VSU to Host Third Annual Franco-Arabic Film Festival

VALDOSTA – The Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Valdosta State University will kick off its third annual Franco-Arabic Film Festival on Monday, Nov. 2, with Timbuktu. The screening will begin at 7 p.m. in the Hugh C. Bailey Science Center Auditorium Room 1011.

Timbuktu is a story about “a cattle herder and his family who reside in the dunes of Timbuktu [and] find their quiet lives — which are typically free of the Jihadists determined to control their faith — abruptly disturbed.”

The Franco-Arabic Film Festival will continue through Nov. 5 with:

<strongFree Men (Les Hommes Libres)

When: 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3

Where: University Center Theater

Synopsis: Free Men (Les Hommes Libres) is a story that takes place “in Paris during WWII. An Algerian immigrant is inspired to join the resistance by his unexpected friendship with a Jewish man.”

Rachida

When: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4

Where: University Center Theater

Synopsis: Rachida gives viewers “a look at terrorism in Algeria through the eyes of Rachida, a teacher in one of the school districts.”

“With all the talk about [the] ‘clash of civilizations’ in the West, it is vital nowadays to understand the historical and political relationship between East and West,” said Mariya Chakir, lecturer of Arabic and French in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages.

“…we believe that our students who are taking French and Arabic should explore in depth the complicated and fascinating relationship between France and the Arab world, from colonialism to contemporary tensions. Our students should understand that there is an Arab part to French identity and a French part to the Arab identity.”

At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, the Department of Modern and Classical Languages will host a French-Arabic Night in the University Center Cypress Room. There will be French and Moroccan dishes, singing, poetry reading, and acting in Arabic and French.

Admission to all events is free and open to the public.

Contact Mariya Chakir at (229) 333-7373 or mchakir@valdosta.edu for more information.

On the Web:

http://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/arts-sciences/modern-classical-languages/

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