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College to Host French Film Festival

Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012

Westminster College's Departments of Modern Languages and English will host The Tournées Film Festival, a series of French films shown on consecutive Tuesdays, Jan. 31-Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Sebastian Mueller Theater of the McKelvey Campus Center.  The events are free and open to the public.

Five contemporary films will be subtitled in English with each screening followed by a discussion.

Opening the festival Jan. 31 is Paris, directed by Cédric Klapisch and nominated for César Awards for Best Editing, Best Film, and Best Supporting Actress.

Pierre (Romain Duris), a professional dancer, suffers from a serious heart disease.  As he awaits a transplant, he watches the people around him from the balcony of his Paris apartment.  When Pierre's sister, Elise (Juliette Binoche), and her three children move in to care for him, Pierre continues his new habit.  Instead of dancing himself, it is Paris and the Parisians who dance before his eyes.

Additional films are: Coco avant Chanel (Coco before Chanel), Feb. 7; Le fils de l'épicier (The Grocer's Son), Feb. 14; Des hommes et des dieux (Of Gods and Men), Feb. 21; and Entre les murs (The Class), Feb. 28.

The festival is supported by a grant from the French American Cultural Exchange and support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the French Ministry of Culture (CNC), The Florence Gould Foundation, the Grand Marnier Foundation, and Highbrow Entertainment.

Westminster faculty involved in planning and organizing the festival are: Dr. Andrew Ade, associate professor of English; Dr. Jeffrey Bersett, associate professor and chair of Westminster's Department of Modern Languages;  Dr. Leslie Kealhofer, visiting assistant professor of French; and Dr. Deborah Mitchell, professor of English and film studies. 

Contact Kealhofer at (724) 946-6260 or email  for additional information.  Click here for additional information about the festival and the films.