Film Screening: Cinémélodie—Félicité with Eliana Vagalau

Join us for a special installment of our 2025/2026 music-themed film series, Cinémélodie, as part of Festival de la Francophonie 2026: a screening of French-Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis’ 2017 drama Félicité.

Set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félicité stars Congolese actor Véronique Tshanda Beya Mputu as a singer and single mother struggling to fund her 16-year-old son’s medical care following a motorcycle accident. Her journey reveals the complexity and paradoxes of contemporary Congo.

The screening will be presented by Dr. Eliana Vagalau, French Undergraduate Program Director and Associate Professor at Loyola University. Dr. Vagalau will lead a Q&A session after the film.

Guests will enjoy a pre-reception featuring a complimentary glass of Louis Jadot Bourgogne and the chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the Sofitel Magnificent Mile’s très chic Le Bar.

Doors at 6:00 p.m. for a wine reception. Screening at 6:30. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Non-alcoholic options will be available.

Félicité won the Jury Grand Prix award at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and six awards at the 2016 Africa Movie Academy Awards, the highest number for a single film in the history of the award ceremony. The film was selected as the Senegalese entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, making the December shortlist. It was the first time Senegal had sent a film for consideration for the category.

About the Presenter

Eliana Vagalau is the French Undergraduate Program Director and Associate Professor at Loyola University, where she teaches French. She recieved her PhD in French from Northwestern University in 2015. Her research interests include Contemporary Francophone literature and culture, especially of the Caribbean; contemporary French and Francophone philosophy; race and diaspora studies, gender and sexuality studies, literature and politics; Italian culture; and translation. Eliana is a member of the Modern Langauges Association, the Haitian Studies Association, the Caribbean Studies Association, and the Consei international d’études francophones. Her research has been published in Liverpool University Press, Transnational Africana Women’s Fictions, Revue Francofonia, Intranqu’îllités, Francophonies d’Amérique, The Buenos Aires Review, Figures de la psychanalyse, and Transition Magazine.

About the Director

Maximilian Bühn, CC-BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Born to a Senegalese father and French mother, screenwriter and director Alain Gomis studied art history and graduated with a Masters in film studies from the Sorbonne. His work has been recognized at the African, Asian, & Latin American Film Festival in Milan; the Entrevues Belfort Film Festival; the Panafrican Film & Television Festival of Ouagadougou; and the Berlin International Film Festival.

About Festival de la Francophonie

Festival de la Francophonie is the Alliance Française de Chicago’s annual flagship festival, featuring a vibrant lineup of free public programs over the course of the month of March—the official Mois de la Francophonie—celebrating the world’s French-speaking cultures. AF-Chicago is honored to partner with cultural organizations and government institutions across the city to offer high-quality cultural experiences and a forum where people of all ages and backgrounds can discover and connect with the cultures, customs, and language of the Francophone world, to promote lifelong learning and cultural understanding.

Getting Here

The Alliance Française de Chicago is one block from the CTA Red line stop at Chicago Ave. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark Stand the 66 on Chicago Ave. A Divvy station is located in front of the 54 W Chicago Ave entrance.

Parking Information

$12 for 12 hours at InterPark at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Please be advised that students, members, and attendees at cultural events or programs may be photographed, and these images may be used for marketing purposes.