The Ecole Kourtrajmé is a film school that was created to respond to the challenges of accessibility and integration in the film and audiovisual industry, both in terms of training and in production and creation. Its purpose? To promote equal opportunity by making training in the cinema professions available to all, free of charge and regardless of age or educational background.
© Ecole Kourtrajmé
In 2023, the Amis du Festival provided the Ecole Kourtrajmé with €50,000 in funding. This assistance made it possible to allow for the Acting department, developed by Ludivine Sagnier and Sébastien Davis, to become a permanent fixture at the school. |
Kourtrajmé in every corner of the world
This is the story of a collective of artists from the audiovisual world, created in France in 1994 by Kim Chapiron, Romain Gavras and Toumani Sangaré, which brings together around one hundred artists from different domains: filmmakers, actors, authors, singers, DJs and photographers. Within this collective called Kourtrajmé, we can note the presence of such famous active members as Vincent Cassel, Mouloud Achour, Oxmo Puccino and Mathieu Kassovitz.
In addition to successful films, Kourtrajmé has lent its name to a school concept imagined by Ladj Ly, that of offering everyone the means of operating video cameras to express themselves in images. The director’s wish came into being in 2018, when the first Kourtrajmé film school opened its doors in Montfermeil. A school that is free and accessible to everyone, regardless of their age or educational background, which gives a chance to those who have not had one and helps them find their voice.
“It’s important to have a site that is accessible to everyone and which allows for the transmission and teaching of the cinema professions.” Ladj Ly, Founder of the Ecole Kourtrajmé
His initiative has expanded with locations in Marseille, Dakar, Madrid, Pointe-Noire and soon New York, leading to the emergence of a new generation of talents from the French-speaking world and beyond.
Each school offers personalised instruction to students and the participation of artists and professionals, making this education in the audiovisual directing and writing trades unique. Since their creation, these schools have hosted multiple international master classes featuring, among others, Spike Lee, George Lucas, Kaws and Darren Aronofsky, who all came to share their experience and knowledge with a new generation of passionate students.
In 2020, the esteemed artist JR joined the initiative to support an Art and Image department with the aim of providing his experience as a self-taught artist. In October of the same year, Ludivine Sagnier and Sébastien Davis created an Acting department, developed in part thanks to the financial assistance provided by the Amis du Festival foundation.
Today, thanks to its success and its commitments, the film school has been awarded the “France 2030 – La Grande Fabrique de l’Image” label. This national recognition places the school at the heart of a network of excellence, contributing to the dynamism of French artistic creation and the showcasing of new talent.