Learn
more about French speakers from throughout the world,
meet other francophones and francophiles, and get
opportunities to speak en
français:
Cultural programs
From September through April, and sometimes in summer, join us for almost monthly
programs, most free & open to the public, in English
or French. Some feature speakers or
performers on national tours organized by the Délégation
de l'Alliance Française in Washington. Most meetings
include social time with refreshments. Some
months such as March 2010, special
events take the place of Alliance cultural programs,
or supplement them. Some past programs and events are listed at the bottom of this page.
January 26
Dorothy Rubel Room, The University of Arizona Helen S. Schaefer Building (home to Poetry Center), 1508 E Helen St (map)
Serge Tisseron, Psychiatrist, Director of Research at the University of Paris X-Nanterre, scriptwriter, cartoonist and author of 30 books,
Tintin et les secrets de famille, about his research that uncovered a Hergé family secret just from reading the Tintin albums.
The illustrated talk in French with bilingual Q&A is free and open to the public.
Serge Tisseron's tour of the United States and Canada is organized by the Délégation
générale de l'Alliance Française in partnership
with Radio des cinq académies de l’Institut de France (Canal Académie).
The Tucson
talk is co-sponsored by Alliance Française Tucson and The University of Arizona College of Humanities and the Department of French & Italian.
Saturday, May 1
Skyline Country Club, 5200 E. Saint Andrews Dr. (map)
In 2000, Michel Sarda received the Knighthood in the French Order of Arts & Letters from the French Minister of Culture, Catherine Trautmann.
In 2002, he was awarded the Emmanuel-Robles International Poetry Award. In 2003 Mr. Sarda and his wife Donnalee were nominated to the Arizona Governor’s Arts Awards for their contribution to the arts, education and culture of Arizona.
Following this fundraising luncheon, M. Sarda will present Albert Camus’ life, work, poor childhood in Algeria and his beginnings in journalism as well as his role in the writings of the underground journal COMBAT during the resistance.
This talk, commemorating the 50th anniversary of his death at the of 47, is sponsored by the Alliance Française de Tucson
Contact: 520.303.7001 or aftucson@yahoo.com for reservations ( Members $25 per person - Non-Members $30 per person)
Special
events
Saturday, April
3
Dusenberry Library 5605 River Rd, Suite 105, Tucson, AZ 85718 (corner of River Rd and Craycroft)
Leaving Belgium in the early 70s, Patricia Deridder spent 14 years in Japan studying the culture and attending several schools of Japanese flower arrangement called Ikebana. Since moving to the United States, she continued her training focusing on one of the hundreds of schools, Ikenobo, the oldest school in Japan. The free short presentation on the history of this art will be followed by a demonstration of a couple of forms.
Wednesday-Sunday, March
10-14
Attending the 36th Annual African Literature Association Conference hosted by The University of Arizona Department of French & Italian.
Friday, March
19, 7:30 pm
Berger Performing Arts Center ASDB, 1200 W. Speedway (west of I-10)
Attending the concert by Les Yeux Noirs, a Gypsy band from France, presented by Rhythm & Roots.
Thursday, April 22, 6-8 pm
Martha Cooper Branch Library, 1377 N. Catalina Avenue
A second helping of Les
Lutins du Court-métrage from 2009 is presented in partnership with Martha Cooper Branch Library. Since 1998, French cinema professionals nominate the best short films of the year for Les Lutins (Leprechauns) awards, often the first public recognition of talented filmmakers and actors. The US
showings are organized by the Délégation générale de l'Alliance Française in Washington.
Mirages by Olivier Dury: The documentary shows the first few days of a journey undertaken daily by dozens, travel across the Sahara with the intention of finding work in Europe.
Taxi Wala by Lola Frederich: A taxi driver in Paris realizes that his passenger, a woman from India, is completely lost. Nominated for 2009 César for short film. 2008 Cannes Film Festival uniFrance special prize for shorts.
C'est dimanche ! (It's Sunday!) by actor Samir Guesmi: When he’s expelled from school, 13-year-old Ibrahim lets his father believe that he received a diploma... Lutin of the Public. 2009 Pan-Africa International Film Festival of Montréal Prizes for best actor (Illiès Boukouirene) and for intercultural communication
More details and some clips available in Lutins database under 2009.
The February 17, 2010 and two Les Lutins programs shown in 2009 are listed below under Cinéphiles.
