International Film Series and Tournées French Film Festival Set

Guests can experience the rich world of classic and contemporary films from France, Italy, South Korea, Russia and Spain at UNC Charlotte’s International Film Series and Tournées Festival, Wednesday, March 13 through Monday, March 25.

Free and open to the public, the film series will take place at UNC Charlotte’s main campus, UNC Charlotte Center City, and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. UNC Charlotte faculty members, community partners, and Italian director Andrea Segre will introduce the films, which will be followed by discussion. The festival’s timing coincides with internationally celebrated Semaine de la langue française et de la Francophonie, or “Week of the French language and of French-speaking cultures.”

The UNC Charlotte Department of Languages and Culture Studies is collaborating with UNC Charlotte’s Film Studies Program, French Club, Russian Club, and J. Murrey Atkins Library and Pfeiffer University to organize and host this event.

The Tournées Festival is made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the Centre National de la Cinématographie et de l’Image Animée. The International Film Series is also sponsored by the Alliance Française de Charlotte, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte Film Society, Mosfilm, Piedmont Music Center, Pfeiffer University, and by the UNC Charlotte Department of Languages and Culture Studies, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Office of International Programs and J. Murrey Atkins Library.

The screening schedule, film descriptions and more can be found at filmfest.charlotte.edu. Additionally, UNC Charlotte students can submit a brief essay to win a $250 prize from Atkins Library; details will be posted on the website.

In one of the offerings, the silent film La Aldea Maldita / The Cursed Village (Florián Rey, Spain. 1930,) will be shown on Sunday, March 17, at 7 p.m., at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, 420 S Tryon Street. To reserve tickets, guests should visit the website, scroll down to “Silent Spain” and click on “More information.” The tickets are free but reservations are required since seating is limited to 180.

Ethan Uslan, will provide live piano accompaniment for the film. Introduction will be by Maryrica Lottman, associate professor of Spanish at UNC Charlotte. A discussion and question period with Uslan will follow the screening.

English translation of the Spanish intertitles will be performed by WDAV’s Frank Dominguez (www.concierto.org). The Steinway piano is provided by Piedmont Music (www.piedmontmusiccenter.com)

This haunting film, a landmark of Spanish cinema, tells the story of a peasant family torn apart by famine and chance, but most of all by an antiquated code of honor. Weather calamities drive the villagers to seek survival in the city, where conflicts ferment in a yet more challenging environment. The film exhibits great emotional intensity, an anthropological interest in agrarian life and a visual style influenced by Russian expressionism.

For more information on the film series and festival, contact Michèle Bissière at mhbissie@uncc.edu.