Film Screening: Cinémanuscrit—L'Étranger (The Stranger)

Cinémanuscrit is the Alliance’s 2026/2027 film series exploring cinematic adaptations of Francophone literature.

For the December edition of Cinémanuscrit, escape the cold with French film director and screenwriter François Ozon’s 2025 drama L’Étranger (The Stranger), adapted from Albert Camus’s 1942 novel of the same name.

Published in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of France, L’Étranger is considered a classic of 20th-century literature. The 2025 adaptation was critically acclaimed, resulting in Pierre Lottin winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Raymond Sintès and a Best Actor nomination for Benjamin Voisin as Meursault at the 2026 César Awards.

The film will be presented by Khalid Lyamlahy, Assistant Professor of French & Francophone Studies at the University of Chicago. Dr. Lyamlahy will also lead a post-screening discussion.

Guests will enjoy 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 pm for a complimentary glass of Louis Jadot Bourgogne. Program at 6:30 pm. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Non-alcoholic options will be available.

Want to read the book before you watch the movie! Check out Albert Camus’ novel L’Étranger from the Brown Médiathèque!

About the Film

In colonial Algiers, Meursault learns of the death of his mother, who lived in a retirement home in the country. He attends her funeral, showing no signs of grief or mourning, and returns to his home. There he runs into Marie, a former secretary of his firm, and begins a relationship with her. In the days after, Meursault helps his neighbor and friend Raymond Sintès get revenge on his Arab mistress, resulting in a murder that underlines the complex colonial political and social situation in French Algeria. 

About the Author 

Albert Camus

Albert Camus was a French philosopher, author, journalist, and political activist born in French Algeria. He joined the French Resistance while in Paris during the Nazi occupation of France and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957. Known for his contributions to absurdism and existentialism, although he rejected the latter term, Camus wrote several works considered to be classics, including The Stranger, The Myth of Sisyphus, and The Plague. 

About the Presenter

Khalid Lyamlahy is a scholor of Francophone North African literature in relation to political, social, and cultural debates in the region and beyond. His research interests include contemporary fiction and poetry in the French-speaking world, literary and postcolonial theory, creative writing, and translation, especially between French and Arabic. His scholarly publications have appeared in PMLA, Research in African Literature, The Journal of North African Studies, French Studies, Nottingham French Studies, The Irish Journal of French Studies, and Revue Roland Barthes. Dr. Lyamlahy was born in Rabat, Morocco and completed a PhD in French and Francophone Studies at the University of Oxford (St Anne’s College, 2018) and a MA in Comparative Literature at the Université Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle (2014). He is the author of two novels: Un roman étranger (2017) and Évocation d’un mémorial à Venise (2023), both published by Présence Africaine in Paris.

Getting Here

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

Parking Information

$10 for 12 hours at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Photography Notice

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.