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French Cinema from Paris to Cannes

APPLY NOW! (opens Nov. 1)

Study film where it was born, then spend two weeks on the French Riviera at the world’s most famous film festival. Three weeks, two cities, one Maymester.

On December 28, 1895, the Lumière brothers held the first public film screening in Paris. In 1946, the first Cannes Film Festival opened on the Riviera. This course connects the two. We begin in Paris, tracing French cinema from the Lumière brothers and Méliès through the avant-garde, surrealism, and the Golden Age, with visits to the Cinémathèque française and other film-history sites. On May 10 we take the TGV to Cannes for the 80th Festival de Cannes, where we study how a festival works as a cultural institution and a global marketplace: screenings, panels, the Marché du Film, criticism, juries, and prizes. Required day trips take us to Nice, Monaco, and the hilltop village of Èze. On May 23 we return to Paris to study photography and film and to finish final projects, which premiere at our own mini class film festival before the program ends on May 26.

At a glance

  • Dates: Depart the U.S. May 6; program runs May 7–26, 2027 (Paris May 7–10, Cannes May 10–23, Paris May 23–26)
  • Course: FREN 3231 / CMAT 3773, 3 credit hours
  • Language: Taught entirely in English; all required films have English subtitles. No French required.
  • Prerequisite: None. All majors welcome.
  • Requirements: Fulfills AXLE INT and counts toward the French major and minor.
  • Faculty: Professors Lynn Ramey and Raisa Rexer, who travel with the group the entire time

What it costs

  • Tuition and program fee for May 2027: $13,955
  • Students pay for their own transatlantic flight and most meals. Estimates: about $1,400 for airfare and $500 to $800 for food.
  • Included: lodging in Paris and Cannes for the full program, TGV train Paris ⇄ Cannes, excursions to Nice, Monaco, and Èze, museum and cultural-site visits on the group itinerary, and festival participation.
  • Scholarships and aid: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/immersion/funding/
    Majors and minors in French: https://tinyurl.com/FrenchFunding

How to apply Apply by December 1 at https://www.vanderbilt.edu/study-abroad/maymesters/. Spots are limited. Questions? Contact Prof. Lynn Ramey (lynn.ramey@vanderbilt.edu).