French cinema: a cultural and global phenomenon 

In this lecture, Associate Professor Michelle Royer (Chair of the Department of French and Francophone studies at the University of Sydney) will present the various periods of French cinema and explain how French cinema is more international than one might think.

This talk will consider the reciprocal influences between French cinema and other 'national' cinemas (including Australian) and will look at the phenomenal international success of socio-political films (such as La Haine or Les Misérables), romantic comedies (Le Fabuleux destin of Amélie Poulain) and popular comedies (Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis or Intouchables). This talk will also examine French film festivals and the important role they play in the dissemination of French speaking films around the world, and in the internationalisation of French stars. Film clips and posters will illustrate the presentation.

MEET YOUR SPEAKER

Associate Professor Michelle Royer has been working at the University of Sydney for over a decade and is the Chair of the Department of French and Francophone Studies. Her research has focused on the work of 20th century writer and filmmaker Marguerite Duras and on French and World Cinema.

She has published extensively in French and English on Marguerite Duras’ cinema, using postcolonial and gender theories, on socio-political cinema and on stars studies. She is currently working on two research projects: on 'Cinema and neuroscience' and on national Film festivals. Her most recent book publication is a monograph entitled The Cinema of Marguerite Duras: Feminine Subjectivity and Sensoriality, published by Edinburgh University Press in 2019.