Parlez-vous français? Whether you do or not, St. Lawrence University’s Modern Language and Literatures Department invites the campus and general public to attend several screenings of French films, including two films that will be shown during World Languages Week.
Eloise Brezault, an assistant professor of Francophone and African studies, organized St. Lawrence’s first French Film Festival. She received a supporting grant from the French American Cultural Exchange Foundation in partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, which aims to bring French cinema to American college and university campuses.
“Showing movies is a great way to share Francophone cultures with the campus and local communities,” she said. “It’s also a great way to actually discover French cinema, which can be quite different than American Hollywood cinema.”
Brezault consulted various academic departments on campus for their ideas and suggestions, which led to a cross-disciplinary selection of films. Grisgris, for example, which will be shown on April 13, takes place in the capital of the Africal nation of Chad. All of the films will be subtitled, and the screenings are free and open to the general public.
The first film, L’Attentat or The Attack, will be shown on Monday, March 23, in the Sullivan Student Center’s Winston Room. Brezault has invited students from SUNY Potsdam’s French classes to attend the second film, Quai D’Orsay or The French Minister, which will be shown at 7 p.m. in Carnegie Hall room 10.
“At the end of the film, we hope to have a conversation, possibly in French, about the film,” Brezault said. “This will be a good chance to talk about the film but also to talk about cinema and culture in general.”
The first two films will be shown during World Languages Week. Hosted by St. Lawrence’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, the Language Resource Center and the Center for International and Intercultural Studies, World Languages Week is an opportunity to promote and highlight the importance of language learning, international experience and exposure to a variety of cultures.
For more information, contact Modern Languages at 315-229-5154.
Films
All films will begin at 7 p.m.
L’Attentat or The Attack – Monday, March 23, Winston Room
Quai D’Orsay or The French Minister – Thursday, March 26, Carnegie 10
Elle S’En Va or On My Way – Thursday, April 2, Carnegie 10
L’Image Manquante or The Missing Picture – Tuesday, April 7, Winston Room
Grisgris – Monday, April 13, Winston Room
La Baie Des Anges or Bay of Angels – Sunday, April 19, Winston Room
