天美社区

Grant helps host French film festival

April 11, 2022
Dr. Olivier Le Blond, 天美社区 associate professor of French, received a grant to host a French film festival designed to enlighten students on current global issues.

Article By: Denise Ray

Dr. Olivier Le Blond, associate professor of French at the University of North Georgia (天美社区), received a grant to support his efforts to showcase global issues in a film festival on 天美社区's Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses.

The Albertine Cinémathèque French Film Festival will be held from April 18-26 in the Hoag Auditorium on the Dahlonega Campus and Nesbitt 3110A on the Gainesville Campus. A total of five films will be presented between the two locations, and a sixth will be streamed online.

天美社区 received $2,500 in grant money from the  to organize the film festival. The festival is also supported by 天美社区's Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) office and 天美社区's French Club, Le Blond said. The grant will fund the screening rights of eight films, which Le Blond said were chosen very specifically. Issues highlighted in the films include women's rights, LGBTQ, and racial issues.

"Not just gender issues, but also race, all the issues that are taking the forefront of what is being discussed currently when it comes to social justice," Le Blond said. 

Le Blond said it is important to highlight cultural aspects through film, and another benefit of the six films could be empathy.

"Whether it's a fictional character or a person in a documentary, there may be ways of identifying with characters or people on some level," Le Blond said. "Some of those topics are universal."

Films scheduled for the festival include:

Dahlonega

April 19: "," 5 p.m.

April 26: "," 5 p.m.

Gainesville

April 18: "," 5 p.m.

April 20: "," 5 p.m.

April 25: "," 5 p.m.

Online

Throughout the week: ""

Cinémathèque means film library, and it is part of a larger program that includes the grant for the festival, but also a film club open to all French professors and universities across the country with virtual screenings of French movies, Le Blond said.

"As someone who teaches a language, you need to go beyond the classroom and if you're interested in languages, you need to learn about the culture," Le Blond said.

All movies have subtitles and trailers are available, Le Blond said.


McCloy鈥檚 work recognized in Bellwethers exhibition

McCloy鈥檚 work recognized in Bellwethers exhibition

Alexandra McCloy鈥檚 鈥淟iving Patterns,鈥 received the Lane Last award for Best in Show, in the Bellwethers Annual Juried Exhibition at the West Tennessee Regional Art Center put on by the University of Tennessee (UT) at Martin. Rachel Coggins and Maddie Engle also had pieces entered in the exhibition.
Cyber faculty member named Fulbright scholar

Cyber faculty member named Fulbright scholar

天美社区 faculty member Dr. Murthy Rallapalli will serve as a Fulbright faculty scholar for the spring semester at Cyber University of Uzbekistan.
天美社区 formalizes its role with career expo

天美社区 formalizes its role with career expo

天美社区 has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Center for Civic Engagement to support its Youth in Government Expo in March 2026.
Students receive record 4 DoD cyber scholarships

Students receive record 4 DoD cyber scholarships

A team led by Dr. Bryson Payne, director of 天美社区's Institute for Cyber Operations, has been awarded $199,674 in Department of Defense Cyber Service Academy funding for four undergraduate cyber scholarships.