, Academy Awards, Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival, Palme d'Or nominees at Cannes Film Festival, and prizes at Berlin International Film Festival. Names associated through graduation or teaching include filmmakers linked to movements involving La Nouvelle Vague figures, contemporary auteurs like Arnaud Desplechin, Xavier Beauvois, Valérie Donzelli, Albert Dupontel, Mati Diop, Ladj Ly, producers and executives who worked at Gaumont, Pathé, MK2 and technical artists who collaborated with cinematographers such as Bruno Delbonnel, Éric Gautier, Agnès Godard and editors connected to Thelma Schoonmaker-level craft. Visiting faculty and masterclass leaders have included internationally known practitioners from Pedro Almodóvar, Ken Loach, Wim Wenders, Spike Lee, Pedro Costa, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Krzysztof Kieślowski-linked scholars, and producers from Channel 4 and BBC commissioning divisions.

Research and Industry Collaborations

Research at the school covers film theory, audiovisual technology, distribution models, festival studies and archival restoration in collaboration with organizations such as CNC (France), Cinémathèque française, Institut national de l'audiovisuel, UNESCO, European Film Academy and labs affiliated with CNRS, INRIA, and universities like Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Université Paris Nanterre and Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis. Industry partnerships include co-productions and training programs with studios and distributors such as Gaumont, Pathé, StudioCanal, Wild Bunch, MK2, postproduction facilities like Technicolor, VFX houses collaborating with Industrial Light & Magic-adjacent teams, and streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Studios, HBO and Apple TV+ for project development and internships.

Governance and Funding

The institution is governed under statutes established by French cultural and higher-education authorities, with oversight from boards incorporating representatives from bodies like CNC (France), Ministry of Culture (France), producers' associations such as Syndicat des Producteurs de Films, and broadcasters including France Télévisions and Canal+. Funding derives from state allocations, grants from organizations such as Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, partnerships with private companies including Pathé and Gaumont, European Union cultural programs like Creative Europe, and tuition/stipends managed in coordination with agencies like CROUS and scholarship programs affiliated with foundations such as Fondation Gan pour le Cinéma and philanthropic entities linked to producers and patrons.

Category:Film schools in France Category:Universities and colleges in Paris Category:Arts organizations established in 1986