Chicago French events – 11/02 to 11/08 2009

November 1, 2:49 PMChicago French Culture ExaminerVirginie Ems-Bleneau

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For all of you who love French films, be ready to make some tough choices this week because there are over ten films being shown in Chicago, and I am afraid you will not be able to catch every single one of them... And as usual, there are many French conversation events to choose from this week. Decisions, decisions...


All week in the theaters: Coco avant Chanel / Coco before Chanel (2009). Watch this great film retracing the life of Haute Couture legend Coco Chanel at the following three locations in the Chicago area: Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL (11:10am, 1:40, 4:15, 7:10, 9:50pm), Century Evanston 18, 1715 Maple Avenue, Evanston, IL (11:30am, 2:25, 5:05, 7:45, 10:25pm) and Landmark Renaissance Place Cinema, 1850 Second Street, Highland Park, IL (12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:40pm)


Monday November 2nd

Event: Café Conversation with the Alliance Française of the North Shore.
Time and location: 10am. Panera (Wilmette), 1199 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette, IL.
Fees: free.

Event: French Conversation at New Wave Cafe. NOTE THE CHANGE OF VENUE. Mercury Cafe has closed down, so they are moving to New Wave Cafe, not far from the Logan Square Blue Line Stop, on the Milwaukee Bus Line. It's on the corner of Milwaukee and Logan Blvd and has couches near the Logan Blvd doors.
Time and Location: 6pm. New Wave Cafe. 2557 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647.
Fees: free.


Tuesday November 3rd

Event: Discover three Israeli films co-produced with France during 2009 Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema. The CFIC celebrates the multifaceted sides of Israel with stories far from the news headlines.
Showings today and location:
- 5:30pm, Wilmette Theater (this film is sold out): Shiva - The Seven Days / Shiva – Les Sept jours (2008). Directed by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz. During the first gulf War, a Morrocan family in Israel gathers for the traditional seven days of mourning (shiva) after the passing of one of the sons. Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central, Wilmette. In Hebrew, French and Arabic with English subtitles.
- 8:45pm, Wilmette Theater (get your tickets now, this film has a few seats left!). Father's Footsteps / Comme ton père (2007). Directed by Marco Carmel. Popular favorites Gad Elmaleh and Yael Abecassis, from France and Israel respectively, star in this family dramedy set in the Parisian suburbs and told through the eyes of an eleven year-old boy who watches his father become a small time mobster and tries to emulate him. Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central, Wilmette. In French and Arabic with English subtitles.
Fees: All tickets for the festival are $10.


Wednesday November 4th

Event: The Groupe de Conversation du Mercredi, also known as the Portillo's & Barnelli's French group, or the Chicago French Language Meetup group (join now!) hosts its weekly gathering. While they accept all levels of French proficiency, it might be difficult to enjoy the experience if you are a beginner.
Time and Location: 7pm. Portillo's & Barnelli's Salads & Pizza, 100 W Ontario - 2nd Floor South side, Chicago, IL 60654. 312-587-8930.
Fees: Free

Event: Café Conversation organized by the Alliance Française of DuPage County.
Time and Location: 7pm. Arcedium Coffeehouse, 60 Indiana Street, St. Charles, IL.
Fees: free.

Event: Les Bavards organize their monthly dinner at Romano's in Des Plaines. French conversation around an Italian dinner!
Time and Location: 6:30pm. Romano's, 1396 E Oakton St, Des Plaines, IL 60018.
Fees: Free (just buy your dinner!)

Event: The University of Chicago Max Pavlesky Cinema's Wednesday Doc Film series - François Truffaut presents L'enfant sauvage / The Wild Child (1970). In his first acting role, Truffaut plays Dr. Itard, who takes under his care 'Victor' (Jean-Pierre Cargol), a boy discovered in Southern France who appears to have lived in the wild since early childhood, and attempts to teach him to speak and understand language.
Time and location: 7pm and 9pm. Max Pavlesky Cinema, University of Chicago, 1212 E. 59th St. 773-702-8575.
Fees: unknown.

Event: Lecture in English (and book signing) by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, noted author and international lawyer with degrees from both Paris and Harvard law schools, the Ecole Normale Supérieure and l'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. The lecture is titled "Barack Obama's America: What Are the Implications For Europe?"
Time and Location: 6:30pm. Alliance Française de Chicago, 810 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60610. 312 337 1070
Fees: $5 for members, $10 for non-members.

