French Government Minister to Give Lecture, Premiere Movie at FSU

FSU Events

'Country Meets Hood' to Headline Middle East Film Festival
Azouz Begag is a man of diverse talents. This week, several of those talents will be on display as the French novelist, screenwriter, sociologist and government minister gives a public lecture and hosts the U.S. premiere of his hit French movie, "Camping à la ferme" (Country Meets Hood), at Florida State University.

French Minister for Equal Opportunities Azouz Begag

The film will headline the FSU Middle East Center's second annual Middle East Film Festival, which will be held Oct. 15-19 in the cinema at the Student Life Building. The film festival, which is free and open to the public, is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Begag, France's best-known writer of Algerian origin, will present "Country Meets Hood" at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, and answer questions afterwards. A second screening will take place at 10:30 p.m. The evening is sponsored by the Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies. Reservations are highly recommended for the 7 p.m. showing; please e-mail icffs@mailer.fsu.edu.

The film is a comic exploration of the experiences of a multiethnic band of juvenile delinquents sent to perform community service in a French village. Upon its release in June 2005, it was hailed by the French media as "a great comedy," "very moving" and "the surprise hit of the summer."

Begag, the French Minister for Equal Opportunities, is a visiting professor at the Winthrop-King Institute, which is also hosting a lecture at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, in the Student Life Building. Begag will discuss new initiatives to fight racism in his home country amid concerns over immigration from Muslim nations.

He also will talk about an experimental program that he is launching with leading French corporations to improve ethnic diversity. Until now, employers in France have been forbidden from compiling data on the racial or ethnic composition of their labor force. In addition, Begag is urging police forces to respond more quickly to complaints of discrimination.

"Begag is a brilliantly engaging writer and speaker," said FSU Professor Alec Hargreaves, director of the Winthrop-King Institute. "He tackles serious issues such as racism and poverty with a wonderfully humane and comic ouch."

Begag was raised in a shantytown neighborhood of Lyon by Algerian immigrant parents. He stunned French President Jacques Chirac 10 years ago when he told him of the widespread racism suffered by young Muslims in France. This past June, Begag was appointed the nation's Minister for Equal Opportunities, with responsibility for fighting racism and other forms of discrimination.

On top of his other successes, Begag is the author of a best-selling autobiographical novel, "Le Gone du Chaâba" (Shantytown Kid), which currently is being translated into English by Hargreaves.

The other film presentations are:

Sunday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m., "Promises" (Palestine/Israel); 8:30 p.m., "Another Road Home" (Palestine/Israel).
Monday, Oct. 17, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., "Zaman, Man of the Reeds" (Iraq).
Tuesday, Oct. 18, short films starting at 7:30 and 10 p.m., "West Bank Story" (Palestine/Israel); "In My Own Skin" (U.S.); "Distance from the Sun" (U.S.); "The Little Terrorist" (Pakistan/India); and "The English Sheik and the Yemini Gentlemen" (Yemen).
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 7 and 10 p.m., "Turtles Can Fly" (Iraq/Kurdistan), with a discussion on landmines at 8:45 p.m.

Each film will be accompanied by an introduction by experts in the field. For more information, visit www.fsu.edu/~modlang/divisions/arabic/links.html#festival.

In addition to the FSU Middle East Center and the Winthrop-King Institute, the film festival is sponsored by the Student Life Film Committee, Student Life Cinema, the International Center, the Arab Cultural Association and the Persian Cultural Society.