By Rédaction La Voix Le Bocage Published on Apr 9, 2026 at 16:26
The cinema option at Marie-Curie high school in Vire Normandie, led by Alain Bihel, is now facing the threat of elimination. Through the testimony of Jeanne Marchalot, the first of a series, we look back at the lasting impact of this program.
“It was a rare initiative at the time,” recalls Alain Bihel, former professor of classical literature and historical supervisor of the cinema option. Introduced in 1987, this program has influenced several generations of students.
A calling born at the high school
Now heading the StoryLab of France Télévisions, Jeanne Marchalot is a striking example. A member of the second cohort, she remembers: “Back then, the program offered remarkable rigor and richness.” A practical and rigorous education: film analysis, making a short film for the baccalaureate, active film club, participation in festivals, and connections with the professional world. “It wasn’t just an extra program. It was a space for transformation.” Even though she only resumed her film studies 30 years later, this initial experience significantly shaped her perspective.
“These studies instilled in me a sensitivity and a way of thinking about images that have never left me.” – Jeanne Marchalot
A professional impact
After 26 years in the audiovisual industry, Jeanne Marchalot fully recognizes the impact of this education, which led her to participate in internationally recognized projects, winning two Lions at the Venice Film Festival and walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. For her, the removal of this program would have significant consequences.
“Closing such an option is not just abolishing an education. It is cutting off an essential gateway to vocations. In a world saturated with images, learning to understand, create, and question them is not a luxury. It is a necessity.” – Jeanne Marchalot
A history rooted in the region
In 1987, Marie-Curie high school in Vire opened its first cinema option. “The principal Jean-Claude Morisson, a cinema enthusiast, ensured its establishment,” explains Alain Bihel. Two teachers and a professional intervenor then guided the students through artistic practice and technical training. Today, around 150 institutions in France offer this program. In Normandy, the offering remains limited, and Marie-Curie high school plays a key role in the region.
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A threatened education today
The announced elimination concerns teachers and students.
“Interrupting a three-year training program is harsh. Those who have already started this journey lose an essential pedagogical continuity.” – Alain Bihel
Beyond this, the education plays a major role in terms of equality of opportunities: “It allows all students, regardless of their means, to access an artistic practice that is often inaccessible outside of school. To remove it would reserve culture for a privileged minority.”
A revealer of vocations
For Alain Bihel, this program also serves as a lever for students in search of meaning: “Many find a space here to flourish and discover vocations they wouldn’t have imagined elsewhere.” It also contributes to the attractiveness of the high school and the region, attracting students from other areas and revitalizing school life. Its disappearance could, conversely, lead some families to seek other structures.
In this context, Jeanne Marchalot’s journey illustrates what this education can trigger: a developing perspective, an affirming sensitivity, and sometimes even a vocation.
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