Les
Cinéphiles
Film
fans discuss current French or francophone releases en
français,
usually meeting after a Friday afternoon showing on opening
day; see Loft
Cinema, 3233 E Speedway Blvd, for
trailers, ticket prices and show times. The Loft's Essential Cinema series frequently shows French classics in restored prints on a Sunday afternoon and the following Tuesday evening.
- March 21, 1 pm & 23, 7 pm, Le Roi de cœur, Philippe de Broca's 1966 antiwar film about the happenings in a small French town during World War I, starring Alan Bates, Michel Serrault, and Geneviève Bujold;
- opening March 26: Un Prophète, Jacques Audiard's 2009 crime drama about a 19-year-old prisoner (Tahar Rahim) caught between rival gangs and brought into the Corsican one. Grand Prix 2009 Cannes Film Festival and 13 César nominations;
- May 2, 1 pm & 4, 7 pm, Diva, Jean-Jacques Beineix's 1982 stylish thriller about the consequences of a pirated recording made during the Paris concert of a reclusive soprano.
February 17, 2010 program of Les
Lutins du Court-métrage presented in partnership with the Loft Cinema.
US
showings organized by the Délégation générale de l'Alliance Française in Washington.
Une Leçon particulière (A Private Lesson) by Raphaël Chevènement: 17-year-old Cyril and his 27-year-old tutor, Eva, discuss a Victor Hugo poem, La Vieille chanson du jeune temps. Nominated for 2009 César for short film. Unifrance Prize for best short at 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Actors Cécile Ducrocq and Raphaël Goldman were recognized by the 2008 Brussels Festival of Shorts and the 2009 City of Lights, City of Angels (Col-Coa) in Los Angeles.
Lisa by Lorenzo Recio: A 10-year-old girl lives in an isolated house with her abusive father, suffering mother, and two brothers. One day Lisa upsets the tyrant's order.
Tony Zoreil (Tony Zear) by Valentin Potier: A musician in Paris, Tony (Nicolas Clerc) inherited a physical feature that complicates his search for love. Lutins for best sound; Best Short Film at 2008 Montréal Comedy Festival.
Shkizein by Jérémy Clapin: A 150-ton meteorite knocks Henri 91 cms out of place. Lutins for best animation and for best production; César nominee for animation; winner 2009 Manhattan Short Film Festival.
Nous (Us) by Olivier Hems: A police officer searches a man’s apartment, trying to understand his lonely and untimely end. Special jury prize at 2009 City of Lights, City of Angels (Col-Coa) in Los Angeles.
Les Miettes (Crumbs) by Pierre Pinaud: A woman (Serpentine Teyssier) lives next door to the factory where she works, but one day, it moves... Lutins for best film, best sets, best special effects, and best original score (by Gilles Alonzo); 2009 César for best short film.
Two Tucson showings of Les
Lutins du Court-métrage in 2009 were made possible with
the assistance of a Cultural
Development Grant from the Federation of Alliances Françaises
(USA). US
showings organized by the Délégation générale de l'Alliance Française. More details and some clips available in Lutins database under 2008.
February 18, 2009 program in partnership with the Loft Cinema:
Magic Paris by Alice Winocour: Kate (Lutins Best Actress Johanna ter Steege) meets a man and his dog when she visits Paris for the first time.
Premier Voyage (Their First Journey) by Grégoire Sivan: Chloé starts her 293rd day on earth. Her father, his 10935th. The two get to know each other better during a train trip. Best Animation ex-aequo.
L’Enfant Borne (The Outer Limits Child) by Pascal Mieszala: A solitary house by a country road. A child sits alone waiting. He knows a car will come. He knows what he must do…
Irinka & Sandrinka by Sandrine Stoïanov & Jean-Charles Finck: Irène, a member of the Russian nobility, recalls the Revolution and her life afterwards for a young relative.
Manon sur le bitume (Manon on the Asphalt) by Élizabeth Marre & Olivier Pont: A bicyclist (Aude Léger) thinks about her family and friends after being hit by a car. Best Production. 2009 Academy Award Nomination for Live Action Short Film
La Saint Festin (Saint Feast Day) by Anne-Laure Daffis & Léo Marchand: Tomorrow is November 40, St. Feast, the ogres’ holiday!
Décroche (Pick Up) by Manuel Schapira: A shy young woman calls a pay phone in front of her apartment. The cast includes slammeur Grand Corps Malade.
April 6, 2009 program in partnership with The University of Arizona Department of French & Italian as part of Humanities Week at The University of Arizona:
Dans leur peau (In Their Shoes) by Arnaud Malherbe: After witnessing an accident, a delivery boy takes the place of the executive who died (both played by Frédéric Testot). Oddly enough, no one seems to notice the change...
