“Girlhood” is the Films on the Green Finale, Sept. 8th

You can’t wear white after Labor Day, but you can still picnic at outdoor film screenings.

And if you haven’t yet, now’s your chance. Films on the Green, the outdoor French Cinema festival presented by the French Cultural Embassy and Columbia Maison Française, will screen its grand finale this Thursday, September 8th at 7.30pm.

Bande de Filles (“Girlhood”) is an “electrifying portrait” of a young girl coming of age in the Paris banlieue.

“Fed up with her abusive family situation, lack of school prospects and the “boys’ law” in the neighborhood, Marieme (Karidja Touré) starts a new life after meeting a group of three free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her style, drops out of school and starts stealing to be accepted into the gang. When her home situation becomes unbearable, Marieme seeks solace in an older man who promises her money and protection. Realizing this sort of lifestyle will never result in the freedom and independence she truly desires, she finally decides to take matters into her own hands.”

Written and directed by Céline Sciamma, the film was widely lauded by the critics, and received four César nominations in 2014, including Most Promising Actress and Best Director.