21st French Film Festival unreels diverse film slate
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by Archie Liao
A total of seventeen contemporary French films and two Pinoy films complete the line up of this year’s edition of the 21st French Film Festival.
The French Film Festival has long been providing a venue for the Filipino public to appreciate French films. It also celebrates the deepening bilateral relations between France and the Philippines in different sectors, including cooperation through cinema.
To formally open the French Film Festival in Manila, the red carpet will be rolled out on June 8 in honor of the cast and crew of Ma’ Rosa, a film by director Brillante Mendoza which was selected in the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Competition.
This will be followed by the special screening of Mon Roi (My King),French director Maïwenn’s film about a woman’s tumultuous experience after a skiing accident.
The 2015 French drama film stars Vincent Cassel, Emmanuelle Bercot, Louis Garrel and Isild Le Besco. It was competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and won for Bercot her first Cannes best actress award.
Here is the list of featured films in this year’s French filmfest.
Contemporary French films:
BELLES FAMILLES (FAMILIES)
Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Cast: Matthieu Amalric, Marine Vacth, Gilles Lellouche, Nicole Garcia, Karin Viard, Guillaume de Tonquédec, André Dussolier, Gemma Chan
A French financier living in Shanghai returns to Paris to visit his mother. When he learns his hated brother is planning to sell the family house, he decides to go to the town to stop him.
BIRD PEOPLE
Director: Pascale Ferran, Cast: Josh Charles, Anaïs Demoustier, Roschdy Zem, Camélia Jordana, Akéla Sari, Anne Azoulay, Manuel Vallade, Hippolyte Girardot
An overstressed American businessman and a French chambermaid make a connection at an airport hotel in Paris.
ENCORE HEUREUX (HOPEFULLY)
Director: Benoït Graffin, Cast: Sandrine Kiberlain, Edouard Baer, Bulle Ogier, Carla Besnaïnou, Mathieu Torloting, Benjamin Biolay
A recession era comedy about a clan who turns to a life of crime after being hit with long long-term unemployment and possible eviction.
FIVE
Director: Igor Gotesman, Cast: Pierre Niney, François Civil, Igor Gotesman, Margot Bancilhon, Idrissa Hanrot, Pascal Demolon, Michèlle Moretti, Philippe Duclos
A young man paying the rent for himself and his lifelong friends at an apartment ends up flat-broke and resorts to selling marijuana to pay the bills – only to get caught up in the dangerous world of drugs.
GRAND CENTRAL
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski,Cast: Tahar Rahim, Léa Seydoux, Olivier Gourmet, Denis Ménochet, Johan Libérau, Nozha Khouadra, Nahuel Perez Biscayart, Camille Lellouche
Gary begins working at a nuclear power plant and discovers radiation poisoning is an every day hazard. To make his new life worse, he beings to fall in love with his supervisor’s girlfriend.
HUMAN
Director: Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Human is a collection of stories about and images of our world, offering an immersion to the core of what it means to be human. Through these stories full of love and happiness, as well as hatred and violence, HUMAN brings us face to face with the Other, making us reflect on our lives.
LA BELLE SAISON (SUMMERTIME)
Director: Catherine Corsini,Cast: Cécile de France, Izïa Higelin, Noémie Lvovsky, Kévin Azaïs, Benjamin Bellecour, Laetitia Dosch, Sarah Suco, Nathalie Beder
In 1971, Carole and Delphine meet and fall in love. When Carole follows Delphine back to her family farm, the two find lesbianism and feminism are not as easy in the countryside.
LA RITOURNELLE (PARIS FOLLIES)
Director: Marc Fitoussi,Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Michael Nyqvist, Pio Marmai, Jean-Charles Clichet, Marina Foïs, Audrey Dana, Anaïs Demoustier
A comedy about a couple of cattle farmers, one of whom starts to stray from the fold.
LA VIE TRÈS PRIVÉE DE MONSIEUR SIM (THE VERY PRIVATE LIFE OF MR. SIM)
Director: Michel Leclerc,Cast: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Mathieu Almaric, Valeria Golino, Linh-Dan Pham, Isabelle Gélinas, Vimala Pons, Félix Moati, Vincent Lacoste
Mr. Sim is an insignificant being. At least that’s what he thinks about himself. Abandoned by his wife and no job, when he goes to visit his father in a remote region of Italy, even Santa has time to have lunch with him. Then receives an unexpected offer: travel through France selling toothbrushes that will “revolutionize the oral hygiene.
