As it gears up for its ninth season, the Providence French Film Festival promises to shake up preconceived notions about French cinema with fresh pieces from around the globe.
"When people think of French film, they typically think of someone playing a violin and smoking a cigarette," said Cythia Lugo, a first-year modern culture and media graduate student who helped organize the event. "We want to challenge that."
Featuring a total of 12 films, the festival will begin Monday, March 6 and will run through Sunday, March 12 at the Cable Car Cinema. The line-up includes everything from "Delwende," which explores superstition in the west African nation of Burkina Faso, to "How to Conquer America in One Night," a comedy about a young Haitian man hoping to seduce an American model.
From its founding, the festival has served as a platform for innovative projects, and this year is no exception. Several experimental films are slated to appear, along with films that feature a more cohesive narrative structure. According to Richard Manning, an MCM film archivist and the festival's programmer, "The films this year really cover the spectrum of narratives."
In contrast to traditional cinema, experimental projects typically focus on imagery and symbolism rather than mere storytelling. "These films respect the audience," Manning said. "When people leave, they will want to talk about them."
One of the festival's highlights is "Games of Love and Chance," which won several honors at last year's French César Awards. Set in the Parisian projects, it tells the story of a teenage boy struggling to fulfill his theatrical ambitions in the face of ridicule from friends and turbulent surroundings. Although selected for its cinematic quality, the film carries extra weight following the riots that occurred outside Paris in November. This alone makes the film "very timely," Lugo said.
Another notable entry is "The Big Risk," a classic 1960s film noir about French gangsters. According to the festival's organizers, its appearance marks a recurring effort to include restored films that help preserve the rich history of French cinema.
Because the market for this genre in the United States is relatively small, gaining access to these films can often be difficult, Lugo said. "Saint Martyrs of the Damned," a horror film set in Quebec, has already gained a cult following in Canada but may not be released in the United States due to uninterested distributors. According to both Lugo and Manning, the Providence festival provides a chance for the film, and others like it, to be seen.
"People want to see something new," Lugo said. "Some of these films may not make it to DVD. Nowhere else in Providence does this happen. It really is a great opportunity."
The Providence French Film Festival was founded in 1998 by Sylvie Toux, a former lecturer in French studies. After its first two years, the festival expanded and moved to March to better accommodate students' schedules.
General admission is $7.50, and student admission is $6.00. Tickets can be purchased at the door at the Cable Car after 11 a.m. on the day of the screening or in packets of six beforehand. All films are subtitled in English.
