Film Society Presents Film Festival April 17-23

SHREVEPORT, La. — The Centenary College Film Society presents "The Tournées Festival: The French Connection—A French Film Festival in Louisiana" April 17-23 at the Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport.

All films will be in French with English subtitles and include a lineup of recent and classic French films.

The following films with show times include:

Blame It On Fidel

Thursday, April 16

5:30 p.m. Pre-Festival Special Screening: No Exit
The world premiere of Louisiana filmmaker and Centenary graduate Britt Pitre's psychological thriller based on the play by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (in English), with a question and answer session with the filmmaker to follow.

Friday, April 17

3:45 p.m. Blame It On Fidel (La Faute à Fidel!)
Julie Gavras's charming evocation of the political debates of the early 1970s in Paris as seen through the eyes of a precocious and willful nine-year old girl.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

6:00 p.m. Opening Night Festival Reception

7:45 p.m. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon)
American painter/filmmaker Julian Schnabel's award-winning adaptation of Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir of illness and recovery.

Saturday, April 18

1:30 p.m. The Red Balloon (Le Ballon rouge) and White Mane (Crin blanc:Le cheval sauvage)
A double feature of two short film classics designed for families and children of all ages.

The Red Balloon

3:15 p.m. Flight of the Red Balloon (Le Voyage du ballon rouge)
Hou Hsiao-Hsien's beautifully-filmed meditation on the struggles of a young mother in Paris torn between her commitments as an artist and her duties as a mother, an homage to Lamorisse's 1956 masterpiece "The Red Balloon."

5:45 p.m. Innocence
Lucile Hadzihalilovic's mysterious and powerful Gothic fantasy of young girls' transformation from childhood into womanhood.

8:15 p.m. Blame It On Fidel

10:15 p.m. The Last Mistress (Une vieille ma?tresse)
Catherine Breillat's provocative examination of passion and gossip among the noble classes of mid-19^th century France

The Last Mistress

Sunday, April 19

1:30 p.m. The Red Balloon and White Mane

3:15 p.m. Flight of the Red Balloon

5:45 p.m. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Blame It On Fidel

8:10 p.m. Innocence

Monday, April 20

5:30 p.m. The Last Mistress

7:55 p.m. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Tuesday, April 21

5:30 p.m. Blame It On Fidel

7:50 p.m. Innocence

Wednesday, April 22

5:30 p.m. Blame It On Fidel

7:30 p.m. Flight of the Red Balloon

Thursday, April 23

5:30 p.m. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

7:50 p.m. The Last Mistress

Other special food events will take place during the festival at the Robinson Film Center and include an opening night reception featuring French cuisine, a French wine and cheese-tasting, as well as a French champagne and raw oyster tasting, and a special French dinner prepared by the Robinson's chef Jed Holton. For reservations, call Becky Palmer at Centenary College at 318.869.5254 or The Robinson Film Center at 318.424.9090.

Friday, April 17, 6 — 7:30 p.m.: Opening Night Festival Reception
$35 includes reception plus ticket to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
$30 for the reception only
Sunday, April 19, 6:30 p.m.: French Wine Dinner
$75 per person which includes wine, tax, and gratuity
Tuesday, April 21, 6 — 7:45 p.m.: French Wine Tasting
Complimentary Cheese selection
Thursday, April 23, 6 — 7:45 p.m.: French Champagne Tasting
Complimentary raw oysters

Ticket Information:
Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis and may be purchased at the Robinson Film Center box office at 617 Texas Street in downtown Shreveport or by going online at http://www.robinsonfilmcenter.org. Robinson Film Center Supporting Cast membership special pricing will be honored, but free admission passes will not be accepted for this festival. Centenary students can attend the festival FREE with a valid Centenary College ID. For further information on tickets call 869.5254.

Sponsors:
National sponsors for the week-long festival include: The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC), the Florence Gould Foundation, the Grand Marnier Foundation, highbrow entertainment, agnès b., and the Franco-American Cultural Fund.

Regional and local sponsors include The Robinson Film Center; the Consulate General of France in New Orleans (Olivier Brochenin, Consul Général; Adam Steg, Attaché Audiovisuel); Les Éditions Tintamarre/Les Cahiers du Tintamarre and the Department of Ancient and Modern Languages, Centenary College of Louisiana; the Centenary College Film Society; and the Department of English, Centenary College of Louisiana.

For additional information, contact Jefferson Hendricks, Professor of English at Centenary College at 318.820.1414 or Becky Palmer at 318.869.5254

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and is regularly rated as one of the top colleges in the South. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.