Throughout the month of November, the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Columbia College will be hosting the Tournées French Film Festival. The festival is sponsored in part, by a grant from the French American Cultural Exchange (FACE), with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture. Beginning on November 3rd, at 7pm, for National French Week, the first of five recent French/Francophone films will be presented free of charge, and the public is welcome. The first three films will be screened at Columbia College and the final two will be screened at USC. Guest speakers will present and lead the discussion following each film. Each film is unique in subject matter and style, and they are set in a variety of locations including Africa, France and Saudi Arabia.

Schedule and film description:

Monday, Nov. 3, 7:00 pm, Columbia College, Cottingham Theatre
Lili et Le Baobab (2006) Lili, a 33 year-old French photographer, takes an assignment to a remote Senegalese village in Africa where she befriends another single woman. After returning home, Lili has difficulty resuming her life. She learns her friend is pregnant with an illegitimate child and decides to help.

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 7:00 pm, Columbia College, Cottingham Theatre
La Question Humaine (2007) : A drama based on François Emmanuel’s novel La question humaine, in which a human resources director uncovers a German-based company’s disturbing role in World War II. His ethical dilemma deepens as his discovery raises chilling questions about today’s society and the structures of modern big business.

Thursday, Nov. 13, 7:00 pm, Columbia College, Cottingham Theatre
Fauteuil d’orchestre (2006) A young French woman moves to Paris and finds work as a waitress in a wealthy district. In her own naïve way, she connects with an array of delightfully quirky characters with engaging personal dilemmas.

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 7:00 pm, USC, Gambrell Hall, room 153
Delwende : Lève-toi et marche (2005) : This mother-daughter tale focuses on the injustice of some traditional African practices and women’s struggle for equality. Based on a true story, a woman is accused of spreading sickness through witchcraft and struggles to protect her daughter.

Monday, Nov. 24, 7:00 pm, USC, Sloane, room 112
Le Grand voyage (2004) : A young man must drive his aging father to Mecca for a final pilgrimage. Their journey through Eastern Europe and the Middle East becomes an exploration of cultural, generational and religious differences that separate, and ultimately reconcile, father and son.
 
National Sponsors of the Tournees French Film Festival include: The Florence Gould Foundation, the Grand Marnier Foundation, highbrow entertainment, agnès b. and the Franco-American Cultural Fund.

Local  partners include: Alliance Française de Columbia, Billingsley Printing & Engraving, Inc., Dr. Beth Droppleman, Columbia College Department of Modern Languages & Literatures, Columbia College Department of Religion & Philosophy, Columbia College Global Studies Program, Columbia College Women's Studies Program, University of SC European Studies Program, University of SC Women’s and Gender Studies Program; University of SC Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures; and Genedis.