LE FANTÔME DE CANTERVILLE (THE CANTERVILLE GHOST)
Director: Yann Samuel,Cast: Audrey Fleurot, Michaël Youn, Michèle Laroque, Lionnel Astier, Mathilde Daffe, Julien Frison
A French-Belgian family comedy film based on the short story of Oscar Wilde about Aliénor de Canterville’s ghost who is condemned to haunt his family’s castle and to scare away any new inhabitants.
LES NOUVELLES AVENTURES D’ALADIN (THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ALADIN)
Director: Arthur Benzaquen,Cast: Kev Adams, Jean-Paul Rouve, Vanessa Guide, William Lebghil, Audrey Lamy, Arthur Benzaquen, Eric Judor, Michel Blanc
A pair of losers working at a department store plan to rob the place after it closes. When a bunch of kids show up begging for a story, the men launch into an improvised version of Aladdin.
LES SOUVENIRS (MEMORIES)
Director: Jean-Paul Rouve,Cast: Michel Blanc, Annie Cordy, Matthieu Spinosi, Chantal Lauby, William Lebghil, Flore Bonaventura, Audrey Lamy, Jean-Paul Rouve
Based on the novel by David Foenkinos (Delicacy), Memories revolves around twenty-three year old Romain’s hunt for his grandmother Madelaine after she runs away from the retirement home that her son Michel wants her to live in.
MON ROI (MY KING)
Director: Maïwenn,Cast: Vincent Cassel, Emmanuelle Bercot, Louis Garrel, Isild Le Besco, Patrick Raynal, Paul Hamy, Yann Goven, Chrystèle Saint-Louis Agustin
Tony is admitted to a rehabilitation center after a serious skiing accident. Dependent on the medical staff and pain relievers, she takes time to look back on her turbulent relationship with Georgio.
PARTY GIRL
Director: Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger, Samuel Theis,Cast: Angelique Litzenburger, Joseph Bour, Mario Theis, Samuel Theis, Séverine Litzenburger, Cynthia Litzenburger, Chantal Dechuet, Alyssia Litzenburger
An aging nightclub hostess decides to settle down and get married.
TOUTE PREMIÈRE FOIS (I KISSED A GIRL)
Director: Noémie Saglio, Maxime Govare,Cast: Pio Marmai, Lannick Gautry, Adrianna Gradziel, Camille Cottin, Franck Gastambide, Frédéric Pierrot, Isabelle Candellier, Sébastien Castro
A comedy about a happily engaged Parisian who finds his wedding plans upended when he sleeps with a woman “for the very first time” .
UN HOMME IDÉAL (A PERFECT MAN)
Director: Yann Gozlan,Cast: Pierre Niney, Ana Girardot, Andre Marcon, Valeria Cavalli, Thibault Vincon, Marc Barbe, Laurent Grevill, Sacha Mijovic
A struggling writer finds a shortcaut to fame, but a blackmailer threatens to ruin his perfect life.
UN + UNE
Director: Claude Lelouch,Cast: Jean Dujardin, Elizabeth Zylberstein, Christopher Lambert, Alice Pol, Rahul Vohra, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Abhishek Krishnan, Venantino Venantini
French famous film score composer goes to India to compose the score for an Indian version of Juliet and Romeo film. He meets the wife of the French ambassador to India, and a complicated relationship ensues.
Pinoy Cinema Section
IMBISIBOL (INVISIBLE)
Director: Lawrence Fajardo,Cast: Allen Dizon, Ces Quesada, Bernardo Bernardo, JM de Guzman, JC Santos, Onyl Torres, Mailes Kanapi
It is about the story of illegal Filipino immigrants in Japan and their plight to evade authorities. It weaves together several narratives about undocumented Filipino workers trying to support themselves and their families back home by taking under-the-counter work in Japan.
MANANG BIRING
Director: Carl Joseph Papa,Cast: Erlinda Villalobos, Mailes Kanapi, Alcris Galura, Lance Raymundo, Bea Benedicto, Patricky Sugui, John Carlo Tan, Cherry Pie Picache
A comedy-drama about a feisty but terminally-ill old lady who has learned to accept her imminent demise. Until one day, she receives a letter from her long-estranged daughter abroad announcing of her return for the holidays. As she races against time with her declining health, Biring will go to great lengths to prolong her life and gift her daughter and grandson a happy Christmas.
The 21st edition of the French filmfest happens from June 8 to 14 at Greenbelt 3, Cinemas,Bonifacio High Street Cinema and Cinematheque Centre, Manila.
It goes regional in Ayala Center in Cebu from June 22 to 25 and Abreeza Mall in Davao from June 28 to 30.
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