Through an analysis of films as diverse as Jean de Florette, Ma Vie en rose and Nikita, this collection of essays is a comprehensive introduction to the concerns and styles that characterise contemporary popular French film. Set within economic, political and social context, France on Film reconsiders the direction French cinema is taking today, bringing into focus critical questions concerning wide-ranging notions of French culture, identity and nationhood. Examining questions of popular cinema as opposed to art cinema, this book also seeks to (re)present films that have been widely popular in France and internationally and to thus challenge the traditional art-house view of contemporary French cinema.