The unbreakable bond between women is a difficult image to perfect.
Capturing that reality for women from different countries was present in the French film “Lingui,” which premiered on the third day of Pierce College’s French Film Festival on Wednesday.
“Lingui,” which translates to “sacred bonds,” portrays the rocky relationship between a mother and daughter in Chad, Africa. When the daughter becomes pregnant at 15 years old, her mother finds a way to help her get an abortion. Despite her own beliefs and the country’s laws against it.
The screening was followed by a discussion led by History Professor Sheryl Nomelli.
“It’s beautiful,” Nomelli said. “How she comes around and finds a way to support her daughter and give her daughter the life and future that she couldn’t have.”
The discussion after the film covered topics about the laws against abortions in America, and related back to the struggles the women in the film faced. They also discussed how powerful the bonds between the women in the movie are, and how important that is not only in the movie but in their own lives as well.
English Professor Donna Accardo expressed the importance of these depictions in the film, especially during Women’s History Month.
“It shows the power of women,” Accardo said. ”That even in a very oppressive and patriarchal culture, they find ways to protect and support one another.”
This film not only captured the world from a women’s point of view, but it also matched the festival’s theme of French and francophone culture.
Even though the film takes place in Africa, the language and culture is influenced by French and Muslim cultures.
French Professor Denis Pra, one of the organizers for the festival, continuously shared his love for French language and francophone culture, with this being the third year the event has taken place.
“It’s a way to bring French and francophone culture onto campus,” Pra said. “To discover all these things, to open your mind and learn new things.”
Chemical Engineering major Shreef Elbarbary thought the movie was very relatable to his own culture, and that these events are important to have on campus.
“It gets a lot of people together to talk about different perspectives,” Elbarbary said. “It’s more activities we can get involved in.”
The last movie of the festival, “Gagarine,” will be shown on Multicultural Day at 2:30 p.m. in the Multicultural Center, and will host a discussion led by Art Architecture Professor Patricio Gallegos.
