Chapter News

The award-winning Houston Chapter is proud to announce its new slate of officers! David Timms will continue to serve as secretary, Gerri Manlove will remain treasurer, and Rolande Leguillon will continue as historian. Our new president is Georges Detiveaux (Lone Star College-CyFair), our vice president is Roya McArthur (Cy-Woods High School), and our new NFC Administrator is Ann Clogan (Strake Jesuit College Preparatory). The entire chapter thanks outgoing president Wendy Kirkle for her wonderful service and wishes her the best! Merci mille fois, Wendy!

AATF-Houston held a brief (albeit standing room only!) fall 2008 meeting in conjunction with October's conference of the Texas Foreign Language Association in North Houston at the Hilton Greenspoint Hotel. The main topic of discussion, led by one of our new officers, Ann Clogan, was new practices and processes for students and teachers participating in the National French Contest (this information was also expanded upon at the spring meeting). Other issues presented were placement of students visiting from France through the ORCA program (administered by Claude Boutin), as well as preparations for the Texas French Symposium (presided over by Toby Freeman, who also reiterated the importance of participating in this great event at the spring meeting). You may recall that Toby Freeman is also the Houston area's latest exponent of French culture to be named a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques. Félicitations, Toby!

Our spring meeting, held on January 31 in the charming ambiance of the Alliance française de Houston, opened with entertaining reports from two students who participated in the ORCA / Destination France scholarship exchange program. The spring meeting was also the occasion for us to welcome Marie Maurannes, Attachée culturelle adjointe du Consulat de Houston, who presented to the chapter several events planned to celebrate March's French Cultures Festival (le mois de la Francophonie). Mlle Maurannes, who has a background in FLE, was very well received at the meeting. Several members stayed afterwards to continue their animated discussions with her. President Georges Detiveaux presented plans for AATF-Houston's main contribution to the French Cultures Festival: a Saturday professional development event for high school and college teachers of French, history, and sociology. This teacher training workshop, entitled Teaching the Holocaust: la France, la Shoah, et la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale, will take place on March 7 at Lone Star College-CyFair (more here). This workshop will be led by Professor Eileen Angelini from Canisius College. Many other French Cultures Festival events are listed in a calendar online. President Georges Detiveaux and Secretary David Timms have been working diligently with the French Consulate since late fall on planning and promoting these exciting events!

Current activities in the Houston chapter include assisting the French Consulate with promoting events for the French Cultures Festival, planning for the awards ceremony for Houston winners of the National French Contest, as well as planning for March's professional development event.

Claude Berri, cinéaste français (1934-2009)

Du site de M6...

Le cinéma français en deuil. Claude Berri est mort lundi matin des suites "d'un accident vasculaire cérébral" à l'âge de 74 ans à l'hôpital de la Salpétrière. Le cinéaste, qui souffrait d'un hématome intracrânien, avait été admis dans le service de réanimation chirurgicale de l'hôpital parisien dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche. Il était depuis dans un "état neurologique très sévère". Il avait déjà été victime d'un accident vasculaire cérébral en 2006. Né Claude Langmann, à Paris en 1934, Claude Berri avait commencé sa carrière en jouant au théâtre. Derrière la caméra, il avait connu de nombreux succès, dont notamment, "Tchao Pantin", qui avait valu à Coluche le César du meilleur acteur en 1984, ou encore "Manon des sources" et "Jean de Florette".En tant que producteur, Claude Berri avait soutenu des projets comme "l'Ours" et "L'amant" de Jean-Jacques Annaud, ou encore "la Reine Margot", avec Isabelle Adjani. Récemment, il avait produit "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" de Dany Boon, le plus grand succès de tous les temps au box-office français. La dernière apparition publique de Claude Berri remontait au mois de février, lors de la cérémonie des Césars. Sa production "la Graine et le Mulet", y était sacrée meilleur film de l'année. Claude Berri était le père de l'acteur producteur Thomas Langmann et de l'acteur Julien Rassam, décédé en 2002.
"La figure la plus légendaire du cinéma français" Nicolas Sarkozy a rendu hommage à Claude Berri, saluant "la figure la plus légendaire du cinéma français". "Claude Berri, c'était l'acteur, le scénariste mais surtout l'un des réalisateurs et producteurs les plus doués de sa génération. C'était le grand ambassadeur du 7ème art français à travers le monde. Tous ceux qui l'ont connu ou approché sont en deuil", a déclaré le chef de l'Etat. Et d'ajouter : "il savait oeuvrer dans tous les registres et nous faire rire ou pleurer, mais surtout il amenait son public à réfléchir et à s'interroger, il éduquait le spectateur. Plus encore, il a mis en valeur tous les plus grands acteurs du cinéma français et révélé leur personnalité (...) Cet homme de caractère laissera durablement son empreinte artistique. Pour beaucoup, il restera un modèle".

Spring Professional Development Event Announced

Teaching the Holocaust: La France, la Shoah et la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale
AATF-Houston Spring Teacher Training Workshop
Saturday, March 7, 2009, 10am-12:30pm
Lone Star College-CyFair (Cypress, TX)
To register for this event: http://cyfair.lonestar.edu/152214

In observance of March’s French Cultures Festival (le mois de la Francophonie), when various events around the world celebrate the cultures of French-speaking countries everywhere, AATF-Houston, Lone Star College-CyFair's Department of World Languages and the French Consulate of Houston are pleased to announce another exciting professional development event for area high school and college instructors.

AATF-Houston will welcome Dr. Eileen Angelini, Professor of French and Chair of the Department of Modern Languages at Canisius College (Buffalo, NY). Dr. Angelini, along with Barbara P. Barnett, produced and directed the documentary film La France Divisée, which explores events in France during the World War II from many perspectives.
After a screening of the film (approx. 30 minutes), Professor Angelini will guide attendees through an interactive session on the film's uses and general best practices in teaching the Holocaust. The session will be conducted in English and will use images and other pedagogical materials that will be provided to all. High school teachers and college instructors of history and sociology will also benefit from attending.

Registration is $25.00 for AATF members / $35.00 for non-members ($15 for full-time advanced undergrads and grad students planning to enter the teaching profession... mail proof of full-time SPRING 2009 enrollment to treasurer). To register, begin by reserving your seat by filling in and submitting the online registration form at http://cyfair.lonestar.edu/152214.

Then, mail your payment (by check or money order), payable to AATF-Houston, to Gerri Manlove, AATF-Houston Treasurer, 5003 Oak Forest Drive, Houston, TX 77018-1909. Once your payment is processed, you will then receive (via e-mail) additional information on the event, including location, directions, and access to online supplementals for use in your teaching.

To join AATF-Houston, use the printable mail-in application or join online at the national website, www.frenchteachers.org. Don't forget to affiliate to the Houston chapter! Forms and links also available at the Houston chapter website, http://aatfhouston.blogspot.com.

In the meantime, to learn more about the film, or to order a copy for yourself or for your school, visit its website, www.francedivided.com.

Register now! Your payment must be postmarked by February 27, 2009.

Thanks, and we hope to see you at the workshop!