Back 2 School

Last year, De Cinema kicked off the school year with the first instalment of BACK 2 SCHOOL: observational documentaries that took a close look at the classroom and the Western school system. Films such as HIGH SCHOOL (1968), MR. BACHMANN AND HIS CLASS (2021), FAVORITEN (2024) and ÊTRE ET AVOIR (2002), a classic of the genre, portrayed the school as a microcosm of society.

From 10 September, we will be building on this further. In this second chapter of BACK 2 SCHOOL, ‘the school’ takes centre stage once again, but this time with a focus on the intergenerational dialogue between pupil, teacher and parent, and the strengths and pitfalls of communication. In each of these films, the school serves as a sanctuary for developing one’s own voice and learning to communicate with others — through sign language (DEAF), literature (WRITING LIFE), schoolwork (HOMEWORK) and practical exercises (GRANDS TRAVAUX), or the language of cinema (ONE HUNDRED CHILDREN WAITING FOR A TRAIN).

School becomes a fundamental space where children and young people learn to navigate authority, freedom and responsibility. Together, these films reflect on the crucial role of education in shaping both individuals and society as a whole. They make it clear that education is not a neutral space, but one of the most important places where the community continually redefines itself.