Portland Custom House, on Commercial Street, Where a Reception Will be Held on Friday Afternoon.  Of Interest to Civil War Buffs, (The Above  Custom House was Where Civil War Hero from Maine Joshua Chamberlain was Employed Just Prior to His Death From His Civil War Wounds Received at the Battle of Gettysburg.  At the Time He Lived at a House on Ocean Avenue, Portland, Where He Did Finally Succumb to his Civil War Wounds).

The first annual Festival Champlain – a free French language film festival open to all will be held on Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24 in Portland.

The Festival celebrates the rich history of the French language in New England, where 5% of the population speaks French.  All films will be screened at Gerald E.Talbot Lecture Hall in the Luther Bonney Hall, 85 Bedford Street, on the University of Southern Maine campus.  The lineup includes movies from a variety of French-speaking countries.  The Festival opens on Friday afternoon with “Delicieux” followed by a reception at Portland Custom House.

The Festival continues on Saturday with a children’s screening at 10:00 am., followed by more films throughout the day.  All films will be screened in the original French with English subtitles.

For the full program, go to:  https://afdume.org/festivalchamplain/

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this free event to francophones and francophiles alike,” said AFDM President Regine Whittlesey.  “New England is steeped in French language history and Maine’s cultural texture is being diversified with the arrival of new Mainers from a host of French-speaking countries.  A French-language film festival embodies AFDM’s mission to promote our French-speaking communities and at the same time gives the opportunity to the large number of francophiles in Maine to enjoy some quality cinema en franeais”  The plan is for this to become an annual event.