Atlanta will be drenched in French

during 12^th annual Francophonie Festival March 19 - 27

February 22, 2011 - Few Americans realize that French is spoken by 200 million people in 56 countries and that hundreds of French words like garage, lingerie, fiancée, entrepreneur, petite, ballet, rendez-vous and carte blanche have become part of the English language.

Every March, francophones - as French-speaking people call themselves -- unite with Francophiles around the world for a celebration of their diverse cultures and shared language. 

Atlanta’s Francophonie Festival 2011 offers a series of free and ticketed cultural events March 19 - 27 in Midtown and Buckhead.  This year’s highlights include storytellers, French-themed exhibitions, films, wine receptions and a gourmet brunch.  For details and tickets, visit www.francophonieatlanta.org.

Schedule of Events

Francophonie Festival 2011

French Immersion Day for high school students
Saturday, March 19,  10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  -  $10

Alliance Française in Midtown, 1197 Peachtree Street, Colony Square, Plaza level

Learn about the diverse French speaking countries around the world.  Discover Francophone musicians and their music.  Participate in skits and win prizes by speaking French.  Lunch is provided.  Registration is required by March 11 by emailing [email protected].

Tales from the francophone world

Sunday, March 20, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.  -  FREE

Atlanta International School in Buckhead, 2890 N. Fulton Drive

Storytellers from Québec, Louisiana, Haïti and Burkina Faso will perform traditional tales for all ages in French and English.  Refreshments will be served.  Reservations are recommended.

Toulouse-Lautrec, Cartier-Bresson, wine reception and two films

Thursday, March 24, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm - $9 or FREE for films only

High Museum of Art in Midtown, 1280 Peachtree Street

Private viewing of two High Museum exhibitions - Toulouse-Lautrec and Friends: The Irene and Howard Stein Collection and Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century topped by a wine reception and two films:

• Na Wewe (You Too), a short from Belgium that follows a conflict in Burundi between Hutus, Tutsis and innocent passengers that raises the question, who is Hutu and who is Tutsi?  View trailer here.
• Home, a feature from Switzerland tells the story of a family whose peaceful existence is disrupted when a highway is built adjacent to their remote home and garden.  Refusing to move, the family finds innovative ways to adapt to their new environment.  View trailer here.

Tours and reception begin at 6:00 p.m.  Tickets are $20.  Films begin at 8:00 p.m.  Admission is free for the films only. Reservations are required for both portions of the program.

Films from Québec and France at the Alliance Française

Saturday, March 26 from 6:00 to 10:00 pm  -  FREE

Midtown, 1197 Peachtree Street, Colony Square, Plaza level

• Ce qu’il faut pour vivre (The Necessities of Life) from Québec tells the story of an Inuit hunter with tuberculosis who leaves his northern home to receive care in a Québec City sanatorium.
• Captaine Achab from France tells the unlikely tale of how a young, rural boy grows up to become a great sea captain of a whaling ship and encounters Moby Dick.

Both films are in French with English subtitles. Refreshments will be served.

Francophonie Friendship Brunch at the St. Regis Hotel

Sunday, March 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - $40 for adults; $20 for children ages 12 to 16, and FREE for children under 12

St. Regis Hotel in Buckhead, 88 West Paces Ferry Road

A gourmet brunch buffet and live entertainment provided by the Théâtre du Rêve, the only French-language theater company in the U.S.  Children are welcome and will enjoy the film Bob & Bobette & Les Diables du Texas from Belgium, a 3D animated feature based on a popular Flemish comic strip set in Texas.  Reservations are required.  View trailer here.

In Georgia, more than 46,000 students study French, while investments from francophone countries here provide thousands of jobs.  Atlanta’s Francophonie Festival is organized by the Atlanta Francophonie Committee, a multi-cultural collaboration between the Consulates of Belgium, Canada, France and Switzerland, the Québec Delegation in Atlanta, the American Association of Teachers of French in Georgia, the Alliance Française of Atlanta, the French American Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta-Accueil, Ecole du Samedi and the Théâtre du Rêve.

In the Americas, French is one of Canada’s two official languages and the main language in Québec.  It is also spoken in French Guiana, Louisiana and the Caribbean. In Europe, it is spoken in many countries, such as France, Belgium and Switzerland, as well as in Africa and the Arab world.

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