The Alliance Française de Chicago has announced The Exemplary French Directors series continuation for this spring, with Randy Williams
This series explore exemplary films by women directors, Films des Femmes
Biography and personal style of the auteur will be discussed as well as the possible impact of gender on movie making. Randy Williams is past President of the Alliance Française de Chicago, a long-time Board Member, and a film aficionado. The French government has designated him Chevalier in both the Order of Arts and Letters and the National Order of Merit. Discussions will be insightful and fun.
Nenette et Boni
Exemplary French Directors
with Randy Williams
By Claire Denis (1996) – 103 min
Saturday, April 10 – 1:30 p.m.
Auditorium – Alliance Française de Chicago
54 W. Chicago Avenue entrance
In French with English subtitles
Pre-film discussion in English will begin at 1:30 p.m. and film presentations at approximately 1:45 p.m.
French wine will be served.
A brother bonds with his troubled runaway sister in this coming-of-age drama from director Claire Denis. When 14-year-old Nenette (Alice Houri) shows up at her older brother Boni’s (Gregoire Colin) doorstep, he isn’t sure what to do. Boni, who has a powerful obsession with the local baker’s wife (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi), reluctantly takes Nenette in — a decision that’ll change his life forever when he learns that young Nenette is pregnant. Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film/ 1996 Won Golden Bayard Best Artistic Contribution.
The Grocer’s Son
(Le Fils de l’épicier)
By Eric Guirado – 96 min
Wednesday, April 14 – 2010, 6:30 p.m.
Auditorium – Alliance Française de Chicago
54 W. Chicago Avenue entrance
In French with English subtitles
Pre-film discussion in English will begin at 6:30 p.m. and film presentation at approximately 6:45 p.m.
French wine will be served.
It is summer, and thirty-year-old Antoine is forced to leave the city to return to his family in Provence. His father is sick, so he must assume the lifestyle he thought he had shed—driving the family grocery cart from hamlet to hamlet, delivering supplies to the few remaining inhabitants. Accompanied by Claire, a friend from Paris whom he has a secret crush on, Antoine gradually warms up to his experience in the country and his encounters with the villagers, who initially seem stubborn and gruff, but ultimately prove to be funny and endearing. This surprise French box-office hit is about the coming-of-age of a man re-discovering life and love in the countryside.
Inch ‘Allah Dimanche
(Inch’ Allah Sunday)
Exemplary French Directors
with Randy Williams
By Yamina Benguigi (2001) – 98 min
Wednesday, May 12 – 6:30 p.m.
Auditorium – Alliance Française de Chicago
54 W. Chicago Avenue entrance
In French with English subtitles
Pre-film discussion in English will begin at 6:30 p.m. and film presentation at approximately 6:45 p.m.
French wine will be served.
A passionate immigrant story of a woman struggling against old world traditions. Zouina leaves her homeland with her three children to join her husband in France, where he’s been living for the past ten years. In a land and culture foreign to her, Zouina struggles against her mother-in-law’s tyrannical hand and her husband’s distrustful bitterness in an attempt to adjust to her life in exile.
CINE-TEENS & FAMILY – FREE EVENTS
CINE-KIDS 1 — AGES 4–7
Bécassine, le trésor viking
(The Viking’s Treasure)
by Philippe Vidal (2001), France
Saturday, May 8
2:00-4:00pm
FREE
In French with English subtitles
Known and loved by generations of children, Pinchon’s classic Bécassine is now a feature-length movie. Bécassine is the nanny every child dreams of having! Her mismatched green dress, white apron and red-and-white striped socks might look a little strange, but the gawky Bécassine is a truly lovable character. Her adventures begin when Bécassine arrives in Paris to take care of Charlotte, the daughter of one of her former charges. Bécassine and Charlotte get caught up in a fanatic and comical adventure filled with song and dance.
CINE-KIDS 2 — AGES 8–11
Daniel et les superdogs
André Mélançon (2004), Canada
Saturday, May 15
2:00–4:00pm
FREE
In French with English subtitles
Daniel is 11 years old. He feels abandoned by his mother who died a few months ago, and his Dad, who is too busy to pay attention to him. Fortunately, his friends Colin and William help him train a dog for the next show called Superdogs…
CINE-KIDS 3 — AGES 12+
La gloire de mon père
(My Father’s Glory)
by Yves Robert (1990), France
Saturday, May 29
2:00-4:00pm
FREE
In French with English subtitles
This film recounts the early childhood years of a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker, Marcel. Growing up in the south of France in a happy family environment, he is the son of a primary school teacher, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One summer, the family sets out for a long holiday in a villa in rural Provence. Here, Marcel makes friends with a local boy, Lili, with whom he explores the wild countryside, and witnesses his father’s glory during a game hunt.
More information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=573&type=0