Le Rochambeau

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Bonjour à toutes et à tous,

We have some exciting news to share on this first day of August.

First, we are please to announce that our Bastille Day Event was a grand success. Thanks to all who attended and helped with this wonderful event. And apologies to those who we couldn’t fit into Chez Nous. Here are a few photos from the event:

The Lighter Side of Surrealism with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Our inaugural program as a Community Partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will take place on September 26th at 2 pm, featuring VMFA’s Trent Nicholas and his talk, “The Lighter Side of Surrealism: Rousseau, Magritte, and Cornell.” The event will take place at the main Midlothian public library. You can find more details and register for the event at this link.

Alliance Française of Richmond Annual Meeting

After the Surrealism discussion, we will hold our Annual Meeting, starting at 4 pm. You can register for the meeting at this link. We encourage all members to attend.

Conversation Française — August Gathering

This month’s conversation française will be hosted at the home of Scott Koehler on August 8 at 3:00 p.m. All are welcome whatever your French level is — it’s a relaxed, friendly way to practice your French and meet fellow members. You may register for the event here.

Club de Lecture

There is still a few weeks to finish your reading of “Une soupe aux herbes sauvages” (A Life of Her Own), by Émilie Carles. Her bestselling autobiography has been widely translated and adapted into a TV film. On August 22nd at 2 pm. Françoise Mullen will lead the group in a discussion of the book. You can register at this link. The discussion will be in French.

The Federation of Alliances Françaises USA events in August:

The Federation of Alliances Françaises USA is offering a couple of different discussions this month:

French Cinémathèque: L'Origine du mal

Please join Beatrice Loayza for a discussion in English of the film “L’Origine du mal”. Mme. Loayza is critic and film historian based in Brooklyn. She is a lecturer at the School of Visual Arts and a regular contributor to the New York Times, the Criterion Collection, Film Comment, and other publications.

The Origin of Evil is a stylish French Canadian thriller about Stéphane, a financially struggling factory worker who reconnects with the wealthy father who abandoned her, only to be drawn into a tense, manipulative world dominated by his eccentric wife, suspicious daughters, and long buried family secrets. As Stéphane attempts to ingratiate herself into this luxurious but deeply dysfunctional household, shifting alliances, hidden motives, and revelations about identity and deception steadily unravel, creating a slow burn suspense story that blends class conflict, psychological tension, and sharp social commentary.

Participants are encouraged to watch the film via streaming before attending the discussion. The Zoom link will be sent out via email after registration. You can register for the event here.

Chocolate Delights with author Aleksandra Crapanzano

Join us on August 13 at 4 pm for a conversation with one of our favorite chefs, Aleksandra Crapanzano, who will be talking about her new book, Chocolat: Parisian Desserts and Other Delights. You can find more information and register for the event here.

That’s all for now. We wish each of you a wonderful August.

Warm regards,

The team at Alliance Française of Richmond - Chapitre Rochambeau