This French-language course is a diachronic examination of the birth and maturation of two intimately related yet distinct film industries: that of France, and that of the Francophone world. Students will view in their entirety a dozen canonical films from these traditions, including works by Jean Renoir, Francois Truffaut, and Ousmane Sembene. Students will be asked to produce oral or written responses to the films they see, as well as a capstone paper.