The Grambling State University Department of Foreign Languages will hold its first French Film Festival during March in anticipation of International Francophone Day, March 20. Grambling State University is one of the five La. colleges and universities that received a grant that will allow them to participate in the Tournées Festival, the French-American Cultural Exchange program sponsored by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture.
The festival will feature six award-winning international films that demonstrate the cultural diversity of France and other French-speaking countries: “Bamako,” “Daratt,” “Caché” (“Hidden”), “De battre mon coeur s’est arrté” (“The Beat That My Heart Skipped”), “Frantz Fanon: sa vie, son combat, son travail” (“Frantz Fanon: His Life, His Struggle, His Work”) and “Le plafond de verre” (“The Glass Ceiling”).
“The festival will allow the University and local community to explore French and Francophone culture through the seventh art – cinema,” said Dr. Chimegsaikhan Banzar, French Professor in the Foreign Language Department, and event organizer. “The half dozen films that will be shown over several weeks in March range from historical documentaries to contemporary dramas. These recent films offer a fresh insight into the everyday life of North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and France itself.”
The films will be screened in French with English subtitles and followed by discussions. The first film, “De battre mon coeur s’est arte,” is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Woodson Hall, Room 10. For a complete list of showtimes and titles, click on the Foreign Language Department of the GSU website .
The program is open to general public and is free of charge.
For more information, contact Banzar at (318) 274-2356.