francophone film festival!

This year marked the 10th Annual Francophone Film Festival, an event I have attended each year for a decade.
I've even been known to contribute toward its continuance a time or two!
I've even been known to bring las dos amigas with me for the past few years!
I've even been known to bring a Goth Girl one year and a singing bird with me for the festival's second year!
(smile)
This will probably be the final year, sadly.
Dorothée Mertz-Weigel, champion of the festival, no longer teaches French.
Dorothée has been with International Studies since Jim Adams retired two years ago.
That was a boon for her, but a definite loss
for the Francophones of Savannah.

That has been a definite loss to the French Club, also. As she no longer teaches the language, she is no longer familiar to the students. Those who would have known her have graduated. Thus, the Cercle Francais was notably absent from the proceedings, even though they were credited with presenting the festival.

That's not to say students were absent from
the five screenings.
I'm sure there were at least a few each time...
but nothing like the huge group present for
the third film, shown today at 10 AM.
For that animated film, there were about
100 third-grade students!
There were also about 40 high-schoolers.

Quite a crowd... and so well-behaved!
They were all taking French and had come
to hear it being spoken on the screen.
Sadly, the copy of "Un Monstre à Paris"
that was available was dubbed in English -
but that made it even easier for them
to enjoy this delightful movie,
full of singing and dancing and love - oh, yes!
There was even a bit of history thrown in
about the flood of 1910 that had the bottom
of the Eiffel Tower in the river - for real!
Such a delightful way to start my day!

Yesterday began rather delightfully, too,
with the very first film of this year's fivesome.
Screened at 1 PM, "Ma Vie De Courgette" cast
an honest light on children in a group home
and the myriad reasons why they were there.
Best of all, it was completely from
the children's perspective, lending a
bittersweet poignancy to the stories.
And the saddest part, the part that made me cry?
These children all seemed to believe
that they were at fault for their situation.

The 6 PM movies last night and tonight were both rather somber affairs.
Both were concerned with French-speaking African nations, concentrated on Cameroon.
"Frontières", a 2001 film, followed six men as they sought to travel to Europe, in search of work.
Unable to obtain legitimate passage, they relied on illegal means to attain their goal: to reach Morocco
and cross over to Spain.

Tonight's 6 PM film, "La Banane", is a dour documentary
which explained one reason for this century's African diaspora illustrated so well in last night's film.
Namely, for the past three decades, a huge European company has been taking advantage of the banana-growing region, buying all the land and putting farmers out of work.
(For more films of African origin and about Africans, check Artmattan Productions website.)

I am so grateful for the films shown,
but I am especially grateful that
the festival always ends on a high note!
I am also grateful to have had Barbara
with me both nights, as well as Carolyn
for this last screening.
What better way to enjoy an animated film
about an old lady than with
two of my favorite old(er) ladies!
"Louise en Hiver" follows its title character
after she finds herself stranded,
post-season, at a beachside resort.
What ingenuity she has, how resourceful she is,
what absolute spunk!!!
We all quite enjoyed this 'girl-power' take
on what could have been a dark film.
Delighted, we all dined together at Applebee's
for more discussion of Louise's dreams.

Now, I'm home again and ready for dreams of my own.
Bonne nuit mes amis!