Kick off the month of October with the Palouse French Film Festival
France is an eclectic country with an abundance of rich culture and an extensive history of expression. It also happens to be about 5,000 miles away.
Genie Tran | Rawr
Luckily, Tuesday the University of Idaho is partnering with Washington State University in order to share a major facet of French culture with all of Moscow: their films. The Palouse French Film Festival begins on Oct. 7 and runs the course of the entire month, with a different French feature airing at 7 p.m. every Tuesday until Oct. 28.
The event takes place at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Center in downtown Moscow, where a total of four films will be shown over the course of four weeks. Admission is free of charge for UI and WSU students and is $4 per film for non-students. The option to purchase a festival pass, sold at both the Kenworthy Box Office and Book People, for $15 is available as well.
Sarah Nelson, the French Section Coordinator of the Department of Modern Language and Cultures, said the non-student fees are necessary due in part to a recent change in festival sponsorship.
“Regardless, it is important to us that it be free for students,” Nelson said.
Nelson, who has served as a key coordinator for the festival since it first began in 2010, said the festival, originally known as the Tournées Film Festival, initially operated under the funding of the Tournées Grant provided by the French Ministry of Culture. The grant helped aid the development of the film festival — with the help of contributions from UI and WSU departments.
“This is the first year that the festival is funded solely by generous, loyal collegiate departments and donations,” Nelson said.
Although it now has a different name, the film festival is beginning to establish a strong legacy in the community.
“The audience has been loyal and enthusiastic,” Nelson said. “We’ve had a great turn-out every year.”
The audience composition, she said, is consistently about 40 percent students and 60 percent community members.
In addition to the films, students and community movie goers can expect event features that will ultimately enhance their cinematic experience. Not only will there be guest speakers from each respective university to introduce the films, but the Kenworthy will also hold two bookend receptions — one which took place before that first film at 6 p.m. on Oct. 7 and another before the final film at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 28.
Viewers can experience a taste of the culture as well, as free French food and wine will be provided during these receptions.
The festival began with an up-lifting comedy, “Intouchables.” The following three movies, “Renoir”, “I Killed My Mother” and “On My Way” allow for the French culture to be viewed through different lenses as they are a mixture of drama and comedy. While some films were produced in France, others came from parts of the world where French is spoken.
“We look for films with interesting themes,” Nelson said. “Often we select films for what they reveal about society, history and culture.”
The film festival is a creative way to share French culture with the community and it also benefits students involved in the French language department, Nelson said. Some professors, Nelson included, require their students to attend at least one film as an assignment to be later discussed in class or offer extra credit for attending multiple films.
Regardless of whether it is for the cultural or the academic benefits, the festival brings together the community as a whole, Nelson said.
“This festival was born out of a desire to cooperate with Washington State University and it is an event that students remember,” Nelson said. “They still make references to the films of previous festivals and they learn a lot about French culture too.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]