Ciné Club: Ru by Charles-Olivier Michaud

Tuesday, March 17, 2026 From 6:00 PM To 9:00 PM Add to Calendar 2026-03-17 18:00:00 2026-03-17 21:00:00 Ciné Club: Ru by Charles-Olivier Michaud Join us for an evening celebrating Ru, the acclaimed film adaptation of Kim Thúy’s international bestseller, praised for “celebrating the healing nature of the kindness of strangers.” The French Library, 53 Marlborough St, Boston, Massachusetts, United States America/New_York

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Join us for a moving and atmospheric evening with Ru, the acclaimed 2023 Québécois film directed by Charles-Olivier Michaud, beautifully shot across Quebec’s winter landscapes and adapted from the internationally bestselling eponymous novel by Kim Thúy.

Structured like the novel, the film moves fluidly between past and present: scenes of the dangerous escape by boat and life in refugee camps are juxtaposed with the snowy landscapes of Quebec, where Tinh must learn a new language and navigate cultural differences. The film offers a moving look at migration, cultural adaptation, and the process of rebuilding a life in a new country.

Director Charles-Olivier Michaud, known for his visually driven and contemplative style, brings Kim Thúy’s lyrical prose to the screen with sensitivity and restraint. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023, Ru received multiple Canadian Screen Award nominations and has been widely praised for its powerful performances and its poignant depiction of the immigrant experience in Quebec.

Following the screening, MIT Professor Aliko Songolo will lead a discussion drawing on his research on Francophone cinema. He will offer historical and cultural context on the representation of the refugee narratives, while opening a broader conversation on Quebec cinema, Kim Thúy’s literary journey, and the ways in which Ru translates personal memory and migration into film.

The evening will conclude with a wine reception, offering time to continue the conversation with fellow cinephiles.

Movie in French and Vietnamese with English subtitles.

The Q&A that will follow the screening will be in French and English.

Members

$14

Non-Members

$18

About the Director & Moderator

Charles-Olivier Michaud (Director)Charles-Olivier Michaud is a Québec-based filmmaker known for his visually driven, contemplative style and his focus on characters in moments of transformation. Born and raised in Quebec City, he has lived and worked extensively in Europe and Asia and speaks six languages.He has written and directed several feature films, including Snow & Ashes (2011) and Anna (2015), both of which received international awards and festival recognition. In addition to his film work, he has directed numerous television series in Quebec and published Deux Kilomètres Carrés, a photographic art book using traditional large-format techniques.

Professor Aliko Songolo (Moderator) Professor Aliko Songolo is a Visiting Professor of French & Francophone Literatures at MIT and Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research and teaching focus on Francophone literatures of Africa, the Caribbean, and France, as well as Francophone cinemas of Africa. He is the author of Aimé Césaire: une poétique de la découverte (1985) and co-editor of several major scholarly volumes, including Atlantic Cross-Currents / Transatlantiques. He has also published numerous articles on postcolonial literature and cinema. In recognition of his contributions to French and Francophone studies, he was named Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French government.

About the Novel Ru

Kim Thúy’s Ru is a landmark work of contemporary Francophone literature, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Canada Reads Prize, and finalist for numerous international honors. In Vietnamese, ru means “lullaby”; in French, it means “stream”—a fitting title for a novel that flows through time and memory, weaving together fragments of exile, childhood, and rebirth with poetic elegance. Thúy, who arrived in Quebec as a “boat person” in 1978, transformed her personal story into a universally resonant narrative of exile and resilience.

Our Sponsors

This screening is proudly sponsored by MIT and the Government of Quebec, as part of our ongoing commitment to showcasing Francophone voices from around the world.

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