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PORTLAND – The nonprofit organization Alliance Française du Maine is sponsoring the first annual Festival Champlain – a free French language film festival open to all – on Sept. 23 and 24.
The festival is being held in collaboration with the French Embassy, Villa Albertine, Consul General of France in Boston Mustafa Soykurt, and Maine Honorary Consul Alban Maino. It celebrates the rich history of the French language in New England, where 5% of the population speaks French.
The festival is free. Tickets are available by clicking here.
All films will be screened at Talbot Hall at the University of Southern Maine. The lineup includes movies from a variety of French-speaking countries. The festival opens Friday, Sept. 23, with “Delicieux” followed by a reception at Portland’s Custom House. The festival continues on Saturday with a children’s screening of “Minga et la cuillere magique” at 10 a.m., followed by more films throughout the day. All films will be screened in the original French with English subtitles. For the full program, visit afdume.org/festivalchamplain.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer this free event to francophones and francophiles alike,” AFDM President Régine Whittlesey said. “New England is steeped in French language history, and Maine’s cultural texture is being diversified with the arrival of new Mainers from a host of French-speaking countries. A French-language film festival embodies AFDM’s mission to promote our French-speaking communities and at the same time gives the opportunity to the large number of francophiles in Maine to enjoy some quality cinema en français.”
Organizers hope the event will become an annual one.
