CSI Hosts Tournees Film Festival

Le collège de Staten Island est fier de presenter le Tournees Film Festival!

In case readers are not fluent in French, that translates to “the College of Staten Island (CSI) is proud to present the Tournees Film Festival!” The film series, hosted by the Department of Media Culture through a FACE (French-American Cultural Exchange) grant, runs from October 13 through November 17, with one film screening every Thursday.

After screening new French cinema, the Festival will culminate with a final classic French film screening (Rififi, 1955) and presentations from two French Attachés, Mathieu Fournet (French Embassy, Audiovisual Attaché, Head of Film, TV, and New Media) and Léa Futschik (French Embassy, Higher Education Attaché, Executive Director, PUF Program).

Notably, the evening will also feature the screening of a short student film shot in Tours, France by students from CSI and The Graduate Center, CUNY in the summer. The film’s premise revolves around American (and one Australian) students questioning what identity means for them while living in France in a time of violence and turmoil across the globe. There will also be time allotted for questions and answers from Fournet and the student filmmakers.

“Our students have been working intensely on completing their film. From the footage I have seen, and working closely with them on the film’s subject, we will be presenting a remarkable project,” commented David Gerstner, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Media Culture, and co-organizer of the Festival, adding that this “promises to be an exciting evening of film and discussion—and good cheese!”

Dr. Gerstner, working closely with Stephen Ferst, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Global Engagement, has established strong relationships with the French Embassy as well as with French film directors and producers.

“Through the generous support of the French Embassy, CSI was able to offer scholarships to eight students studying in France this summer as well as promote and coordinate this film festival. This support, and our continued close relationship with the French Embassy in the U.S., sets the stage for expanded study abroad opportunities for CSI students in France. We are delighted that CSI students can take advantage of programs of study in France during the summer, winter, and semester terms from nearly every discipline at the College,” said Dr. Ferst.

The film series runs at many institutions that have received the FACE grants with each institution selecting which films to show. Dr. Gerstner took a thematic approach this year at CSI, curating works that focus on France’s cultural transformation. His picks look at issues such as youth and identity and same-sex relationships.

“The complex questions French filmmakers explore provide provocative and thoughtful approaches to world culture and filmmaking. Like in the U.S., France and Europe are undergoing significant transformations in the 21st century. The Tournées Festival at CSI delivers new ways to consider the use of cinematic means to express similarly complex issues confronted at home,” commented Dr. Gerstner, stressing that the Festival is important because it “introduces to the CSI community a new way to think about France.”

All film events will take place from 2:30pm to4:20pm in 1P-223 (Screening Room). This event is available for CLUE credits.