ASHLEY DAY
A&E EDITOR
Throughout early April – early May, our campus and French American Cultural Exchange (FACE) team up to bring French – language films to students.
According to FACE’s website, facecouncil.org, “The Tournѐes Festival is a program … in partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, which aims to bring contemporary French cinema to American college and university campuses.”
Dr. Marion Geiger, Assistant Professor of French and German in the Modern Language Studies department and Dr. Vѐronique Anover, Professor of French and Spanish in the Modern Language Studies both organized our campus edition of the festival. CSUSM’s French Club also contributed to organizing the festival.
“During the festival, which is open to the public, we will screen five films recently produced in France; these films have received a lot of attention abroad, and the topics invite to cross-cultural debate,” Dr. Geiger said.
Since our campus always touts that we value diversity, the festival is a chance for students to gain insight into the French culture.
“By hosting a cultural event … we hope to galvanize the North County – San Diego area francophile [a person who is fond of or greatly admires France or the French] community and to bring together people with different experiences and perspectives – culture happens when people share ideas,” Dr. Geiger answered when asked how the festival is relevant to campus.
Dr. Anover added, “In addition, we wanted to provide interdisciplinary opportunities for everyone, students and faculty alike.”
In other words, the festival puts attendees into a unique cultural setting and shifts or reinforces their thoughts on other countries. The festival is a chance for anyone to gain new cultural knowledge of a country that has stepped up as an ally in many instances.
The FACE web page also reads, “The films span generational and geographic borders, offer a range of genres and subjects and showcase innovations in both style and storytelling.”
Our organizers picked a few documentaries and a couple films to showcase at our campus.
“The documentaries deal with topics as different as autism, education and dance: we were curious about the European perspective on these issues, we want to ask how the stories and situations in the films compare to U.S. Realities and what the cultural comparison will reveal about our own ways of thinking. The feature films all present women’s [auto]biographies,” Dr. Geiger explained.
By studying European culture, American students may develop a better understanding of our own cultural constructions and values. Students can apply theories from basic anthropology classes and apply them to their discussions on the festival. Attendees also can learn about how France deals with autism, a disorder currently so commonly diagnosed in America. One feature film presents the life of Coco Chanel, one of the biggest names in high fashion and leading women in French fashion design.
After each film, members from our faculty and community members lead a discussion of the main ideas of the film. This gives students, other faculty and the general public, a chance to discuss any thoughts on each film and gain a broader understanding of the effect of the documentary/film.
“We welcome everyone to come see the movies and to participate in our post viewing film discussions,” Dr. Anover said.
The remaining festival dates take place today, April 26 at 2:30 p.m. in Markstein 125, Thursday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m. In University Hall 441 and on Tuesday, May 3 at 10:30 a.m. in Markstein 213.
For more information on the films, email Dr. Geiger at mgeiger.csusm.edu
Photos courtesy of umbc.edu and northernstar.info