February French Film Festival
at Longwood University
February 4-March 3, 2008
All films are free and open to the public. Shows begin at 7pm.
All films are presented as part of
The Tournées Festival,
made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy
and
the French Ministry of Culture, and co-sponsored
at Longwood University by the Department of English & Modern Languages, the
General Education Film Series, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the LCVA,
and the Women’s & Gender Studies Program.
For further information, please contact Dr. Wade Edwards: 434.395.2181.
Paris, Je t'aime
[Various directors, 2006]
Monday, February 4: Lankford Ballroom
A
patchwork of 18 short, low-budget films by various directors, including the Coen
brothers and Gérard Depardieu, each focusing on a different Paris
arrondissement (neighborhood). Actors include Natalie Portman, Gena
Rowlands, Ben Gazzara and Catherine Deneuve.
The
Chorus
[Christophe Barratier, 2004]
Tuesday, February 12: Hull Auditorium
Nominated for two Oscars in 2005 and featuring original music, this is about a
teacher at a boys’ boarding school who transforms the lives of his students
through the magic of choir singing and music. Students from area high schools
are invited to attend additional screenings at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Bamako
[Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006]
Wednesday, February 20: LCVA, lower level
Winner
of the 2007 Best Francophone Prize, produced by Danny Glover and set in the West
African nation of Mali, this film juxtaposes Africa’s political and economic
grievances with refined scenes of more mundane family struggles.
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
[J. Audiard, 2005]
Tuesday, February 26: Lankford Ballroom
A re-interpretation of
James Toback’s 1978 cult neo-noir film Fingers, this edgy thriller
combines equal parts Bach and rock in a Gallic transformation of the
gangster-seeking-redemption genre.
Poison
Friends
[Emmanuel Bourdieu, 2006]
Monday, March 3: Lankford Ballroom
In what has been described as an “engaging tale of ambition, fabulation, romance and deceit,” four friends compete for attention and fame as they navigate the treacherous world of literature, academic and dissertation writing.