The Mini Francophone Film Festival Project (2023)

In the summer of 2023, my French 2 course became a fully immersive, project-based learning experience centered on designing and hosting a Mini Francophone Film Festival for a public audience. Over the course of just six weeks, every element of the class - materials, in-class activities, and assessments - was aligned with preparing students for this event.

While I curated the film selection, students drove the festival’s creative and intellectual work. Starting in week 2, we held weekly public screenings, each followed by student-led informal discussions. In preparation, students researched the films’ cultural and historical contexts, watched trailers together in class, and developed thematic conversation prompts.

Students also designed the festival’s bilingual promotional materials (posters and videos) learning to communicate effectively in both French and English to engage their audience. In class, students explored the world of Francophone cinema through case studies of international film festivals, vocabulary for genres and cinematic techniques, and guided conversations about film as a cultural and political medium.

Assessment for the course was designed to blend authentic performance tasks with language skill development. Oral examinations were directly tied to the festival experience:

• Oral Exam 1 – Film Critic Role-Play: Students chose one of the films screened at the festival and spoke about it in French for approximately 5 minutes, taking on the role of a journalist and film critic. They discussed the film’s genre, plot, their favorite scene, character relationships, and their personal evaluation of the work.

• Oral Exam 2 – Interview Role-Play: In pairs, students role-played either a director or an actor from one of the films, asking and answering at least four questions each. Directors discussed creative inspiration, narrative choices, potential sequels, favorite scenes, and artistic satisfaction. Actors reflected on challenging scenes, character relationships, preparation rituals, and dream roles.

The project blended individual accountability and collaborative creativity, with students alternating between solo research and group tasks. After the screenings, they engaged in conversations around themes such as migration, identity, and cultural memory.

By the end of the six weeks, students had not only strengthened their language skills but also developed intercultural awareness, public-speaking confidence, and a tangible sense of ownership over their learning - transforming the course into a shared cultural experience that extended far beyond the classroom.