National Film School of France (La Fémis) has achieved a different style in cinema due to consistent practical work, and this common understanding and language invites the graduates to cooperate with each other.

A visit to the National Film School of France (La Fémis) was the scheduled program for the second day of Iranian moviemakers in Paris.

Unlike other universities, La Fémis is structured based on practical work, offering short and long term training courses (18 months and 4 years). Short term courses are focused on distribution and exhibition for European producers, offered only to those engaged in the profession who are under 27 years of age.

A prior graduate degree is required to enroll in long term courses. After passing the exam, applicants will start the course in one of the fields of screenwriting, directing, cinematography, art direction and set decoration, editing, sound engineering and producing for a period of four years.

After providing this basic information, Head of International Affairs Pascale Borenstein led the Iranian guests on a conducted tour of the film school. During the first year, all students follow the same general course; initiation in the various jobs involved in filmmaking, regardless of their field of choice. During the second and third year, they follow a specific curriculum according to the department they have chosen. Finally in their fourth year, they work on and present two individual end-of-studies projects. There is no education fee for French students, but the four year training course will cost 30000 Euros for foreign students (25% of student body). 

With four stages (200 sqm area and 9m height each), the school provides a very good environment for its 138 students to work on their practical filmmaking projects. Two  state of the art screening rooms, four 35mm cameras, ten 16mm cameras, three HD cameras and 30 SD cameras, and two workshop spaces to build and execute film sets are among the facilities offered to all students at La Fémis. There are also 30 editing sets with OID and Apple software programs. According to Nader Takmil Homayoon, a graduate of La Fémis and one of the award winners at the 2009 Venice film festival, everything is learned and done in practical projects at La Fémis, and so the graduates can work together with the common understanding and language that has created a special style and school of work. He also added that La Fémis is located in the historic Pathé Studios. Theoretical classes are held in 9 lecture halls with semi-circular seating arrangements. The school awards grants for students’ end-of-studies projects in the amounts of 15000 Euros for directing, 12000 Euros for producing, 4500 Euros for sound engineering and editing, and 10000 Euros for art direction/set decoration. Takmil Homayoon explains that location sound recording is very important in France; very rarely and only in emergencies the sound and dialogs are re-recorded and re-edited. 

At the end of this visit, Iranian moviemakers were led to one of the screening room of the school with 170 seats to watch one of the end-of-studies projects; a musical comedy which has won awards in several accredited professional festivals.