CINÉCOLA/Tournées Film Festival 2016 which opens with screening of acclaimed documentary HUMAN
October 25, 2016
CinéCola, the Columbia Community French and Francophone Film Festival, in tandem with the Tournées Film Festival, kicks off its 2016 event with a special screening of HUMAN, the highly acclaimed documentary by French environmentalist and filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The festival runs October 25 – December 4 and features seven films and five animated short films. The screening of HUMAN begins at 7 p.m. at the Columbia Museum of Art following a preliminary reception at 6 p.m. sponsored by the Alliance Française of Columbia. All films are subtitled in English and will be shown in three venues: The Columbia Museum of Art, the Spears Center for the Arts at Columbia College and the Close-Hipp Building on the Campus of the University of South Carolina. Films are open to the public and free with the exception of screenings at CMA. Films are always free to students.
HUMAN is a stunning film, produced over three years and involved interviewing more than 2000 people in 60 countries. Critics have praised the film’s unprecedented scale, lush cinematography and the truth and brutal honesty of people’s stories covering topics that deal with family, ambition, failure, religion, homosexuality, war and poverty.
Arthus-Bertrand, a native of France, is a filmmaker, photographer, journalist and environmentalist. He founded the world’s first press agency and images bank specializing in aerial photography. His 2009 documentary HOME featured aerial footage shot across 54 countries. HOME is a visual portrait of earth’s diversity and how the impact of humanity and its practices is threatening the ecological balance of the entire planet.
This season’s CinéCola/Tournées Film Festival line-up also includes Hippocrate (Hippocrates, Diary of a French Doctor) by Thomas Lilti; Qu’Allah Benisse La France! (May Allah Bless France!) by Abd Al Malik; Cour de Babel (School of Babel) by Julie Bertucelli; Valley of Love by Guillaume Nicloux; L’Armee des Ombres (Army of Shadows) by Jean-Pierre Melville and Phantom Boy by Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup-Felicioli. Short animated films include Dans les eaux profundes (In Deep Waters) by Sarah Van Den Boom; Chez Moi (My Home) by Phuong Mai; Alison by Jules Rigolle et al; Rhizome by Boris Labbé.
Now in its ninth year, the festival has evolved from an event initiated in 2008 by Dr. Coco Mann as a cultural collaborative between Columbia College and the University of South Carolina with a mission of promoting interest in the French language and to expose students and faculty to the diversity of Francophone cultures across the globe. With a growing emphasis on community collaboration and inclusiveness, the festival was officially inaugurated in 2012 as CinéCola. Support of the festival now includes programs from both institutions such as Gender and Women’s Studies, Jewish Studies, International and Comparative Education as well as organizations such as the Alliance Française de Columbia, the Columbia Museum of Art and the Quebec Trade Office in Atlanta.
CinéCola continues to receive grant support from the Tournées Film Festival which promotes French films on U. S. campuses. To date, the festival has brought 44 French language films originating from multiple Francophone regions across the world to the Columbia Community.
About Columbia College
Recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a best value institution and ranked among the best regional universities in the South, Columbia College is a dynamic learning and living community known for its emphasis on leadership development and service. Founded 162 years ago by the United Methodist Church as a women’s liberal arts college, Columbia College also offers evening, graduate and online programs serving both women and men. The College is home to the McNair Center for Entrepreneurism, and a nationally renowned honors program led by the 2010-2011 United States Professor of the Year. Learn more at columbiasc.edu or connect with @columbiakoala.
