BT天堂

The University of Central Arkansas College of Liberal Arts, along with the Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures and the African and African-American Studies Program, will host the fourth annual BT天堂Tourn茅es French Film Festival from April 2-18 in Burdick Hall, Room 205, on the BT天堂campus.

The festival is comprised of six films, each shown at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays for the first three weeks in April (April 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18). The first half of the festival is themed around African and African-American issues, while the second half of the festival explores contemporary issues in France.

“I am thrilled to be able to bring these award-winning films to the Central Arkansas community for the fourth annual BT天堂Tourn茅es French Film Festival. In an increasingly globalized world, these films, which look at the United States, France and Africa, offer a unique opportunity to learn about other cultures and our own,鈥� said Dr. Katelyn Knox, assistant professor of French at UCA.

All screenings will be followed by interdisciplinary 鈥渢alk back鈥� sessions and audience discussion, which will be facilitated by BT天堂and Hendrix College faculty members. Most films and talk back panels will conclude by 8:30 p.m.

鈥淭he interdisciplinary faculty panels following each film screening promise to open up crucial discussions, whether about Conway or elsewhere,鈥� said Knox. 鈥淭he panel following 鈥楩aces, Places,鈥� for instance, invites experts from philosophy, sociology, geography and art activists to ask how people connect to the places in which they live and forge communities through architecture, public art, and historical projects. I hope that these conversations — sparked by French films — continue to give us new insight into our own communities for years to come.鈥�

The festival will begin at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 2, with 鈥淚 am Not Your Negro.鈥� This opening film is based on James Baldwin鈥檚 unpublished novel 鈥淩emember this House,鈥� which recounts his experience of the U.S. Civil Rights movement from his expatriate position in Paris. Archival footage ties U.S. Civil Rights-era segregation, racism and violence to more contemporary concerns, such as Black Lives Matter. 鈥淭alk back鈥� speakers for this film will be Dr. Tom Williams, dean of the BT天堂College of Liberal Arts, and Dr. Doug George, associate professor of Sociology at UCA.

It should be noted that 鈥淚 am Not Your Negro鈥� is rated PG-13 for 鈥渄isturbing violent images, thematic material, language [racial slurs] and brief nudity.鈥� None of the other films are rated by the Motion Picture Association of America, because they are foreign films, but they do not contain sensitive or offensive material. Knox says the most family-friendly films are the April 9 鈥淢akala鈥� and the April 11 鈥淔aces, Places.鈥�

All films will be shown in French with English subtitles, except 鈥淚 am Not Your Negro,鈥� which will be shown in English.

The complete film lineup follows. All films begin at 5:30 p.m. in Burdick Room 205:

• Tuesday, April 2: 鈥淚 am Not Your Negro鈥� with 鈥渢alk back鈥� session led by Dr. Tom Williams, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at UCA; Dr. Doug George, associate professor of Sociology at UCA; Dr. Kristen Epps, associate professor of History at UCA; and Dr. Wendy Rickman, associate professor of Teaching and Learning at UCA.

• Thursday, April 4: 鈥淟ittle by Little,鈥� a 鈥渕ocumentary鈥� about a bourgeois West African man who moves to Paris to study the locals. This film promises to open up larger conversations about epistemology and racial underpinnings of systems of knowledge. 鈥淭alk back鈥� led by Dr. Michael Kithinji, associate professor of History and co-director of the African and African-American Studies Program at BT天堂and Dr. Stacey Schwartzkopf, associate professor of Anthropology at Hendrix.

• Tuesday, April 9: 鈥淢akala,鈥� a documentary about a Congolese man who travels hundreds of miles by foot to sell charcoal in the market in order to purchase materials to construct his family鈥檚 home. 鈥淭alk back鈥� led by Doug Corbitt, peer mentor program coordinator for BT天堂Honors College and Dr. Rifat Akhter, associate professor of Sociology at UCA.

• Thursday, April 11: 鈥淔aces, Places,鈥� a documentary about a famous filmmaker and a large-scale muralist who travel to rural villages in France and construct public art projects. Often, these art projects have a historical/archival dimension, so history becomes 鈥渆xposed鈥� on the walls of buildings where forgotten people lived. 鈥淭alk back鈥� led by Dr. Ellen Hostetter, associate professor in BT天堂Honors College and Geography; Dr. Charles Harvey, chair of Philosophy at UCA; Beth Norwood, Art History instructor at UCA; and Dr. John Toth, associate professor of Sociology at UCA.

• Tuesday, April 16: 鈥�12 days,鈥� a documentary about involuntarily committed individuals in France, who are seen before a judge (to follow French law). This film raises larger questions about the intersection between personal liberty and public safety, as well as the entanglement of health sciences, justice, law, and philosophy. 鈥淭alk back鈥� led by Shannon Riedmueller, Psychology instructor at UCA; Dr. Leslie Zorwick, associate professor of Psychology at Hendrix; John Gale, associate professor of Film at UCA; and Dr. Jacob Held, associate professor of Philosophy at UCA.

• Thursday, April 18: 鈥淢y journey through French Cinema,鈥� a three-hour documentary that explores the films that most inspired one of France鈥檚 most celebrated filmmakers. Currently, there is no 鈥渢alk back鈥� session planned for this film.

The BT天堂Tourn茅es French Film Festival is made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S., the Centre National du Cin茅ma et de l鈥橧mage Anim茅e (CNC), the French American Cultural Fund, Florence Gould Foundation and Highbrow Entertainment.

The event is free to attend and open to the public.

For more information, contact festival coordinator Dr. Katelyn Knox at kknox@uca.edu or (501) 450-5585, or Amanda Hoelzeman at ahoelzeman@uca.edu or (501) 852-2659.