ECAL and Fémis Student Films Reveal Pedagogical Trends

An exhibition and screening series at the Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris, organized around the École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne (ECAL), showcased student films from ECAL's cinema department and its collaboration with La Fémis in Paris. The event, held on January 30, 2002, at 38 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, revealed that students easily master cinematic techniques but have largely abandoned experimental cinema in favor of narrative works. The dominant themes are couples and the duo of sex and romantic sentiment, used not for scandal but to explore the status of images and cinema. The films demonstrate a 'transmission belt' effect from teachers to students, yet also show how students transform inherited lessons into orphaned status, often using couples to address solitude, narcissism, or intimacy. Notable works include Kathy Sebbah's 'La Changa,' Paul Saintillan's 'Margot mise à nu,' Eric Forestier's 'L'Âge tendre,' Frédéric Mermoud's 'Son jour à elle,' Marc Olivetta's '5e étage, appartement 2,' and Raphaël Michoud's 'Allô Jean-Luc.' The event highlighted how teaching shapes filmmaking, with the most successful works hinting at unspoken content beyond the frame.