The Cinémathèque and the University of Luxembourg present:
What is a good film? – All the reasons you should love cinema, in 10 lessons
"Everybody has two jobs: their own, and film critic". This is how François Truffaut explains everyone's tendency to want to critique a film. How aware are we, though, of the criteria on which we base these assessments? What is more, are all these criteria valid? Although enlightened cinephiles often cite reasons that defy logic for their love of the art, not all films are created equal in terms of quality, and not all will go down in history. We all know that there are good films and bad, classics and masterpieces, yardsticks by which other films are measured and films that have faded into oblivion. How, then, can we separate the wheat from the chaff beyond the established "truths" set out in cinema textbooks and history books? Moreover, how can we reassess films using new, more contemporary criteria? Put more simply, how can we tell whether or not a film is good, to justify our own personal tastes?
For this new season, the Université Populaire du Cinéma is offering a 10-lesson course on critical film analysis. In these lessons, participants will learn that a masterpiece of engaging film-making is not necessarily the embodiment of inventiveness or beauty; that a good film can move the viewer or give them food for thought; and that great cinema can reflect its time or be timeless and universally relevant. Indeed, the boundaries are fluid and no classification is irrefutable. Together, though, we will shed some light on the subject so that you can hold your own in company and so that, in the darkness of the cinema, you do not simply view all films as different shades of grey.
From October 2018 to July 2019, for its ninth edition, UniPop invites you to learn how to separate the cinematic wheat from the chaff over the course of a season that promises to be fun, friendly and illuminating.
An ongoing joint project of the Cinémathèque and the University of Luxembourg, the Université Populaire du Cinéma aims to provide participants with essential guidelines to understanding global cinema through monthly lectures accompanied by film clips, educational materials and additional screenings of key films. Each session is open to beginners and seasoned cinephiles alike to gain perspective on and a deeper understanding of cinematic culture.
