Albertine Cinémathèque Film Festival at BU
The Albertine Cinémathèque Film Festival at BU recently concluded another successful season! The theme for this year was reel/real life, and each of the 7 Francophone films screened this year centered on quests for truth, authenticity, and identity. Co-organizers Tiffany Bailey, Eleonora Mancuso, and Kara Saar were pleased to see many people from inside and outside the BU community joining and engaging with the world of Francophone cinema.
The festival started off with a drama film written and directed by Cambodian-French filmmaker Davy Chou, Retour à Seoul (2022), and it ended with a Moroccan drama by Franco-Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch, Casablanca Beats (2021).
Each film in the Festival was provocative and thoughtfully made. The audience especially enjoyed Casa Susanna, a 2022 French documentary directed by Sébastien Lifshitz on the underground network of transgender women and cross-dressing men in the Catskills region of New York. The film was followed by a post-screening discussion with French and Cinema Professor Jennifer Cazenave and graduate student Alex Bergson who is pursuing a macro Master of Social Work at BUSSW. Another success was Claire Denis’ 1989 film Chocolat followed by trivia (and sweet prizes!) focused on Denis’ career and the long history of Cameroon.
We thank all those who came and supported us during this entire month dedicated to Francophone cinema. We look forward to continuing this festival next year and for many more to come!
Funding for the festival is provided by a grant from Albertine Cinémathèque under the FACE (French-American Cultural Exchange) Foundation.