The annual French and Francophone film festival, organized by Virginia Tech's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, begins Saturday, Jan. 26 and will be the featured Saturday matinee offering at The Lyric theatre in downtown Blacksburg on Saturdays in February.

The films, which start at 3 p.m., are free and open to the public.

The films are in the original language version with English subtitles.

Jan. 26 - Backstage
A small town teenager suddenly gains access to the unstable life of her pop-star idol. Not rated.

Feb. 2 - Heading South / Vers le sud
In this tale of sex tourism, middle-aged European and North American women travel to Haiti for paid sex with poor local men. Not rated.

Feb. 9 - Bamako
A domestic drama set in Mali unfolds against the backdrop of a trial pitting African civil society against international financial institutions like the World Bank and the IMF. Not rated.

Feb. 16 - The Iceberg / L'Iceberg
After having accidentally been locked in the walk-in refrigerator overnight, a fast-food restaurant manager becomes obsessed with all things frozen, and leaves home in search of a real iceberg. Not rated.

Feb. 23 - Days of Glory / Indigènes
African soldiers fighting in eastern France and northern Italy were essential to the Allied victory in World War II. These often-forgotten combatants faced tremendous racism in the military, and in French society. Rated R (violence and language).

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures is in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech. Other campus contributors include the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, the departments of interdisciplinary studies and political science, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Cercle Francophone, and a provost’s Women and Minority Artists and Scholars Lecture Series grant. This Tournées Festival was made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture.

The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences embraces the arts, humanities, social and human sciences, and education. The College nurtures intellect and spirit, enlightens decision-making, inspires positive change, and improves the quality of life for people of all ages. It is home to the departments of Apparel, Housing & Resource Management; Communication; English; Foreign Languages & Literatures; History; Human Development; Interdisciplinary Studies; Music; Philosophy; Political Science; ROTC; Science and Technology in Society; Sociology; Theatre Arts; the School of the Arts; and the School of Education.

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