Agricultural film in Interwar France

What is it about?

The invention of "agricultural cinema" in France between the wars was an initiative by the MInistry of Agriculture to make cinema an important part of the campaign to renew French agriculture and rural life and resist the population movement towards urban centers. The archival sources studied here show the extent to which the Ministry's messages missed their mark with audiences who had very little interest in dull films about agricultural techniques. Despite this failure, the program created a culture of moviegoing in rural France outside the circuits of commercial cinemas.

Featured Image