French Film Festival For Kids, Teens Coming To Montclair

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair is about to get a dose of the world-renowned French cinenmatic culture.

From Monday, March 11 to Sunday, March 17, the Montclair-based French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) will present “Festinema Junior,” a French film festival and educational program geared toward children and teens.

According to a news release from organizers, the festival will feature screenings of three films — Yvan Atal’s Le Brio (2017), Jacques Tati’s classic Jour de fête (1947), and Claye Edou’s animated Minga et la cuillère cassée — and will run from March 11 to 17 at Montclair Film, the Montclair Public Library and the Montclair Art Museum.

Organizers wrote:

“Festinema Junior harnesses the power of cinema to inspire young audiences and spark their curiosity about cultures around the world. Created by the Alliance Française network in the United States, it introduces students to international societies through foreign films and provides tools to encourage critical thinking. This nationwide French film festival and educational program designed for children and teens, is also part of Kids Trail, a program initiated by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US and the FACE Foundation. This is the second consecutive year that FIAF Monclair is participating in the program.”

All screenings will be in French with English subtitles. In conjunction with the screenings, teachers will have access to free educational materials that include suggestions for pre-screening and post-screening activities in English, French, and Spanish. Screenings for families will be held on Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17. Free screenings for school groups will take place Monday, March 11 through Thursday, March 14. Reservations for school groups are required by contacting fiafnj@fiaf.org.

More information is available here.

The FIAF provided the following schedule of events:

Minga et la cuillère cassée
Claye Edou (2017), 80 minutes, ages 7–12
In French with English subtitles
Minga is an orphaned girl living with her stepmother Mami Kaba and her stepsister Abena. One day, when she was washing dishes in the river, she accidentally broke a spoon. A furious Mami Kaba then chased her away from the house, asking her to find the only identical spoon hidden by her late mother. A adventurous journey then begins for Minga in the forest.

Family Screening

• Sat, March 16 at 3pm
• Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Ave, Montclair

Screening for School Groups

• Mon, March 11 and Tue, March 12 at 10am
• Montclair Film, 505 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair
• Free with mandatory reservation by contacting fiafnj@fiaf.org

Jour de fête

Jacques Tati (1947), 75 minutes, ages 13–15
In French with English subtitles
Once a year the fair comes for one day to the little town Sainte-Severe-sur-Indre. All inhabitants are scoffing at François, bumbling postman. The rising of a flag under his direction nearly leads into a catastrophe, but everybody tells him, how important his work is. Following the day's revelries, the villagers persuade François to watch a short movie. This film is a satire about the modern delivery-techniques of the US-post. Francois takes it seriously, not recognizing that he is being teased. The next day, after sobering up in a goods wagon, he reorganizes his own post delivery-methods. He doesn't have the same equipment as his models from the the short movie, but using only his bicycle, he makes good, comedic progresses.

Family Screening

• Sat, March 16 at 12.30pm
• Montclair Film, 505 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair

Screening for School Groups

• Wed, March 13 and Thu, March 14 at 10am
• Montclair Film, 505 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair
• Free with mandatory reservation by contacting fiafnj@fiaf.org

Le Brio
Yvan Atal (2017), 97 minutes, ages 16–18
In French with English subtitles
After an incident, a brilliant professor known for his outbursts is forced to mentor the student he wronged during a speech contest. Neïla, a girl of Algerian descent, lives in a housing project in the suburbs of Paris with her mother and her grandmother. She has good friends in the neighborhood, including a boyfriend named Mounir, an Uber driver. Always a good pupil, she has decided to become a lawyer and has enrolled at the Assas University in Paris. But her first day proves to be a harrowing experience. Arriving late in the great amphitheater where Pierre Mazard, a seasoned but controversial law professor, gives his class, Neïla is taken to task by him, and in words tainted with racism. Some students complain about Mazard's attitude, which urges the president to intervene. He firmly asks the professor that he redeem himself; why not train his victim for a prestigious speech contest? Reluctant at first, Pierre is forced to accept the deal. But how will Neïla put up with working under the yoke of her torturer? And how will Mazard put aside his own prejudices to refrain from mistreating her?

Family Screening

• Sun, March 17 at 3pm
• Montclair Film, 505 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair

Screening for School Groups

• Thurs., March 14 at 10am
• Montclair Public Library, 500 S Fullerton Ave, Montclair
• Free with mandatory reservation by contacting fiafnj@fiaf.org

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