Beyond Appearances: An Evening with François Ozon

Writer-director François Ozon, one of the most influential filmmakers of the French “new New Wave,” is the featured speaker for the annual Marianne Midwest series of discussions on contemporary topics. Ozon, the director of almost twenty award-winning feature films including Swimming Pool and Under the Sand, will discuss his most recent film, By the Grace of God, the real-life events that inspired the film, and the complex relationship between filmmaking and the social and human realities that it depicts. Following his talk, he will be joined by Jennifer Wild, Associate Professor in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies, for a discussion and audience Q&A. 

By the Grace of God will be screened at the Chicago International Film Festival at AMC Theater-River North the night before this event (October 22 at 5:45 pm). The organizers of this event have secured a limited number of tickets to this screening that will be made available to members of the UChicago community. If interested in attending this screening free of charge, contact Dan Bertsche (ddb1@uchicago.edu) on or before October 15, 2019. 

Director and writer François Ozon is one of French cinema’s most prolific filmmakers whose career has spanned the last 20 years. His credits include See the Sea, Under the Sand, 8 Women, In the House, Swimming Pool, Potiche, and Frantz. His newest release, By the Grace of God, won the Silver Bear at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival. He recently finished filming his twentieth feature film, Summer of 84. 

Presented by the France Chicago Center, the Cultural Services at the Consulate General of France in Chicago, and the Film Studies Center, and made possible through the support of UniFrance, Music Box Films, Chicago International Film Festival, Doc Films, the French Club, and the Alliance Française network.