2-day conference on September 15-16, 2025 at La Fémis
Call for papers
Presentation
Between its creation in 1943, on the foundations of the Centre artistique et technique des jeunes du cinéma (CATJC) established in Nice in 1941, and its merger-absorption by La Fémis in 1986, the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) was a central institution in cinema education in France, whose history it accompanied. Yet the school has never been the subject of a monographic publication covering its entire history. The longevity of the school, the number of players involved, the diversity of approaches to account for it, the plurality and quantity of sources no doubt explain why few have ventured to reconstruct its history. Nonetheless, a number of research projects have tackled significant aspects of it, whether they concern the genesis of the school in Vichy France and the immediate post-war period (Téchené), teacher figures, the place of the school in public film policies (Vernet), the crisis that the school underwent in May 1968, leading to a fundamental review of its curricula and pedagogy (Layerle), the place of foreign students (Chomentowski, Pierre-Bouthier), or the transition with La Fémis (Turquier).4 The aim of this two-day conference is to bring together researchers who have carried out work on the history of this institution at the heart of the French film ecosystem, using a variety of approaches, while hopefully contributing to identifying and stimulating new work on issues that have yet to be addressed.
This event is a continuation of work carried out by La Fémis, Ecole nationale des Chartes and Centre d’histoire sociale des mondes contemporains (CNRS-Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne), notably the “Histoire de la pédagogie de la création artistique XIXe-XXIe siècles” project (since 2016) at Université PSL, followed by the “Enseignement du cinéma dans les écoles artistiques” workshop at Campus Condorcet (2021-2022), as well as the trilateral workshop “Film schools in the 20th century: Artistic circulations, political sociabilities and professional networks” (2021-2023) at Villa Vigoni5. These projects have given rise to several study days and colloquia6 , bringing together some key figures in the history of IDHEC.
Moreover, this conference is taking place in the context of a strong and growing interest in the history, thinking and practices of film education, which has recently been reflected in publications, colloquia (notably “Le cinéma dans l’enseignement supérieur français des années 1960 aux années 1980” on April 5 and 6, 2018, directed by Hélène Fleckinger, Mélisande Leventopoulos and Dimitri Vezyroglou) and ongoing research projects. It also resonates with the rise of the history of cinema and audiovisual professions, the history of cinematographic techniques, the valorization of creative collectives, and student films as objects of study in their own right.
Organized by La Fémis, the University of Amiens, Ecole nationale des Chartes and CHS-CNRS, this two-day conference follows on from an initial workshop on October 7, 2024 at La Fémis, and aims to broaden the contributors and formats. They will combine research papers by scholars, round-table discussions (notably with witnesses or players in this history) and screenings. Without aiming to be exhaustive, the aim is to take stock of current research on IDHEC, and secondarily on CATJC and La Fémis, with a view to a collective publication laying the groundwork for understanding the history of this school.
Proposals for contributions may address the following questions:
I. Social and administrative history of the institution
-A history of the institution, its status and operation, its place in public film policy, the links of continuity or discontinuity that may exist between CATJC, IDHEC and La Fémis, with a possible focus on given periods or pivotal moments – for example the genesis and creation of the school between 1941 and 1943, the 1950s, the turning point of May 68, the end of IDHEC and the transition to La Fémis…
-A description of the school’s various communities, following individual paths or looking at groups. The focus can be on teachers, students or administrative staff. Diversity, gender and minority representation issues could also be addressed (the place of women in different professions and school curricula, the place of foreign students and teachers at IDHEC, etc.), as well as changes in student enrollment procedures.
II. Identification of IDHEC’s national and international networks
– links with other educational institutions, preparatory classes (prépa Voltaire…), other programs (Vaugirard then Louis Lumière school, universities, art schools, CEGA…), alumni networks…
-the relationship between IDHEC and the film and television industries: corporatist issues, the school’s place in professional strategies; bridges with television and radio (broadcasting media, discourse, recruitment)
– links with film conservation, distribution and promotion institutions: e.g. Cinémathèque française, film libraries and archives abroad, festivals, association networks (ciné-clubs, etc.),
– political and militant networks: what is the political and union presence at IDHEC among students, teachers and administrative staff?
-the school’s international vocation, its role in the creation of an international network of film schools, and the movement of students and teachers to schools and institutions around the world.
III. Analysis of teaching methods, student productions and critical postures at IDHEC
-The pedagogy of cinema and its professions: in particular, the focus could be placed on the description of curricula, pedagogical principles, exercises, the relationship to cinephilia, the evolution of techniques, the pedagogy of each profession, the relationship to the work group….
-Productions made at IDHEC: films, exercises, screenplays, etc., treating them as polysemic objects of study that can give rise to various analyses
-the school’s relationship with contemporary debates on filmic forms or the place of cinema in society, at different times (e.g. under Vichy France, Blum-Byrnes agreements, the French New Wave, gender or decolonial issues, May 1968, etc.).
Submission procedures
Proposals for papers should be around 500 words long, and should specify the sources and archives used, as well as the main bibliographical references. They should be accompanied by a short biography and sent by March 31, 2025 to the following addresses: b.turquier@femis.fr, gabrielle.chomentowski@univ-paris1.fr, m.pierre.bouthier@u-picardie.fr, mariecharlotte.techene@gmail.com, stephanie.louis@chartes.psl.eu.
Organizing committee
Gabrielle Chomentowski (CHS/CNRS-Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Stéphanie E. Louis (ENC-PSL – CJM)
Marie Pierre-Bouthier (UPJV – CRAE)
Marie-Charlotte Téchené (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne – HICSA)
Barbara Turquier (La Fémis – SACRe)
Indicative bibliography here
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Stéphanie-Emmanuelle Louis (6 février 2025). CALL: conference “The Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) in France: milestones for a plural history”. HPCA. Consulté le 13 mars 2026 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/139vt
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