Students interested in experiencing new culture will get the opportunity this May during the first ever local La Vie En France French Film Series, which will be hosted at the Fine Arts Auditorium.
The French Film Series is an event that is organized every year at several universities. The event was brought to the university by the efforts of Dr. Annette Olsen-Fazi, professor of French, in hopes of building a stronger French program.
“Since I am personally very interested in cinema and love French films, I wrote and obtained two grants, one from Humanities Texas and one from the French-American Cultural Exchange commission, to fund the festival,” Olsen-Fazi said.
The series will include six films; all films start at 7 p.m., with the exception of Wednesday, May 23, which will begin at 9 a.m. The event is open to the community of Laredo and will be free of charge. For the convenience of those who do not speak French, the films will include subtitles. After each film, the audience will have the opportunity to reflect, discuss, and exchange opinions about the film in a discussion panel featuring faculty from both TAMIU and the local high schools who, according to Olsen-Fazi, agreed to participate in these discussions because the films offer international experiences and diverse ways of communicating.
Olsen-Fazi feels that people will benefit from this event for several reasons, including increasing their cultural awareness and intellectual enrichment.
Students expressed their excitement about the event as well.
“It is also a great opportunity to mingle with other people, which will help the student body here at TAMIU be more interactive and involved,” said Esmeralda Lopez, a Communication major.
“You can bring your friends and family to be entertained with adventure and laughter, or take that special someone to be swept away by romance. People can witness the comedy and drama the festival has to offer,” said Mallory Miles, a Communication major.
The first film, Lauberge Espagnole (The Spanish Inn), will show on May 4. A French student experiences a year of parties, love affairs, fights and reconciliations with his six roommates from all over Europe.
The film Qui a Tue Bambi? (Who Killed Bambi?), showing on May 9, features a student nurse in Paris who enters an ironic universe of doubt and mystery when she learns that a good doctor who heals female patients by day later molests them at night.
Showing on May 16, Le Papillon (The Butterfly) is about an the adventures of an eight-year-old girl who learns about life and nature with her elderly neighbor out on the Alps.
On May 23, 8 Femmes (8 Women) brings a combination of musical comedy and murder mystery.
A special event will be held on May 30, the last day of the festival, which will feature two films, one based on a short story by Dr. Jose Cardona-Lopez, professor of Spanish, entitled L’Apartement (The Apartment). The film will take the audience on a romantic rollercoaster ride. A man and a woman experience months of intense passion and great happiness, but the relationship crashes into a surprise. Lastly, Le Chignon d’Olga (The Bun of Olga) illustrates a dramatic but romantic story about young love.
“I just hope we get a large turnout, and that as a result we build increased interest in, and enthusiasm for, all things French at the (university) and in the community. A four-year institution without a viable French program is a rarity, and that is a situation which can only evolve,” said Olsen-Fazi.