Aluminum alloys are extensively used in many fields such as aeronautics, astronautics, vehicle manufactures and living products due to their good mechanical properties and anti--corrosion performance. Traditionally, the most effective corrosion protection technologies are based on the use of Cr⁶⁺ containing formulations to extend the applications of aluminum alloys in high corrosive media such as chlorides containing solutions. However, the recent recognition that chromates are highly toxic and carcinogenic has led to extensive research to develop new alternatives. Many works have been published using different conditions to obtain rare earth (RE) conversion layers on several aluminum substrates. Unfortunately, these reported anti-corrosion technologies based on RE modified films presented several drawbacks including long formation time, high formation temperature and even high potential in some cases. The goal of the present work is to introduce the novel cathode electrophoresis technique to quickly deposit cerium modified film on the surface of Al 5083. The morphology and structure of the RE film were characterized by SEM, EDS and XRD, the corrosion resistance was investigated by EIS and potentiodynamic polarization curves in 0.1 mol/L NaCl solution. The results showed that uniform CeO₂ film of 0.8 μm thickness can be prepared by cathode electrophoresis process in 0.1 mol/L Ce(NO₃)₃ ethanol solution at a voltage of 12 V for 60 s. Polarization curves confirmed its excellent protective property through inhibiting the cathodic reaction. Impedance data collected from EIS in 0.1 mol/L NaC1 solution remained capacitive for 31 d, which indicated the lack of localized corrosion. With the increase of exposure time, the charge-transfer resistance R_p became higher, the surface capacitance C_t nearly kept constant and cracks of the film reduced obviously, demonstrating a self-healing property. Apparently local cathodes were covered during the RE modification processes, thereby reducing the driving force for pitting.