Champs- Élysées Film Festival

Since its inception in 2017, the US Tour of the Champs-Élysées Film Festival has brought the “New French Generation” to American audiences, showcasing emerging talents and fresh voices in independent French cinema. Founded by Sophie Dulac in 2012 in Paris, the festival attracts thousands of spectators and industry professionals each June to celebrate contemporary film creation. It then embarks on its fall US Tour, designed to bridge the gap between French and American filmmaking cultures.

« Provoking discussions, emotions, discoveries, and encounters—both human and artistic—between our two countries is part of the festival’s DNA and is one of the primary ambitions of our US Tour. It is a tremendous joy and an honor to reconnect each year with the American public, as well as the cultural institutions and American universities that promote and support the festival, in order to present our selections exclusively to them.»  – Justine Lévêque, Artistic Director of the Champs-Élysées Film Festival

AGENDA

Alliance Française de Chicago – Nov 19, 2024 – 6:30PM
Register here

• 6000 Mensonges
  DIR. Simon Rieth | France | 5 mins
  LANGUAGE French
  It’s the story of a detail that’s missing or never existed. The image of a child that we search for and try to recreate. Thousands of lies to find the truth.

• Mes racines d’amour
  DIR. Juliette Marrecau | France | 23 mins
  LANGUAGE French
  In her mother’s absence, lively seven-year-old Alice is tasked with caring for her disabled older brother, Paul. While longing for freedom, she finds joy by taking him on a wild dance.

• Petit Spartacus
  DIR. Sara Ganem | France | 28 mins
  LANGUAGE French
  Between brandies and Eastern blocks, I sail with Spartacus, my Greek-speaking bicycle. But even the grandeur of the world isn’t enough to drown my sorrows.

University of Chicago – Nov 18 & 20, 2024
Register here
NOVEMBER 18th – 5PM
Doc Films – Max Palevsky Cinema  (Ida Noyes Hall)

French Short Films
Furieuses by Thomas Vernay (20 min)
Sirènes by Sarah Malléon (15 min)
Papillon by Florence Miailhe (14 min)
Haraka Haraka by Germain Le Carpentier (25 min)
Les Liens du Sang by Hakim Atoui (18 min)
Sol Béni by Tristan Feres et Maky Margaridis (11 min)
Followed by a Q&A with Champs-Elysées Film Festival Artistic Director Justine Lévêque moderated by prof. Etienne Labbouz.

NOVEMBER 20th – 4PM
Doc Films – Max Palevsky Cinema  (Ida Noyes Hall)

Feature-Length Film
Diaries from Lebanon by Myriam El Hajj (110 min)
Grand Jury Prize at Champs-Elysées Film Festival
Followed by a Roundtable with Prof. Ghenwa Hayek, Justine Lévêque and Perla Joe Maalouli, protagonist of the film. Moderated by Prof. Etienne Labbouz

Organized and supported by The University of Chicago Humanities Collegiate Division, France Chicago Center, The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflict, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, The University of Chicago Department of Middle Eastern Studies, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Villa Albertine, the French Institute for culture and education in Chicago, the University of Chicago French Club, and the Alliance Française de Chicago and The Chicago & Northern Illinois Chapter of the American Association of French Teachers.