A Celebration of Francophone Film at Boston University
The Albertine Cinémathèque French Film Festival at BU wrapped up its 2025 season with a vibrant lineup of six films, from an animated journey to social and political stories centered on the theme of survival.
The Festival began with the award-winning animated feature Flow, directed by Gints Zilbalodis. It’s a dialogue-free animation telling the story of a black cat who wakes up in a world overrun by water. The screening attracted many students and set the tone for the rest of the festival with its poetic mediation on adaptation, endurance, and the strength of collective bonds.
Among the festival’s highlights was Alice Diop’s Dahomey, which follows the return of 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey, leaving Paris for Benin and raising questions about restitution, cultural memory, and the colonial gaze.
The closing night featured Holy Cow, Louise Courvoisier’s tender coming-of-age story about a teenager suddenly forced to become his little sister’s caretaker. This screening became one of the most memorable moments of the festival. It drew an exceptional number of students and film lovers from BU and beyond to celebrate the festival’s final night together.
“What makes organizing a film festival so special is seeing how the audience exceeds all expectations”, says Fargol Khosravanifard, the organizer of this year’s festival. “With such a diverse selection of films, it was difficult to predict how many people would attend or how each story would resonate. Yet every screening brought together an engaged audience of students, faculty, and guests from outside our campus. It was incredible to see each film find its audience and encourage people to return for another story.”
The Albertine Cinémathèque at BU will continue to bring compelling francophone films to the big screen, to inspire meaningful dialogue and reflection among audiences.