Bonne nuit Malik (Good Night Malik) by Bruno Danan: Malik shares a bedroom with his little brother Bilal. Both are worried about their new task: Malik is on a trial period for a job at a nightclub, Bilal has to write a poem for school.
Le Vacant (Time Out) by Julien Guetta: Pierre (Lutin for Best Actor Jean-François Stévenin) finds it hard to deal with early retirement. He comes up with sometimes outlandish ways to escape his social condition. Tied for Lutin Best Production.
Même les pigeons vont au paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven) by Samuel Tourneux: A priest races to save a soul in peril. Tied for Lutin Best Animation, 2008 Academy Award Nomination for Best Animation Short.
La Promenade by Marina de Van: The day of David's (Gilbert Melki) wedding, his 82-year-old father asks him for help in finding a woman. Unwilling to betray his mother, David hesitates, but it may be his last chance for a father/son dialogue. Lutins Best Script, 2008 César nomination for short film.
Le
Cercle littéraire
Participants
read contemporary books in French then discuss them together. Books being considered for the next discussions include No et moi by Delphine de Vigan, L'élégance du hérisson by Muriel Barbery, and the new selection from the One
Book-One Federation program, Héroïnes Françaises, 1940-1945: Courage, Force et Ingéniosité by Monique Saigal.
The last
book, discussed on February 21, 2009 was the 2007 One Book-One Federation selection, Victoire:
les saveurs et les mots by Maryse Condé, inspired
by her grandmother who was a cook in Guadeloupe, an island in the West Indies.
Other past
selections were Les âmes grises by Philippe
Claudel, who spoke to AF Tucson as part of the AF Delegation
tour in September 2006;
Le gone du Chaâba by
Azouz Begag; Suite
française
by Irène
Némirovsky; and
Je voudrais que quelqu'un
m'attende quelque part by Anna Gavalda.
Book
group: Contemporary French Literature in Translation
Not
to let readers comfortable in French have all the fun, a new
book group is forming to read contemporary works in translation.
Previous selections were:
The Angel’s Promise (La promesse de l’ange,
2004) by Frédéric Lenoir & Violette Cabesos, an historical thriller set in Mont St-Michel and spanning 1,000 years;
Suite
française by Irène Némirovsky in October 2008, preparing for the November
talk by Nemirovsky biographer Olivier
Philipponnat; and By
a Slow River, a novel by Philippe
Claudel (translated from Les Ames grises) in September 2007.
Pétanque
Play
boules with possibility
to picnic afterwards. As
part of Petanque
100, the American Salute celebrating the centennial of
the Provençal sport, AF Tucson played its first match
on June 23, 2007, despite the early
hour
and
already
soaring temperatures.
We now meet one Saturday almost every month, usually the second
or third. Learn more about game and rules at Pétanque
America.
Conversation
groups
En
vacances.
Martha Cooper Branch Library, 1377 N. Catalina Avenue, offers Storytime in French and English for children and their families on Second Saturdays, 11 am-noon, next scheduled March 13, April 10, May 8, June 12.
Publicizing
area francophone & francophile news
Until September 2009, the print Le Bulletin was sent to members 5
times a year, with details on our programs,
other Alliance news, and some other area events with a French
accent: films, plays, art exhibits, concerts, restaurants,
more. Tiimely updates to Le Bulletin's
were sent in email supplements.
Past cultural programs & events
September 26, 2009
Around the World in 1040 Alliances Françaises, & board elections
An illustrated presentation from the Fondation de l'Alliance Française highlights the variety of educational and cultural activities offered by chapters throughout the world. Alliance classes reach 460,000 students in 136 countries. A video from AF Chicago presents its Educational Outreach Program began in 1998 as a partnership with the Chicago Public School.
August 21, 2009
Vanina Marsot, writer and translator living in Los Angeles and Paris,
Reading and book-signing, Foreign Tongue, a Novel of Life and Love in Paris.
July 28, 2009
Aude Guiraud, French travel photographer and writer living in Montréal, Québec,
A 2-part slide show in French: Travels through Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam;
& Québec, la Belle Province
March 25, 2009
Ananda
Devi, novelist and ethnologist from Mauritius in the Indian Ocean,
Language(s), writing(s)
& identitie(s)
Her novels are published by Gallimard since 2001, most recently Indian Tango. In 2006, Eve de ses Décombres won the OIF’s literary Prix des 5 Continents de la Francophonie, and Prix du Livre RFO.
