Plane tickets can be hard to come by on a college student budget, though wanderlust is common among students.
Often, this demographic’s international experiences come from places closer to home. One such experience being offered this month is the Palouse French Film Festival.
Although a trip to France might yet be out of reach, the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre will screen a French film at 7 p.m. every Tuesday in October. Tickets are free to students and $5 per film for non-students — less than the cost of the most affordable sandwich on an airline’s lunch menu.
Although the festival takes place nearly 5,000 miles away from France, the films have been carefully selected to illuminate certain aspects of French culture for the audience, said Sabine Davis, clinical associate professor of French at Washington State University.
“By presenting our audience with different ways of thinking or looking at life, we are hoping to engage people in a discussion of, or reflection, on their own culture and values, and maybe to plant the seeds for a better understanding of France and the French by Americans,” Davis said.
Davis, along with UI French Section Coordinator Sarah Nelson and members of the Kenworthy Film Committee, founded the event in 2010 in response to requests from the community.
“From the beginning, we knew we wanted it to be free for students,” Nelson said.
Because of grants and community support, the festival has always met that goal.
“For the first three or four years we were partially supported by funds from FACE, but now it’s all self-sustaining with generous donations,” Nelson said.
FACE, or the French American Cultural Exchange, is a highly sought-after seed grant awarded by the French government to educational programs in America that share the French language and culture.
“My goal is always to get as many students there as possible,” Nelson said.
She said her favorite part of hosting the festival is when it “echoes” through her classes later as students connect the films to their studies.
But students aren’t the only attendees at the film festival. Nelson said she estimates roughly 60 percent of the audience on any given night is made up of community members not affiliated with a university.
“There’s a real range of people every time,” Nelson said. “The community really likes (the film festival), and over the years our attendance has been very stable.”
The loyal attendee base also shows up for the opening and closing night receptions. Beginning at 6 p.m. on opening night and 6:30 p.m. for closing, movie-goers are invited to hang out and mingle before the films. Refreshments are provided by the Wine Company of Moscow, with French bread, cheese, fruit and wine for opening, and a spread of desserts for closing.
The community building aspect of their event is not lost on the organizers.
“Over the years the festival has become a social event where people of all backgrounds and ages like to meet and share a moment — sometimes light and funny, other times more serious and profound — around a French film,” Davis said.
This year’s film line-up spans from the crowd-pleasing “Standing Tall” in the second week to the darker, more controversial “Elle” in week three. Davis and Nelson both said they looked forward to discussing and hearing the reactions of the audience.
For more information about the Palouse French Film Festival, visit the Kenworthy Theater website at www.kenworthy.org.
Beth Hoots can be reached at arg-arts.uidaho.edu
French Film Festival
All films start at 7 p.m. at the Kenworthy
Oct. 4: “Loin des hommes (Far from Men)”
Oct. 11: “Mommy”
Oct. 18: “La loi du marché (The Measure of a Man)”
Oct. 25: “Mon amie Victoria (My Friend Victoria)”
Opening reception begins at 6 p.m. Oct. 4, and closing reception begins at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25.
Tickets for the general public are available at the door for $5 and festival passes can be purchased at the Kenworthy Box Office for $10. Admission is free for students.