L'Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) (the "Institute for Advanced Cinematographic Studies") is a French film school, founded during World War II under the leadership of Marcel L'Herbier who was its president from 1944 to 1969. IDHEC offered training for directors and producers, cameramen, sound technicians, editors, art directors and costume designers. It became highly influential, and many prominent film-makers received their training there including Louis Malle, Alain Resnais, Volker Schlöndorff, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Claude Sautet, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, André Weinfeld, Patrice Leconte, Costa Gavras, Theo Angelopoulos, Omar Amiralay and Rithy Panh.[1]
It was reorganized in 1985 and renamed La Fémis.