Parlez Vous French Cinema Festival?
Daniel Agee
The Signal
UHCL students get a glimpse of France with the Tournees Festival. The French-American Cultural Exchange (FACE), in partnership with UHCL Cultural Arts, the Foreign Language Program and University Advancement, is bringing the Tournees Festival to campus now through Oct. 15.
The Tournees Festival is a program that offers a wide variety of French cinema to university campuses all over the U.S. Its goal is to encourage universities to begin their own French film festivals by distributing around $200,000 in grants annually.
“This is a huge deal because universities all over the nation compete for this grant,” said Sonia Hernandez, cultural arts assistant. “It’s very competitive to receive this grant and UHCL has been selected to receive it.”
The money received from the grant is applied toward screening the films on campus.
“It is really important to reach a maximum amount of students to attend this event,” said Andrew Reitberger, associate director of student life. “Everyone should engage in foreign films and become familiarized with this cinematic experience. When we can expose people to another culture, people develop a new perspective, a new experience; people are then exposed to different ideas, and initially, this is how we can create a better world.”
Reitberger explained the many different reasons why specific French films are chosen for the festival.
“The significance of the films chosen usually relate to subject matter appropriate for the times we are in today,” Reitberger said. “Foreign films send out a different tone than one is familiar with. These films display lessons of leadership, coming together as one, decision-making skills, the challenges one may face on a daily basis, and the different points of view on what is justice and what isn’t.”
Before every film is screened, there is a brief French lesson taught by Christine Paul, foreign language and English enhancement program director at UHCL. Paul not only teaches the attendees how to speak a few words in French, but she also helps translate some of the meanings inherent in the films.
Although all the films are subtitled for the viewers, the translation can become lost and could be interpreted as something different than what is presented.
“I preview all the films ahead of time and pick out some of the vocabulary that could be confusing, then have the students repeat it to help them understand it,” Paul said. “The students really enjoy it.”
“Of Gods and Men” and “Inspector Bellamy” played this past weekend, but those interested can still catch the remaining three films that will run through Oct. 15. All of the films will start at 7 p.m. in the Student Service Building Lecture Hall. Anyone can attend the Tournees Festival film screenings. General admission for the Tournees Festival is $3.75 for each film and is free for students who present their student ID.
