FFS 244 - French Cinema and Media

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Topic for 2023/24a: French TV Series. French TV series of significant breadth and quality have captivated viewers and critics for almost 20 years and are becoming known internationally through streaming platforms. A form of soft power, they constitute tools to figure out the past, question institutions, and rewrite dominant narratives. They also make room for under-represented actors, scenarists, and filmmakers, and challenge traditional modes of production and distribution. In this course, we examine a number of series, some of which enjoy cult status, to understand how they tackle critical socio-political issues, cut across cinematic genres, and renew in creative ways the discourses and techniques of visual storytelling. Underscoring their versatility and complexity, we analyze their educational value and the spaces they carve for public discussions and innovative cultural exchanges. Series studied may include Engrenages [Spiral] (2005-2020), Un Village français [A French Village] (2009-2017), Ainsi soient-ils (2012-2015), Dix pour cent [Call My Agent] (2015), Le Bureau des légendes ([The Bureau], 2015), Les Bracelets rouges [The Red Band Society], Au Service de la France [A Very Secret Service] (2015-2018), Mytho [Mythomaniac] (2016), Le Baron Noir [Baron Noir] (2016), Qui a tué le petit Grégory? [Who Killed Little Gregory?] (2019), Lupin and En Thérapie [In Treatment] (2021). Patricia-Pia Celerier.

Prerequisite(s): FFS 212 or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS