Valentine’s Day might be over, but it’s never too late to celebrate the language of love with the Tournées Festival, an event that brings French cinema to U.S. campuses during the month of February.
"Mood Indigo," based on the French novel "L’Ecume des jours," will be screened tonight in Dey Hall’s Toy Lounge. The screening was originally scheduled for last Monday, but was postponed because of inclement weather.
"Moi aussi j'exige de tomber amoureux," said Colin, the main character, at the beginning of this drama about love, illness and loss. The quote translates to "I, too, demand to fall in love," in English.
His demand is met when he runs into Chloe, his lover, at a party.
Driven by the performances of popular French actors Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou, the characters' idyll is short-lived as the young woman develops a rare condition requiring her to be surrounded by flowers at all times.
The Tournées Festival is an initiative of the FACE Foundation supporting French-American Cultural Exchanges in partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the Franco-American Cultural Fund. The Foundation annually contributes more than $200,000 in grants to the Tournées Festival at 61 universities and colleges across U.S.
The organization of the festival at UNC is a collaboration between the department of Romance studies, the Center for European Studies and the department of Asian studies.
Former graduate student, Mercédès Baillargeon, first introduced the idea to the department of Romance studies in 2013.
Following this initiative, the department reached out to the Center of European Studies, who provided access to the Nelson Mandela Auditorium for the screenings, and the department of Asian studies, who promoted the festival on campus. Both helped fund the event.
