Salve Regina hosting 10th annual French Film Festival

Salve Regina celebrates 10 years of the French Film Festival March 15-26 with live music, wine tasting, raffles and seven remarkable and unique films – including a special, free 10th anniversary screening – all in French with English subtitles.

All films will be screened in the Bazarsky Lecture Hall. Tickets are $10 for weekend screenings and $5 for weekday screenings. Students receive free admission to all screenings with a valid Salve Regina ID.

For more information about screenings and special events, or to purchase tickets, visit the festival website or call (401) 341-2250.

The following films will be featured:

“On My Way” (comic road movie)

7 p.m. Sunday, March 15

Crowned Miss Brittany in 1969, Bettie has never left the region, running a bistro and living in the house she was born in with her mother. Shortly after learning that her longtime married lover has taken up with a 25-year-old, Bettie walks out during the middle of the lunch rush, her head-clearing getaway soon turning into a nearly weeklong road trip through deepest rural France.

The screening will be preceded by the opening night celebration, which will begin at 6:15 p.m. in McAuley Hall. The reception will feature live music by Joe Flood and a free wine tasting courtesy of Spring Street Spirits. Enter the raffle for a chance to win a basket of French products offered by festival sponsor French Source. The drawing will be held Sunday, March 22 (must be present to win).

“2 Autumns, 3 Winters” (romantic comedy)

7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17

As part of his regimen of self-improvement, aimless 33-year-old Arman takes up jogging; while doing laps one day, he bumps into fellow fitness enthusiast Amelie. After several unsuccessful attempts to reconnect with her, Arman reunites with Amelie in quite a dramatic way: by saving her from muggers – an act of heroism that lands him in the hospital and that makes Amelie fall in love with him.

“Grand Illusion” (classic war film)

7 p.m. Friday, March 20 (rescheduled from Wednesday, March 18)

Set during World War I, this masterwork by Jean Renoir was shot just three years before the beginning of World War II. Renoir, who himself had flown reconnaissance missions during WWI, examines the relationships that form among a group of French officers held in a German prisoner-of-war camp.

“Ernest & Celestine” (animation)

2 p.m. Sunday, March 22

Celestine, a wee mouse orphan who is being trained for a career in dentistry but dreams of being an artist instead, meets a kindred spirit in Ernest, an ursine musician whom she convinces not to eat her. They seal their bond by breaking into a candy store together and soon find themselves on the lam from those who are appalled by their amity.

A reception will follow the screening. Enjoy refreshments and live music at this event co-sponsored by Alliance Francaise of Newport and Sodexo. Guitarist and vocalist Jacques and Marie-Claude Moriarty will perform familiar French songs such as those sung by Edith Piaf, Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel.

“The Intouchables” (comedy/drama)

7 p.m. Monday, March 23 (free screening)

This film, a box-office sensation in its home country, has been the most requested film at the festival in recent years. This free screening is the organizers’ way of thanking festival-goers for their patronage over the last decade. Come early to secure your seat.

“Bastards” (film noir)

7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24

Marco reluctantly returns to Paris to assist his disgraced sister, Sandra. Her husband has just committed suicide and her daughter is recovering in a clinic for participation in carnal acts so extreme that she may require a series of delicate operations. When Marco discovers Sandra’s complicity in acts of unspeakable depravity, the revelations take on the force of Greek tragedy.

“The Past” (family drama)

7 p.m. Thursday, March 26

Marie lives with her two daughters and the young son of her boyfriend, Samir, whom she hopes to marry. But before the couple can even begin to consider wedding plans, Marie must finalize her divorce from Ahmad, who flies into Paris from Tehran for the court procedure. While staying with Marie, Ahmad immediately becomes aware of the resentment, rage and hurt harbored by many of those living under her roof.

Come by early for complimentary coffee and pastries provided by the French Confection before the screening. Enter the raffle for a wine basket courtesy of Spring Street Spirits.