Arts & Culture
Tournees french film festival begins
The Pointer
kshan945@uwsp.edu
The University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point got a taste of French culture on Sept. 24 with the showing of “Entre Les Murs” the first showing in a series of French films by French Professor Michelle Slater. Slater, an assistant professor of French at UWSP, received a grant to create a French film arrangement of differing themes. Slater received the grant from the Tournees Film Festival, which annually gives $200,000 in grants.
The Tournees Film Festival is a program designed to give students a chance to see contemporary French cinema on a college campus. By partnering with hundreds of universities worldwide, its focus is to encourage schools to start French film festivals on their own accord. The original concept of the program is to promote the creation of a French film series, which might one day become self-sustaining. Professor Slater received a grant of $1800 this year to bring five French films to Stevens Point.
“I chose five films that represent the multiple possibilities of genres and styles within French cinema. All of the films are contemporary,” said Slater.
Slater is showing the films on campus in an array of times throughout this next month. The films will be shown weekly on Thursdays between Sept. 24 and Oct. 29. The next film to be shown will be “Les chansons d’amour” on Oct.1 followed by “Roman de gare” on Oct. 8. The festival will finish up with “Il y a longtemps que je t’aime” on Oct. 15 and “Les amants reguliers” Oct. 29.
The five films to be shown feature a wide range of subject matter.The film “Entre les murs” or “The class,” is a documentary about a teacher and his students in a junior high classroom, learning about the French language and the oncoming threat of cultural dissimilation. “Les chansons d’amour,” or “Love Songs” is a musical film about love and its perils. Il y a longtemps que je t’aime, or “I’ve Loved You So Long” is a film about a woman with a tough exterior recently sprung from prison and how her heart warms to family – but not without moments of relapse. “Les amants reguliers, or “Regular Lovers” takes place in 1968 with a man wanting to join the students’ revolt movement. By becoming close with another girl, he finds himself and the link between the past and future along the way.
Without this festival students at UWSP probably wou ldn’t be exposed to the films. The language barrier alone is enough to keep most people away.
“Living in the states the only place to be exposed to these movies [is] in class. I’ve actually bought two or three French films that I watched in class because I enjoyed them so much. It was awesome knowing that I was laughing, watching, and understanding something that’s in a different movie. They are a great tool for learning the language and culture,” said Krish.
Though it is helpful if you know French, all of the movies that Slater showcases have subtitles.
