ECC hosts French film festival

Next week, film buffs can enjoy cutting-edge foreign films without having to travel downtown.

Specially chosen French films will be shown at Elgin Community College during the Tournées Film Festival, set for Monday, April 5 through Saturday, April 10 in the Advanced Technology Center Auditorium on the ECC Main Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.

ECC is one of three Illinois colleges and universities and the only Illinois community college selected as a venue for the film festival, according to Tim Kaar, chairman of the festival and a graphic design professor at ECC.

This event is part of the ECC Humanities Center's International Film Series, which brings exceptional movies from around the world in an effort to foster cross-cultural understanding through cinema.

"We're bringing films every month on campus and making them available," Kaar said.

The Tournées Festival is supported by the French American Cultural Exchange, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC).

Of the 20 films available to be shown, a committee of ECC faculty chose the five they found most compelling, Kaar said.

For information about the ECC International Film Series, visit www.eccifs.org.

Scheduled films are:

Monday, April 5: "The Secret of the Grain," 7:15 p.m.

Tuesday, April 6: "The Class," 7:15 p.m.

Friday, April 9: Double feature: "Eldorado" at 7:15 p.m.; "Fears of the Dark" at 8:40 p.m.

Saturday, April 10: "Azur and Asmar," 1:15 p.m.