A Delegation of Foreign Cultural Institutes at EICAR: When Cultural Diplomacy Meets Cinema
EICAR welcomed a delegation of six foreign cultural institutes as part of an outing organised by FICEP – the Forum of Foreign Cultural Institutes in Paris. A morning of exchange, film screenings and discovery that perfectly reflects the international mission at the heart of the school.
A Meeting Point for Cultures
FICEP, the Forum of Foreign Cultural Institutes in Paris, brings together cultural actors who speak collectively, beyond traditional diplomacy and bilateral framework agreements. It is in this spirit of openness that six institutions made the journey to EICAR’s Paris campus: the Embassy of Estonia in France, the Centre Camerounais de France, the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles | Paris, the Embassy of Lithuania in France, the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris, and the Yunus Emre Institute Paris.
Delegations from four continents, brought together by a shared curiosity: to understand how an international film school prepares its students for careers in audiovisual production within a multicultural environment.
A Morning of Pedagogy and Creation
The visit unfolded in three stages. The morning opened with a presentation of the school — its programmes, facilities, and a pedagogy firmly rooted in hands-on practice — before giving way to a screening of films made by EICAR students. A powerful moment, giving delegations a concrete sense of the quality of work produced at the school and the diversity of perspectives it fosters. The morning concluded with a tour of the campus, including the studios and post-production suites.
These exchanges also provided an opportunity to highlight the unique ecosystem EICAR has built in recent years — most notably the presence of PAN Groupe, a film company whose teams work alongside students on a daily basis.
Foreign Cultural Institutes: Natural partners for an International School
For a school like EICAR, whose identity is resolutely international, foreign cultural institutes and centres represent far more than institutional partners. FICEP actively contributes to the promotion of cultural pluralism and the defence of cultural and linguistic diversity — values that EICAR fully shares in its educational mission.
These organisations serve as invaluable bridges for building connections with film industries around the world, identifying emerging co-production opportunities, and facilitating the mobility of students and professionals across borders. In an increasingly globalised audiovisual sector, these cultural links open concrete doors: international internship opportunities, cross-border film co-productions, and connections with festivals and markets that fall outside the reach of traditional European audiovisual networks.
Internationality at the Core of EICAR’s Identity
This visit is a reminder of what has always been central to EICAR’s mission: training filmmakers and audiovisual professionals equipped to thrive in a world without borders. Each year, the school welcomes students from dozens of nationalities and continues to develop partnerships with institutions across the globe.
Building relationships with the foreign cultural institutes based in Paris means enriching this community with a uniquely close-knit network — one that brings together 53 institutes from across the world, spanning Latin America, the Mediterranean, Europe, Russia, Asia, the Far East and the Middle East.
Our thanks go to FICEP for making this initiative possible, and to each of the six delegations for their presence and curiosity. These encounters are the foundation on which tomorrow’s collaborations are built.
To find out more about the BFA, MFA and One Year Filmmaking programs at EICAR, please visit the international programs page.