From animation to restored classics to contemporary dramas, UofL’s French Film Festival offers free, public screenings of eight films starting Thursday and running through March 2 at UofL and Speed Art Museum.
Five films will be shown on Thursdays and Saturdays on the UofL Belknap Campus in Floyd Theater, Swain Student Activities Center, 2100 S. Floyd St.; the Floyd Theater also will screen the 1980s cult film “Boy Meets Girl” Feb. 19. In partnership, the Speed Cinema, 2035 S. Third St., will feature two French films – an animated tale and a restored classic in the detective Jules Maigret series – as part of its Free Owsley Sundays. All have English subtitles.
“With our partners, we are delighted to offer a nice mix of three classic and five recent films that represent a great variety of cinema genres, including comedy, social drama, business thriller and animated movie,” said Matthieu Dalle, festival director and associate professor of French.
The UofL Floyd Theater schedule includes:
• “The Outsider,” financial drama, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Jan. 31 and 2 p.m. Feb. 2
• “Peppermint Soda,” coming-of-age piece, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Feb. 7 and 2 p.m. Feb. 9
• “Gaspard at the Wedding,” romance, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Feb. 14 and 2 p.m. Feb. 16
• “Boy Meets Girl,” romantic drama, 8 p.m. Feb. 19
• “The Workshop,” social drama, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Feb. 21 and 2 p.m. Feb. 23
• “The Sweet Escape,” comedy, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Feb. 28 and 2 p.m. March 2
The Speed Cinema schedule includes:
• “Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case,” crime drama, 12:30 p.m. Feb. 17
• “The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales,” animated fantasy adventure, 1 p.m. Feb. 24.
The festival is a collaboration of UofL’s French section of the classical and modern languages department and the Student Activities Board. Partners include UofL’s Film Liberation Unit student group, Speed Art Museum Cinema and Louisville Children’s Film Festival.
The 5 p.m. Thursday screenings will include post-film discussions with UofL professors and other local experts on films and French-speaking cultures. Paid parking is at UofL’s Floyd Street and Speed Art Museum garages. Descriptions are available online.
