3/18/2013 - Judson to host 2nd Tournees French Film Festival March 19-27
The Tournées French Film Festival will be held at Judson College in Marion, AL from March 19 to March 27.
The Judson College Art Club and Departments of Art and English received a nationally competitive collegiate grant from the French American Cultural Exchange (in partnership with the cultural services of the French Embassy) for the acquisition and screening of five recent French-language films on campus.
Speaking on behalf of the festival organizers, Chris Hokanson, Head of the English Department, said: “We are excited to bring some of the best examples of contemporary French cinema to Marion, many of which are making their Alabama premieres. We hope community members will also attend the festival, which truly is a unique opportunity to learn about and experience French culture.”
This is the second year that Judson College has hosted the Tournées Festival, which over the last 17 years has been held at over 350 American universities and has made it possible for over 450,000 students to discover French-language films. The festival committee at Judson was provided with a list of over 70 films from which to choose. "Our goal this year was to find films that depict strong female characters fighting for acceptance, equality, and avenues of artistic expression; themes we feel will speak to our student body," said Jamie Adams, Head of the Art Department.
The films to be screened are:
Les Émotifs Anonymes/Romantics Anonymous (2010, dir. Jean-Pierre Améris)
What happens when a man and a woman share a common passion? They fall in love. And this is what happens to Jean-René, the boss of a small chocolate factory, and Angélique, a gifted chocolate maker he has just hired. What occurs when a highly emotional man meets a highly emotional woman? They fall in love, and this is what occurs to Jean-René and Angélique who share the same handicap. But being pathologically timid does not make things easy for them. So whether they will manage to get together, join their solitudes and live happily ever after is a guessing matter.
Les Contes de la Nuit/Tales of the Night (2011, dir. Michel Ocelot)
This collection of six marvelous, visually bold fairy tales is rendered in a “shadow puppet style,” with silhouetted characters set against gorgeously colored, Day-Glo backgrounds. These stories span the globe and historical eras, taking place in the Caribbean, medieval Europe, an Aztec kingdom, Africa, Tibet—and the Land of the Dead. Each episode introduces a host of amazing creations: werewolves, giant bees, dragons, sorcerers, talking horses, rival kings. And each, in telling the tale of how a young man overcomes obstacles to win the hand of a princess, takes a decidedly wry, ironic turn.
The Artist/The Artist (2011, dir. Michel Hazanavicius)
A delightful homage to silent-era Hollywood, this mostly silent film, opens in 1927, when preening matinee idol George Valentin, is still the top draw at Kinograph Studios. Ignoring the increasingly icy glares his wife aims at him across the breakfast table, George acts as a mentor to Peppy Miller, a chorus girl with big ambitions. The Artist tracks both Peppy’s ascent (through amusing montage) and George’s decline as he refuses to acknowledge synchronized-sound as more than a passing fad. By 1932, Peppy is attracting lines around the block for her latest, Beauty Spot, while George spends his afternoons passed out on a barroom floor, his Jack Russell terrier his sole remaining fan. Or so the fading star thinks: Peppy’s never forgotten him, and the film’s concluding act is one of the most buoyant in recent memory. The movie pivots on the spry connection between Dujardin and Bejo, both nimble performers and elegantly turned out in period finery and pomade. At the 2011 Academy Awards, the film won Oscars for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Score, and Best Costume Design.
17 Filles/17 Girls (2011, dir. Delphine Coulin)
When Camille accidentally becomes pregnant, 16 of her friends and classmates decide to follow suit, throwing their town and school into chaos. Inspired by a 2008 incident in which 18 American high school students were involved in an alleged “pregnancy pact,” the film offers a highly aestheticized yet incredibly hollow meditation on contemporary teenage angst.
Le Gamin au Vélo/The Kid with a Bike (2011, dir. Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)
A sublime tale of love and redemption begins with an 11-year-old boy in frantic, desperate motion. Refusing to acknowledge that he’s been abandoned by his father, Cyril escapes the children’s home where he’s been living, hoping to be reunited with his dad—and to find his lost bicycle. He returns to the apartment complex where they once lived, only to find a deserted flat. As the authorities from the children’s home catch up with him and try to bring him back, Cyril, refusing to return, tightly grips a total stranger, a kind, patient woman named Samantha, who will prove to be the heartbroken boy’s savior. Samantha becomes the parent that Cyril so desperately needs, one who will soothe him during his rages and help him cope with the devastating news that his father never wants to see him again.
All screenings will take place in the Adams-Armstrong Lecture Hall of the Lowder Science Building at Judson College. Admission is free. Various Judson faculty members will lead the post-screening discussions of the five films.
The screening schedule follows:
Tuesday, March 19 @ 8:00 pm: Les Émotifs Anonymes/Romantics Anonymous
Wednesday March 20 @ 8:00 pm: Les Contes de la Nuit/Tales of the Night
Sunday March 24 @ 8:00 pm: The Artist/The Artist
Tuesday March 26 @ 4:00 pm: 17 Filles/17 Girls
Wednesday March 27 @ 8:00 pm: Le Gamin au Vélo/The Kid with a Bike
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