Between 100 million and 200 million Francophones (as French-speakers refer to themselves) will celebrate International Day of Francophonie around the globe on March 20.
In Atlanta, home to many French speakers and French culture lovers, the annual Francophonie Festival stretches the party to more than a week.
Francophonie Festival 2011, March 19-27 at sites in Midtown and Buckhead, includes storytelling, French-themed exhibitions, films and a gourmet brunch.
Highlights of the celebration, organized by the consulates of Belgium, Canada, France and Switzerland and the Québec Delegation in Atlanta, along with academic and cultural organizations, include:
-- 2:30-5:30 p.m. March 20: “Tales from the Francophone World,” with four storytellers from Québec, Louisiana, Haiti and Burkina Faso performing traditional tales for all ages in French and English at the Atlanta International School, 2890 N. Fulton Drive, Atlanta. Refreshments served. Reservations recommended by e-mailing journeeduconte@gmail.com.
-- 6-10 p.m. March 24: French exhibits and two films at the High Museum of Art. Private viewing of High exhibits “Henri Cartier-Bresson: the Modern Century” and “Toulouse-Lautrec and Friends: the Stein Collection,” with a cash bar reception, 6-9 p.m. $9. Films (free) at 8 p.m. in the Rich Theatre: “Na Wewe” (“You Too”), an Oscar-nominated short film from Belgium that dramatizes an ethnic conflict in the central African nation of Burundi; and “Home,” a feature from Switzerland starring Isabelle Huppert about a family’s peaceful existence being disrupted by construction of a highway. Reservations are required for both portions of the program. 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta.
-- 6-10 p.m. March 26: Film double-feature. “Ce qu’il faut pour vivre” (“The Necessities of Life”) from Canada tells the story of an Inuit hunter with tuberculosis who leaves his Northern home to receive care in a Québec City sanatorium and becomes despondent until he meets an orphan who speaks his language. “Captaine Achab,” a Swedish-French production, conveys the back-story of Captain Ahab from "Moby Dick" through the eyes of five people in his life. Alliance Française, 1197 Peachtree St., (plaza level, Colony Square). Refreshments served. Free. Reservations: 404-875-1211.
-- 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. March 27: Francophonie Friendship Brunch. At the St. Regis Hotel, a gourmet brunch buffet featuring foods from around the world and entertainment by Théâtre du Rêve, America’s only French-language theater company. Also, a screening of the Belgian children’s film “Bob & Bobette & Les Diables du Texas,” a 3-D animated feature based on a popular Flemish comic strip set in Texas. Adults $40, ages 12-16 $20, free under 12. Reservations required. 88 W. Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta.
Event preview
Francophonie Festival 2011. March 19-27 at various locations. Details and tickets, www.francophonieatlanta.org.
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