This adaptation of a Balzac novel paints a timely picture of ambition and media corruption in 19th-century France with the story of aspiring poet Lucien, introduced to journalism by a salon of wordsmiths, who make or break Parisian reputations with insouciant impunity. In French. 150 min.
THE MONOPOLY OF VIOLENCE
Tuesday, October 25
Film screening: 4:30 p.m. Blaustein 210. Directed by David Dufresne, 2020. Intro. by Jacob Levi, Visiting Lecturer in French.
As anger and resentment grow in the face of social inequalities, many citizen-led protests are being repressed with ever-increasing violence. This documentary offers views on the social order and the legitimacy of the use of force by the State. In French. 89 min.
GALLANT INDIES
Tuesday, October 25
Film screening: 7 p.m. Blaustein 210. Directed by Philippe Béziat, 2021 Intro. by Heidi Henderson, Professor of Dance.
A group of 30 dancers – whose specialties range from krump to hip-hop and breakdance, among others – reimagine Rameau’s exoticizing opéra-ballet Les Indes Galantes of 1735 as a contemporary story of diversity, plight and dynamism in modern France. In French. 108 min.
LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD
Wednesday, October 26
Film screening: 7 p.m. Chu Room, Shain Library Directed by Alain Resnais, 1961. Intro. by Nina Martin, Associate Professor of Film Studies.
This labyrinthian classic takes the viewer on a strange journey to a luxurious mansion, where a stranger tries to persuade a woman to run away with him, but it seems she hardly remembers the affair they may, or not, have had a year prior at Mariendbad. In French. 94 min.
LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS
Thursday, October 27
Film screening: 7 p.m. Blaustein 210. Directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, 2021. Intro. by Robyn Pront, Visiting Assistant Professor of French.
Amina, a determined single mother lives with her 15-year-old daughter on the outskirts of the capital of Chad. When she learns of her daughter’s unwanted pregnancy, they both start seeking out an abortion, condemned by both religion and law. In French and Chadian Arabic. 88 min.
ALINE
Friday, October 28
Film screening: 7 p.m. Blaustein 210. Directed by Valérie Lemercier, 2015. Intro. by Sana Abdi, Assistant Professor of French.
In this pseudo-biopic, freely inspired by the life of singer Céline Dion, “Aline” climbs from local phenomenon to international superstar, and embarks on the two great romances of her life: one with Guy-Claude and the other with the stage. In Québecois French. 128 min.
Reception To Follow Screening, To Close The Festival In Style
Albertine Cinémathèque is a program of Villa Albertine and FACE Foundation with the support of the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée) and the Fonds Culturel Franco-Américain. This festival is also made possible by the French and Francophone Department, CISLA, Government and International Relations, Information Services, the Film Studies Department, CCSRE, the Anthropology Department, Global Learning Lab, the Walter Commons, the Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and History Departments. Contact: cbarbier@conncoll.edu