17th October (Third Friday)

AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS [GOODBYE, CHILDREN]

French | 1987 | 104 mins | War/Drama | Dir: Louis Malle
Cast: Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejtö and Francine Racette

In 1944, upper class boy, Julien Quentin, and his brother, François, travel to Catholic boarding school in the countryside after vacations. Julien is a leader and good student and when the new student, Jean Bonnet, arrives in the school, they have friction in their relationship. However, Julien learns to respect Jean and discovers that he is Jewish, and the school’s priests are hiding him from the Nazis. They become best friends and Julien keeps the secret. When the priest Jean discovers that the servant Joseph is stealing supplies from the school to sell in the black market, he fires the youth. Soon the Gestapo arrives at school to investigate the students and the priests that run and work in the boarding school.

Between 1988 and 1989, Au Revoir Les Enfants won 28 awards, including Best Film (French Cesar Awards), and received 12 nominations, including, in 1988, for Best Foreign Language Film and for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (US Academy Awards).

 

Accompanying Short Film: The Monk and the Fish
UK | 1994 | 6:41 | Animation Short | Dir:Michaël Dudok de Wit | Awards: César Award for Best Short Film (1996); Academy Award for Best Short Film (animated) (1995); BAFTA Award for Best British Short Film (1995).