The School of Film/Video proudly presents: Screening of Mathieu Amalric's Barbara as part of the Tournées Film Festival (Friday, Jan. 31-Tuesday, March 3, 2020) of French, French-speaking and French-produced films on campus.
This passion project is inspired by Barbara (1930-1997), possibly the best-loved French chanteuse to follow in the wake of Edith Piaf. As a singer-songwriter, Barbara brought a dark lyricism to French airwaves, reaching millions of listeners through her music and her outspoken activism, notably during the outbreak of the AIDS crisis. Writer-director Mathieu Amalric wisely avoids the pitfalls of the conventional biopic. The film follows the travails of Brigitte, an actress cast to play the lead in a biopic of Barbara under the direction of the oddball Yves Zand (played with gusto by Amalric). Borders between real life and film start to blur. This musical love letter to performers and cinema is as much a dazzling tribute to Jeanne Balibar's extraordinary acting — she received the 2018 Best Actress César for her performance as Brigitte/Barbara — as it is to the genius of the iconic singer.
The screenings take place in the Bijou Auditorium as part of “Film Today” and “Film History”. They are free and open to the entire Institute.
Tournées Film Festival is made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S., the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée (CNC), the French American Cultural Fund, Florence Gould Foundation and Highbrow Entertainment.