Event: Have dinner with the members of the Union des Français à l'Étranger de Chicago (UFEC). This dynamic group of expatriates welcomes French and Americans alike, so do not be shy! Menu: onion tart or lyonnaise salad for the first course, lamb roast or fish du jour for the main course, and oeufs a la neige or chocolate decadence for dessert.
Time and location: 7:30pm. La Sardine, 111 N. Carpenter Street Chicago, Il, 60607 - 312.421.2800
Fees: $35 for members, $50 for non-members (including service and one glass of wine). RSVP to babysitting@ufechicago.org.


Friday November 6th

Event: Discover over 150 innovative gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender films from countries as diverse as the Philippines, Sweden, Mexico, and Puerto Rico at the 28th Reeling Film Festival. They will be showing two French films this year.
Location: Reeling theater. 5243 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640. 773-293-1447
Showings today:
- 9:30pm. Comme les autres / Baby Love (2008). Directed by Vincent Gareng. Dramedy romance about a man who breaks up with his partner in order to pursue parenthood but struggles to find the perfect surrogate.
Fees: $10 ($8 for members).


Saturday November 7th

Event: The Gene Siskel Film center presents a new French film series: “Mindscapes: The films of Alain Resnais.” Discover the films and shorts of one of France's greatest film-makers, Alain Resnais, between November 7th and December 2nd.
Viewings today:
- 3pm: Stavisky (1974). With Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer. Belmondo gives one of his best performances in this lush, fact-based period-piece about the Russian-Jewish con artist whose financial chicanery led to the downfall of the French Left in the 1930s.
- 5:15pm: Four Shorts by Resnais. GUERNICA (1950, 12 min.), co-directed by Robert Hessens, expands the iconic painting with other Picasso works and a lyrical narration written by poet Paul Éluard. LES STATUES MEURENT AUSSI (Statues also die, 1953, 30 min.), co-directed by Chris Marker, is a provocative examination of the evisceration of African art when it is transplanted to Paris. TOUTE LA MÉMOIRE DU MONDE (All the world's memory, 1956, 22 min.) is a fascinating voyage through the knowledge-laden labyrinth of the Bibliothèque Nationale. NUIT ET BROUILLARD (Night and Fog, 1955, 32 min.) is a celebrated confrontation of Auschwitz, historical amnesia, and the unrepresentable. In French with English subtitles. 35mm.
Fees: $10 ($7 students, $4 for students and faculty of the School of the Art Institute, $5 Film Center members.)

Event: Discover three Israeli films co-produced with France during 2009 Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema. The CFIC celebrates the multifaceted sides of Israel with stories far from the news headlines.
Showings today and location:
- 9:30pm, Wilmette Theater. Jerusalem Syndrome / Le Syndrôme de Jérusalem (2007). Directed by Stéphane Belaish and Emmanuel Naccache; starring Liron Levo. A multicultural farce in which a Tel Aviv delivery man in love with a young prostitute steals a cab to save her from her Georgian pimp but ends up picking up a variety of passengers along the way, including a French businessman suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome, a mental illness that causes people to believe they are holy. Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central, Wilmette. In English and French with Hebrew subtitles. Director Emmanuel Naccache expected to attend.
Fees: All tickets for the festival are $10.

Event: Discover over 150 innovative gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender films from countries as diverse as the Philippines, Sweden, Mexico, and Puerto Rico at the 28th Reeling Film Festival. They will be showing two French films this year.
Location: Reeling theater. 5243 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640. 773-293-1447
Showings today:
- 9:30pm. Hollywood, je t’aime (USA, 2009). Directed by Jason Bushman. A comedy about love and narcissism featuring a young Parisian man who moves to Los Angeles to mend a broken heart and pursue vague dreams of stardom.
Fees: $10 ($8 for members).


Sunday November 8th

Event: Discover three Israeli films co-produced with France during “2009 Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema.” The CFIC celebrates the multifaceted sides of Israel with stories far from the news headlines.
Showings today and location:
- 8pm, Wilmette Theater (this film is sold out): Shiva - The Seven Days / Shiva – Les Sept jours (2008). Directed by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz. During the first gulf War, a Morrocan family in Israel gathers for the traditional seven days of mourning (shiva) after the passing of one of the sons. Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central, Wilmette. In Hebrew, French and Arabic with English subtitles.
Fees: All tickets for the festival are $10.

Event: Join the members of French In Chicago every Saturday to watch the Ligue 1 French soccer games at Flounders Bar and Grill! Anybody who loves soccer is welcome, whether they speak French or not! This week's game: to be determined.
Time and location: 2pm. Flounder's bar and grill, 2201 N Clybourn, Chicago, IL. Ask for the French Soccer game at the bar, or head to the back room with the big screen!
Fees: free.