For centuries, the world's greatest thinkers and artists have come to Paris to learn, create, and find inspiration. This program gives you the chance to do the same.

In the BFA in Film Art, you'll get to create everything from experimental films and videos to gallery installations, web series, and public media art—in short, you'll be making the film and media art that shapes and defines our multicultural world. This program's global learning environment will help you expand your intercultural competence, grow your communication abilities, cause you to challenge your own assumptions and frames of reference, and grant you a new perspective—in life, in learning, and maybe through your camera lens. As renowned French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard said: "I know nothing of life except through the cinema."

Program Details

Students will not only study visual and media arts through filmmaking, fine art studio courses, and workshops, but will also receive a rich foundation in the liberal arts and French language. In addition, students will spend:

  • Three summers in Boston. The BFA program begins and ends on Emerson’s Boston campus, where you'll use the city as your backdrop for your creative endeavors in film and media. Learning from our faculty and using industry-level equipment and spaces, you'll see for yourself why our program is consistently ranked in the top ten worldwide.
  • The academic years in Paris. Situated in the 10th arrondissement, Paris College of Art provides an art studio learning experience through which students hone their artistic craft. Classes are taught in English, but you'll also take French classes and develop your French language skills, study the liberal arts, and delve deep into fine art studio practice.
  • One summer in Kasteel Well, the Netherlands. At Emerson's beloved Kasteel Well, which is located in the picturesque Dutch countryside, students will work in documentary and narrative production, engage with a network of European filmmakers, and gain insight into the fine art and film communities across Europe.

Access to Unparalleled Resources

While in Boston, you'll benefit from the industry-level equipment and state-of-the-art studio spaces provided by the Department of Visual and Media Arts

At Paris College of Art, you'll have access to unparalleled academic resources, including three libraries and exclusive archives originally reserved for museum curators. You'll also have access to research opportunities and fine art studio facilities through the school's partnerships with other universities around Paris. You will learn alongside students from other countries in Paris College of Art's broadly international student body.

Finally, you will be able to take advantage of the many art museums and cultural attractions of Paris, from the world famous Cinémathèque and numerous art house cinemas, to the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and the winding streets of Montmartre, the setting for numerous films and historic destination of many famous artists.

Learning Outcomes

We believe that travel and exploration, which are key elements of this program, are essential to broadening your understanding of contemporary art discourses and practices, allowing you to create new and compelling film art. Upon completion of the BFA program, you'll be able to:

Create.

  • Generate original concepts and novel approaches that advance the field of film arts.
  • Demonstrate the ability to adapt, take intellectual risks, and practice divergent thinking.
  • Not only show technical expertise in the creation of film arts, but also create original and meaningful film and media art.

Communicate.

  • Situate your artistic practice in relationship to current and historical art forms through written reports and oral presentations. 
  • Present your work—which can find audiences in multiple countries around the world—in public forums.
  • Converse and read proficiently in French.

Collaborate.

  • Work effectively with diverse groups of people to produce film art.
  • Engage productively with diverse audiences and collaborators following inclusive artistic principles and practices.
  • Work with individuals from multiple countries on an artistic project.

Civically Engage.

  • Demonstrate an awareness of the impact that your work has on society.
  • Engage with a larger public outside of the art world through community work and projects.

Think Critically.

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the theory and history of film arts.
  • Analyze, interpret, and evaluate arguments and information from a broad array of sources.
  • Analyze and assess the current economic, political, and social context for film arts.