A Week-long Festival of French Cinema Starts April 15th
April in Paris Film Festival at Trinity College
One of the things I love most about my old school, Trinity College, is Cinestudio, its on-campus movie theater (which I previously wrote a little bit about here). In addition to being a really cool, old-fashioned theater, it also shows an excellent selection of classic, new, and independent movies, and holds several different festivals every year.
Beginning April 15 is the April in Paris Film Festival, which is both a festival for the public and a course for current Trinity students. Created 12 years ago by the Department of Language and Culture Studies’ Professors Sonia Lee and Karen Humphreys, the festival celebrates the cinematic history of France with an in-depth examination of French-language films and filmmakers. Cinestudio showcases films from all over the world, dealing with a different subject every year—all in French. A half-credit course dealing with the specific theme of the year’s festival is offered to students every spring. Whether you’re a Francophile, a cinefile, or just looking for something different, the April in Paris Film Festival is a great way to explore one of Hartford’s most engaging cultural resources.
The title of this year’s festival is “Le Sacré et le Profane: the Sacred and Secular in French Cinema.” Fittingly, the first film on the schedule (Sunday, April 15th at 2:30pm) is Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc, the wrenching black-and-white silent film concerning the martyrdom of Joan of Arc. Having studied this film myself in one of Trinity’s excellent film courses, I can tell you that it is chock full of symbolism and is very hard to watch; it is also one of the classics of early film, and an excellent introduction to the world of French cinema. It stars comedienne Maria Falconetti in what is considered one of the finest dramatic performances of all time.
This is followed at 7:30pm by the 1967 Belle de Jour, directed by Luis Buñuel. Starring Catherine Deneuve as a Paris wife/call girl, the film will be followed by a discussion led by Professor Prakash Younger of Trinity’s English Department.
The weekdays bring some newer films: Monday, April 16th, is the screening of Des hommes et des dieux (Of Gods and Men), a 2010 film by Xavier Beauvois, followed by a discussion led by Religion Professor Pat Byrne. On Tuesday, the theater will show Un homme qui crie (A Screaming Man), another 2010 film, directed by Mahamet Saleh Haroun, which concerns “the dissolution of traditional Muslim and cultural values in the midst of a civil war.” Following this film is a discussion led by Professor of French Sonia Lee.
The festival lasts one week, and culminates on Saturday, April 21st, with a matinee and an evening film. Persepolis, screened at 2:30pm, is the story of a young Iranian girl during the Islamic Revolution. Ma Jeanne d’Arc (My Joan of Arc), shown at 8pm, is the final film of the festival. French-Canadian director Dany Chiasson chronicles her journey on horseback across France as she traces part of the legendary route of Joan of Arc. After the film, Chiasson will participate in a question-and-answer session.
Cinestudio is located on the campus of Trinity College, 300 Summit Street, Hartford, CT. Tickets for the festival can be purchased at the theater. For more information and directions, call 860-297-2544 or visit www.cinestudio.org.
–Sarah Alender is a Contributor to The Free George.
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