FRANCOPHONE WORLD TOUR
Christina Leadlay

Embassy Magazine, Canada
March 21 2007

Film festivals in Ottawa are regularly the domain of the Canadian
Film Institute, but this week the ByTowne Cinema is hosting the mainly
francophone Divercine film fest, which opens March 23.

Seven films dominate the schedule, a few of them playing twice during
the week, including opening night screening Reves de poussière. This
film from Burkina Faso follows Mocktar, a Malian peasant who tries
to forget a past tragedy through hard labour in a mining camp where
he befriends the young widow Coumba.

Congorama is a joint production between Canada, Belgium and France,
and doesn’t contain English subtitles. It’s the story of a young
Belgian inventor who returns to the Quebec village where he was born,
and winds up in a car accident with a man in mourning for his father.

Another road movie is Le Voyage en Armenie, set almost entirely in
Armenia. When Anna discovers her father is ill, he leaves France to
head back home to Armenia, with his daughter in hot pursuit.

Another film without English translation is L’immeuble Yacoubian, a
film meditating on the history of Egyptian society from the pharaohs
to the Muslims, exploring corruption, prostitution and fundamentalism
amongst other ideas.

A Romeo and Juliet-style film is MaRock, about a Muslim party girl
who falls in love with a hip Jewish guy in Morocco’s club scene.

Falafel also contains elements of love, parties and frustration.

Tou’s pursuit of Yasmin is thrown off course when he gets involved
in a parking lot squabble.

Bamako, the third film in the series with no English subtitles,
sets a tale of domestic dispute against demonstrations against
international politics.

For the kiddies, there’s even a weekend screening of Azur et Asmar,
an animated feature about two boys who grew up like brothers in
magical, medieval Maghreb, but who become enemies in their quest for
the Djinns fairy. The opening night ceremony features two short films
by aboriginal Canadian filmmaker Manon Barbeau: La Lettre and Courage.

The Divercine Film Festival starts March 23 and runs every night
through March 29. Check the Ottawa Listings for details.

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