Special Screening: Francophone Short Films Followed By Q&A

A special evening organized by the Francophone Short Films Festival in Harlem. See here other dates and venues. Introduction by Lucie Chabrol-Nyssens, President of the Festival, who will show a best-of of the students' Rough Cut Festival. Q&A moderated by Binita Mehta with directors Juliette Boucheny (Ativo), Elen Sylla Grolimund (Villa Madjo), Brian Hawkins (Les Vouèsins).Free. Films with English subtitles. Selection of 5 short films (90'):Ativo, Juliette Boucheny, 2022, 26’, Togo-France.Agotimé-Adamé, a village two hours north of Lomé, Togo. Guénolé, a twelve-year-old boy, is gifted with obvious musical talent and dreams of playing the piano but doesn't own one. Supported by his sister Prudence, his grandmother Eternal, and aided by the spirits of nature, Guénolé will try to achieve his goal.Villa Madjo, Elen Sylla Grollimund, 2024, 13’, Senegal-France-Belgium.Starting from the observation that her father -who is white- was born in Africa, and that her mother -who is black- was born in Europe, the director reveals the complex history of her family, from colonialism to their experience of the interracial couple in Europe in the 1950's and 70's.Eldorado, Mathieu Volpe, 2024, 19’, Belgium.Awa, a Cameroonian snow groomer operator, helps a determined young migrant cross the border from Italy to France. As their journey unfolds, a poignant story of redemption emerges amid a web of snow and hidden truths.Galivan, Myra Lou Anna Thiemard, 2024, 18’, Switzerland.Sophie travels to Valparaiso, Chile, to meet her family. This new environment and this imminent encounter plunge her into an introspective state that will resurface long-buried feelings. In the city, her Chilean father is everywhere and not as she imagined...Les Vouèsins, Brian Hawkins, 2024, 15’, USA / Missouri - French Créoles.When he arrived in the summer of 1934, J. M. Carrière described Old Mines as “a straggling, quiet little village in the foothills of the Missouri Ozarks, about sixty-five miles south of Saint Louis. Scattered all along the countryside, I found six hundred French-speaking families living in this community.” Carrière sought out the most accomplished storytellers and meticulously transcribed 73 folktales, documenting both the Creoles’ worldview and the local French language, rapidly falling out of use. More Info below.