The French and Francophone Department at Connecticut College presents:

The French and Francophone Film Festival with Albertine Cinémathèque
October 23 - 27, 2023

 All films are subtitled in English. Free and open to the public.
Each screening is followed by a discussion.

 OPENING RECEPTION

October 23, 6:30 PM, outside Blaustein 210. All Warmly Welcome.

Click Here for directions to campus.

 

BENEDETTA

Monday, October 23

Film screening: 7 p.m. Blaustein 2010.
Directed by Paul Verhoeven, 2021.
Intro. by Danielle Egan, Fuller-Maathai Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Intersectionality Studies, and Dean of the Faculty.

Official Trailer

A grandiose, colorful retelling of the story of real-life 17th-century nun Benedetta Carlini, an abbess in Pescia, Tuscany, who had mystical visions, stigmata, and a lesbian relationship with another nun. Dutch director, Belgian actress, set in Italy. In French. 126 min.

JOSEP

Tuesday, October 24

Film screening: 4:30 p.m. Blaustein 210.
Directed by Aurel, 2020.
Intro. by Jacob Levi, Visiting Lecturer in French.

Official Trailer

Spanish republicans against Franco’s dictatorship flee to France, detained at the border in squalid prison camps. The story of real-life artist Josep Bartolí, who becomes friends with prison guard Serge, and dreams of Frida Kahlo. Animated. In French, Catalan, Spanish. 74 min.

HAPPENING

Tuesday, October 24

Film screening: 7 p.m. Blaustein 210.
Directed by Audrey Diwan, 2021
Intro. by Bridget McTague, Class of 2023.

Official Trailer

An unexpected pregnancy threatens to derail Anne’s studies and the promise of social advancement. This drama, adapted from Nobel Laureate Annie Ernaux’s novel, explores one woman’s determination to obtain an illegal abortion in France in 1963. In French. 100 min.

CASABLANCA BEATS

Wednesday, October 25

Film screening: 7 p.m. Blaustein 210.
Directed by Nabil Ayouch, 2021.
Intro. by Sana Abdi, Assistant Professor of French.

Official Trailer

Anas, a former rapper, joins a cultural center in a popular neighborhood in Casablanca. Faced with numerous challenges, he inspires young Moroccans to push-back against social and religious norms in order to pursue their passion for hip-hop. In Arabic. 101 min.

RETURN TO SEOUL

Thursday, October 26

Film screening: 7 p.m. Blaustein 210.
Directed by Davy Chou, 2022.
Intro. by Andrew Lopez, Research Support Librarian.

Official Trailer

Freddie, in South Korea for the first time since she was adopted as an infant, considers connecting with her biological parents. What follows is as unpredictable as Freddie herself–a woman whose identity and personality defy cultural norms. In French and Korean. 119 min.

THE 400 BLOWS

Friday, October 27

Film screening: 7 p.m. Blaustein 210.
Directed by François Truffaut, 1959.
Intro. by James Austin, Associate Professor of French.

Official Trailer

Truffaut’s autobiographical film that carried the French New Wave to international prominence. Adolescent Antoine Doinel, neglected at home and misunderstood at school, plays hooky, sneaks into movies, steals, runs away, and comes of age. In French. 99 min.

Reception To Follow Screening, To Close The Festival In Style 

Albertine Cinémathèque, a program of FACE Foundation and Villa Albertine, with support from the CNC / Centre National du Cinema, and SACEM / Fonds Culturel Franco-Américain. This festival is also made possible by the French and Francophone Department, CISLA, Information Services, CCSRE, Global Learning Lab, the Walter Commons, Africana Studies, and the Classics, East Asian Studies, Film Studies, Hispanic Studies and Italian Departments. Contact: jfaus@conncoll.edu