The Hope College French Film Festival, sponsored by the college’s department of modern and classical languages, will show three films on Thursday and Saturday, Jan. 22 and 24, in the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland.

“The French Minister” will run on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m. Described as an off-the-wall comedy about French politics, “The French Minister” is based on the award-winning graphic novel by Abel Lanzac, a former government speech writer. With its broad performances, rapid-fire pacing, and rampant visual and verbal gags, “The French Minister,” Bernard Tavernier's first attempt at an out-and-out comedy, contains genuine wit and curiosity.

“The Rabbi’s Cat” will run on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 3:00 p.m. France’s favorite kosher kitty gets a big screen grooming in “The Rabbi’s Cat (Le Chat du rabbin),” author and co-director Joann Sfar’s adaptation of his highly successful comic book series. The film was the winner of the César, the French equivalent of the Academy Award, for Best Animated Film in 2011. This animated affair showcases the artist’s freewheeling style and colorful imagery and includes a thoroughly enjoyable take on Judaism in early 20th century North Africa.

“The Past” is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Like his Oscar-winning “A Separation,” Asghar Farhadi's latest film, “The Past,” is an exquisitely sculpted family melodrama in which the end of a marriage is merely the beginning of something else. It is a story of a Parisian family in emotional flux and touched by tragedy.

Admission to each film will be $4 for the general public. Tickets will be sold at the door but are also available in advance at the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.).  The office is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at (616) 395-7890.

The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. Eighth St.