BLACKSBURG, Va., Jan. 26, 2010 – The fifth annual French and Francophone film festival, organized by Virginia Tech's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, begins this weekend and will be the featured matinee offering at The Lyric theatre in downtown Blacksburg on Saturdays throughout February.
The films are free and open to the public. The films are in the original language version with English subtitles.
The film series is sponsored by the Cercle Francophone in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech. The Tournées Festival was made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC).
Jan. 30 at 3 p.m. -- The Girl from Monaco / La Fille de Monaco
Directed by Anne Fontaine
On the exuberant backdrop of the French Riviera, an ambitious and racy woman overturns the life of a rigid attorney. Fontaine takes the audience from comedy to tragedy in this disturbing film.
2008. Drama. 95 min. Rated R.
Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. - The Secret of the Grain / La Graine et le Mulet
Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
In the Southern French city of Sète, an immigrant dockworker and divorced father struggles with a sense of failure until he decides to pursue his dream of opening a floating couscous restaurant. An engrossing family drama with elements of social commentary.
2007. Drama. 151 min. Not rated.
Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. – The Beaches of Agnes / Les Plages d’Agnès
Directed by Agnès Varda
Acclaimed French filmmaker Varda revisits the loves and places that fashioned her heart and art in a unique and enchanting autobiographical documentary.
2009. Art film. 110 min. Not rated.
Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. - Being Jewish in France / Comme une Juif en France
Directed by Yves Jeuland
Combining rare archival documents and footage in a sweeping visual feat, this film traces the history of the Jewish population in France – the first country to grant Jews citizenship.
2007. Documentary. 185 min. Not rated.
Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. - Azur and Asmar / Azur et Asmar
Created and Directed by Michel Ocelot.
In a medieval Maghreb wonderland, blue-eyed Azur and dark-eyed Asmar grow up as brothers. Years later they become rivals in a quest for the Djinn-fairy, which only one of them may conquer. In French and Arabic.
2007. Animation. 84 minutes. Rated PG.