Dr Longfellow Comes to UMO for Acadian Film Showing - Friday March 2

Franco-American Centre Franco-Americain,
University of Maine
Friday, March 2 at 6 pm.
Admission is Free.

Mark your calendars...spread the word...remember seating is limited so call in advance to reserve your seat...

Dr. Layne Longfellow, a relative of Maine’s well loved poet, is traveling to UMO from Arizona to take part in a panel discussion following the showing of a film he narrated: “The Story Of The Acadians.” The program has been scheduled to take place during a week marking the 200 th birthday of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Joining Dr. Longfellow for the panel discussion is film maker, Brenda Jepson who has been making films on history for MPBN for more than 20 years, and Dr Francoise Paradis of Buxton, who has reprinted “Evangeline,” the epic poem written by Longfellow’s relative, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The Story of the Acadians spans one-hundred-seventy years beginning with the arrival of the French at Isle St Croix off the coast of Maine in 1604 and ending with the construction of the Acadian Line in France in 1774.

It is a tale of a peace loving people who never give up. The Story Of The Acadians shows how the first French settlers brought with them pre-fabricated homes from France, how their strong relations with the native people helped to save their lives, and illustrates the innovative designs of the French in the construction of the unique fortresses they built, as well as the intricate system of dykes they introduced into North America.

The film explains how the French became Acadians with a culture of their own – a culture of family values, of hard work and of a determination never to be destroyed despite numerous attacks by the British – assaults which culminated in one of the worst human tragedies of all time – the Deportation from Nova Scotia.

“The Story Of the Acadians” features dazzling footage of St Croix Island (near Calais), St Sauveur (on Mount Desert Island), Port Royal, Annapolis Royal and Grand Pre as well as to Chaussee in Poitou, France – ancestral home of the Acadians. It ends in Chatellerault in France where descendents of the Acadians still live today.

“The Story Of The Acadians” is an unforgettable account that shows how a nation without borders has survived for more than two-hundred-and-fifty years and has become even stronger for its struggles.

The film had its world premiere in France when Governor John Baldacci presented the film to the French during his gubernatorial trade mission.

The hour long documentary will be shown at the Franco-American Centre Franco-Americain, University of Maine on Friday, March 2 at 6 pm. Admission is Free.

Seating is limited, contact

Brenda Jepson
Phone: 896-3416
email: abjepson@nci3.net
website: http://www.crownofmaineproductions.com

Lisa Michaud
Phone: 581-3789
email Lisa_Michaud@umit.maine.edu