Université Paris III-Sorbonne Nouvelle

« Ils n'en font qu'à leur tête »: Les lycéens français face au cinéma enseigné

The French secondary education system currently faces a significant pedagogical impasse regarding the instruction of cinema.

• The French secondary education system’s cinema curriculum is currently failing because it relies on an outdated, narrow canon rooted in the 'politique des auteurs' and traditionalist values.
• There is a widening disconnect between the state-sanctioned hierarchy of 'good taste' and the eclectic, autonomous viewing habits of contemporary high school students.
• Students actively resist institutional attempts to dictate aesthetic values, preferring to prioritize personal relevance and their own lived experiences over academic prestige.