Francophone Cultures through Film

An engaging, content-based book for incorporating Francophone cinema and culture into advanced French Language courses or Francophone Studies courses. Each chapter of the book is devoted to a single feature film and includes aids for students watching the film, discussing and writing about the film, and understanding the film within the cultural context. The films come from all regions of the Francophone world, from Vietnam to Algeria to Haiti, and are organized chronologically from the colonial experience to today.

Features:

• A great selection of fifteen easily accessible feature films from all areas of the Francophone world that students are sure to enjoy

• Analysis of pre-selected scenes that are clearly indicated where they are in the film, giving the class an easy starting point for in-depth study

• Relevant readings at the end of each chapter, including interviews with Francophone directors and literary selections

• Contextualized, pre-viewing vocabulary lists of just the right length, preparing the students for the film

• Group discussion activities in every chapter that engage the class with the themes of the course

Instructor Resources:

An electronic (PDF) instructor's manual for Francophone Cultures is available to qualified instructors who have adopted the text for their course. To request a copy, click here.

Reviews:

"The authors have struck ‘gold' with this book, which can be used in a variety of classroom settings. It is by far one of the best cinema texts that I have seen in a long time thanks to its comprehensive nature and intelligent and eminently pedagogical approach. . . . Francophone Cultures Through Film sets a new standard of excellence. . . . An excellent introduction to the richness and diversity of the Francophone world."
    —Tom Conner, St. Norbert College, The NECTFL Review

"This text examines a wide variety of films from various areas of the Francophone world. Students are sure to enjoy everyone one of the films."
    —Mary Vogl, Colorado State University

"Boudraa and Accilien’s Francophone Cultures Through Film fills a wide gap in textbooks about Francophone film and cultural studies."
     —Samira Sayeh, University of Kansas

"Courses based on textbooks like this are the wave of the future."
      —Jarrod Hayes, University of Michigan

Films:

(The films are not included with the purchase of the book, for more information on where to purchase the films click here).

1. Rue Cases Nègres (Sugar Cane Alley)
2. Indigènes (Days of Glory)
3. Lumumba: La mort du prophète (Lumumba: Death of a Prophet)
4. La Bataille d'Alger (The Battle of Algiers)
5. Frantz Fanon: Black skin, white masks
6. Lumumba
7. Un été à la Goulette (Summer in la Goulette)
8. L'Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)
9. Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (Welcome to the Sticks)
10. Salut Cousin! (Hey Cousin!)
11. Pièces d'identités (Identity Pieces)
12. La grande séduction (Seducing Doctor Lewis)
13. Faat Kiné
14. Indochine
15. Poto Mitan

About the Authors:

Nabil Boudraa is Associate Professor of French and Francophone Literature at Oregon State University.

Cecile Accilien is Associate Professor of French and Francophone cultures at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia.