UNI will hold the first discussion of the fourth annual French Film Festival on Jan. 29 with the film “Les années super 8 / The Super 8 Years”. Six films will be played in total, followed by a weekly Monday night discussion in Rod Library room 301 at 7 p.m.. The other films include “Colette et Justin / Colette and Justin” (discussion on Feb. 5) “Le lycéen / Winter Boy” (discussion on Feb. 12), “Pacifiction” (discussion on Feb. 19), “Serre-moi fort / Hold Me Tight” (discussion on Feb. 26), “La Reine Margot / Queen Margot” (discussion on March 4). The discussion of “Colette et Justin / Colette and Justin” will feature the director, Alain Kassanda. 

Kassanda, a French-Congolese filmmaker, left the Democratic Republic of Congo at age eleven for France. Kassanda’s works include “Coconut Head Generation”, “Colette et Justin”, and “Trouble Sleep.” The protagonists of “Colette et Justin” are Kassanda’s grandparents, Colette Mujinga and Justin Kassanda, who were raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, under Belgian rule. The film is comprised of interviews with his grandparents, archival footage and images, and clips from colonial propaganda created by the Belgian government. 

The festival is organized by Language and Literature Department members Jim O’Loughlin, Elizabeth Zwanziger, and student Nathan Behrends. Behrends spoke on the value of the festival. “It broadens your film horizons, and it shows you different perspectives, everyone has a story to tell.” Quoting “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho, Behrends hoped to dispel the resentment some viewers may harbor for subtitles. “I think it was Bong Joon-ho who said that once you overcome the barrier of subtitles, you’ll be introduced to so many more amazing films. It does take some getting used to, but there’s so many stories out there.”  

The festival is made possible by the Department of Languages and Literature, the French Program Fund, and Albertine Cinémathèque.