To celebrate the Month of Francophonie, her US tour is organized by the Délégation
générale de l'Alliance Française in cooperation
with l'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). The Tucson
talk is co-sponsored by The University of Arizona College of Humanities and the Department
of French & Italian.
February 8, 2009
Irène Assiba d'Almeida, The University of Arizona Department of French & Italian
Reading from her just published work, A Rain of Words: A Bilingual Anthology of Women’s Poetry in Francophone Africa, University of Virginia Press.
January 24, 2009
Sandy Dall'erba,
The University of Arizona Department of Geography & Regional
Development, Chair UA European Study Group
Les Politiques de développement régional
en Europe.
November 2008, Olivier
Philipponnat, co-author of the biography La
Vie d'Irène Némirovsky, winner of Le Point
2007 prize,
Irène Némirovsky, a Russian Jew in Paris
US
tour organized by the Délégation
générale de l'Alliance Française in
partnership with Service
du Livre of the French Cultural Services.
Tucson
talk co-sponsored by Alliance Française Tucson, The University
of Arizona College of Humanities and
the
Department
of French & Italian.
2007-2008 season included three programs from
the US tours organized by the Délégation
générale de l'Alliance Française:
- Stéphane
Martin, President, Musée
du quai Branly, Paris
The
Quai Branly Museum: a new building in Paris, the work of
French architect Jean Nouvel.
Tucson talk
co-sponsored by The University of Arizona College of Humanities,
School of Architecture
and the Department of French & Italian.
- Duo
Ferrández-Barnat, songs of France (Hahn, Poulenc) & Spain
(Montsalvatge, de Falla) performed by Spanish soprano Sandra
Ferrández and French pianist Laïla Barnat.
With the assistance of a Cultural
Development Grant from
the Federation of Alliances
Françaises (USA).
- Bernard Magnier, director of Afriques Collections for Actes Sud
Écrire en français, venir d'ailleurs.
US tour in partnerships with Service du Livre. Tucson talk
co-sponsored by The University of Arizona Department of French & Italian.
Some past
events:
Saturday, November 21, 3-6 pm, 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau with silent auction.
In a private home near Broadway & Alvernon.
October 1 & 2, 2009, attending the Tucson Symphony Orchestra season opener as Alain
Lefèvre returns to perform Maurice Ravel's Concerto for Piano in G and Montréal-born André Mathieu’s Concertino
No. 2.
Hector Berlioz' Roman Carnival Overture starts the program and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture ends it. A special discount is available to Alliance members.
La fête du 14 juillet returned to Feast Restaurantin 2009 for a 3-course meal and French music performed by Roxanna Baker, Music Director of Accordion Club of Tucson. The celebration also included complimentary issues
donated by France-Amérique,
Le Journal Français des Etats-Unis, and France
Today, The Magazine of French Travel and Culture, and a drawing for a subscription.
April 28, 2009, reception at the Arizona Inn on the occasion of AF Tucson Past President Antoinette Wagner receiving the Ordre National du Mérite in a ceremony with M. François-Xavier Tilliette, Consul Général adjoint from the Consulate General of France in Los
Angeles.
January 2009, Joël's Bistro
Bernard & Anne Métais, AF Berkeley
100 ans de style musette à Paris. Talk in French with photos, slides in English, & live accordion music during a 4-course meal at Joel's Bistro.
November 2008, attending Arizona
Early Music Society concert by Tours-based Diabolus in Musica, Messe
de Nostre Dame, written by Guillaume de Machaut for a chapel
in Reims Cathedral, 1362-63.
October 2008, attending the public keynote addresses by representatives from France, Germany,
and Turkey during the 5th Annual Rocky
Mountain European Scholars Consortium, held at The University of Arizona.
May 2008, attending Gershwin & Mathieu, by the Tucson
Symphony Orchestra,
the world première of Montréal-born André Mathieu’s Concerto
No. 4 for Piano and Orchestra featuring Alain
Lefèvre; Mathieu’s Scènes de Ballet, and Four
Songs
for Choir and Orchestra with the TSO Chorus.
The concert recording, TSO's first, was released
September 30, 2008
by the Canadian label Analekta.
April 2008, attending Musique
de la France, by the Tucson
Symphony Orchestra: Saint-Saëns Piano
Concerto
No.
2, Fauré's Suite from Pelléas et Mélisande and
Debussy's La Mer.
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