Columbia’s Maison Francaise is continuing its film series with The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Editor’s note: mentions of death, violence.

Happening in the World: Houthi militants, who have led a months-long campaign of maritime violence in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict, launched a missile that struck a commercial ship off of the coast of Yemen. This strike caused the first confirmed fatalities of this period of violence, killing three civilians and wounding four. In response, spokespeople from both Hamas and Israel have expressed a desire to reach an agreeable negotiation which would prevent such violence. (The Washington Post)

Happening in the US: The trial of Alec Baldwin and other crew members of Rust, the movie set on which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot and killed, saw an official guilty charge of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons handler for the set. She may face up to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, the same charge that Baldwin faces for the accident. The accident occurred in 2021, meaning that the trial has now been drawn out for three years. (BBC)

Happening in NYC: Governor Kathy Hochul is deploying both National Guard and State Police officers to patrol New York City’s subways. This stems from a considerable uptick in violent crime taking place in and around subway cars and stations in 2024, as compared to the same time in 2023. Bag checks may also be conducted in the most populated stations in the city. This approach to the recent increase in violent crime is highly contested among the community and elected officials in New York. (NYT)

Happening in Our Community: Columbia’s Maison Francaise is hosting a series of French film screenings, March 7th’s film being Luis Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972). The film follows six friends who anticipate meeting for a dinner party, but find that much larger matters are at hand. The screening will take place in Buell Hall from 6:30 to 8 pm. You can learn more and RSVP for this event on their Columbia events page.

Eiffel Tower via Bwarchives