Parlez-vous français? The French Film Festival Comes to Plymouth

Non? Not a problem-New Hampshire is known for its rich French-Canadian heritage, and many French speakers are happy to call this state home. After all, the welcome sign upon entering the state says "Bienvenue," meaning welcome. That's why Plymouth State's 4^th Annual French Film Festival is so important to some people in our community.

Dr. Katharine Harrington, interim chair of the Department of Language and Linguistics and event coordinator said, "There are a lot of French speakers and Francophiles in the Plymouth area, and also lots of community members who appreciate foreign films."

The festival featured five films from several different genres such as comedy, drama, and documentary. Harrington selected the films to satisfy a variety of different tastes, and to keep things interesting. She said, "It's unfortunate that we are a college town that has no movie theater, and the closest theater that shows foreign films is 40 miles away in Concord. I think it's really important to offer cultural events like this in our community, especially in the doldrums of winter." She hopes that her students and the people that came to see the films will compare this experience to what they typically see in American film.

Harrington continued, "I find that for many of my students, the films they see at the French Film Festival are the first foreign films they have ever seen, and it is often the first time they watch a film with subtitles. Film offers us an amazing window into a foreign culture-its people, its humor, and its way of life. We can also see how universal so many cinematic themes are across cultures. I think anyone can benefit from this experience."

One student attendee and Canadian native from New Brunswick, Daintre Alberts said that she attended both Entre Les Bras (Step Up to the Plate) and Starbuck-which astute audience members may have confused for the 2013 Vince Vaughn film Delivery Man because the Vaughn film is actually a remake of this Québécois original. Alberts said,"I particularly enjoyed Starbuck, set in Montreal. I appreciated the quality of the translation for my partner who joined me, but does not speak French yet. It was a romantic comedy that actually suited both of us, with some great humor. We both came away with smiles on our faces."

Alberts also talked about her feeling when she had first moved to New Hampshire. She said, "When I first came here from Canada, I really missed French. I have been happy to find some dear people to converse with since then and the additional French culture during this annual festival is really nice whether you speak French or not."

Alberts continued, "I always look forward to the films that have been chosen and the opportunity to have an evening filled with French.  It is an opportunity to chat with some from the community who come and I always enjoy discussing the films with the students afterwards to hear what struck them about the topics presented and the cultural aspects of the films."