La Fémis (École Nationale Supérieure des Métiers de l'Image et du Son, formerly known as Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques), is the French state film school. FEMIS is an acronym for Fondation Européenne pour les Métiers de l’Image et du Son. Based in Paris, it offers courses balanced between artistic research, professional development and technical training. Its alumni have won three of the world's most prestigious film prizes - Cannes Film Festival's Golden Palm, Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion and Berlin International Film Festival's Golden Bear - ten times, making it the most rewarded film school in the world, preceding the Beijing Film Academy and the Tisch School of the Arts of New York, in winning those three prizes.