How's this for a date night — French appetizers and a classic film, all for free.
The French and Francophone Film Festival serves up samples of French cuisine followed by a screening of French films at the University of Arizona March 20-April 12.
Five films will screen in the series in Room 120 of the Integrated Learning Center, beneath the UA Mall at 1500 E. University Blvd. French food prepared by students will be available at booths beginning at 6 p.m., followed by screenings at 7. The lineup is "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" (March 20), "Mooladé" (March 22), "King and Queens" (March 29), "Games of Love and Chance" (April 5) and "Look at Me" (April 12).
The films were selected by Beatrice Dupuy, an associate professor of French and foreign language education at the UA, along with assistant professor Carine Bourget and doctoral candidate Yannick Treguer. Dupuy talked to the Star about the festival.
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How is the festival funded?
"The French American Cultural Exchange offers a grant in the amount of $18,000 to American colleges and universities to bring French and Francophone cinema to campuses."
What's the difference between French and Francophone films?
"French films usually come from France. Francophone films come from French-speaking countries around the world. For example, "Mooladé" comes from Africa."
What's the purpose of the festival?
"The aim and our goal in securing the grant was to actually increase the visibility of the French department both on campus and in the larger community. The films are in French, but there are subtitles, and everybody is really welcome to come and attend."
How did you go about selecting the films?
"When we were trying to select the movies, we thought about the plot and the audience. We tried to find things that have appeal across generations or some connection. For example, 'Games of Love and Chance' takes place in one of Paris' suburbs. Given (the riots that) happened there in 2005, there's something to connect it. We also chose movies with appeal across departments on campus. Students of anthropology, education and sociology and so on will be attracted to these movies. I think they do offer interesting perspectives on interesting topics on France and the larger French-speaking world.
What would you recommend about the festival?
"One thing that is going to happen at the end of the movie is a discussion led by one of the faculty members of the French and Italian department. It's an opportunity to meet faculty members. Also, the food fair is going to be hosted by both the undergrad students in the program as well as the grad students. It's a way of connecting with the student population in the department."
If you're involved in filmmaking and would like to be featured in a Q&A, write to pvillarreal@ azstarnet.com.
