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French Film Festival UK 2022 starts next week across the UK

French Film Festival UK 2022 starts next week across the UK
 French Film Festival UK 2022 starts next week across the UK

The 30th-anniversary edition of the pioneering French Film Festival UK launches next week from 2 November to 15 December in 40 venues UK-wide and at home in partnership with Curzon. With 62 films screening from Edinburgh to London, this is the only French and francophone film festival in the UK.

With a strong focus on female filmmakers special guests include: Charlotte Gainsbourg and Blandine Lenoir. Veteran director Patrice Leconte will also be attending.

It looks like there are some terrific mix of new and classic films on show at the festival including: Full Time / À Plein Temps, The Passengers of the Night, The Best Years of a Life / Les Plus Belles Années d'une Vie, Maigret, Jane by Charlotte, Rodeo, Madame Bovary, Paris 13th District / Les Olympiades, Paris 13e, Between Two Worlds / Ouistreham, Everything Went Fine / Tout s'est bien passé, Both Sides of the Blade / Avec amour et acharnement.
Maigret - Gérard Depardieu is Jules Maigret

    Maigret - Gérard Depardieu is Jules Maigret


As well as some fantastic talent being represented like: Laure Calamy, Jean Louis Trintignant, Claude Lelouche, Finnegan Oldfield, Romain Duris, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Lola Quivoron, Claude Chabrol, Isabelle Huppert, Jacques Audiard, Juliette Binoche, François Ozon, Sophie Marceau, Claire Denis, Vincent Lindon,Gérard Depardieu, Tahar Rahim.

Claire Denis's Bastards (Les salauds) is in UK Cinemas from Friday & it's probably very, very good here is the trailer & poster

Claire Denis Bastards (Les salauds) I am a fan of French Auteur Claire Denis' films. And eagerly await each one with anticipation. Her Bastards or Les Salauds has been on my watchlist for the last year and one of my most anticipated films of 2014. It is finally here.

Bastards "Les salauds" (original title)

Marco returns to Paris after his brother-in-law's suicide, where he targets the man his sister believes caused the tragedy - though he is ill-prepared for her secrets as they quickly muddy the waters.

Director:
Claire Denis

 Writers:
Jean-Pol Fargeau, Claire Denis

 Stars:
Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni, Julie Bataille

RELATED
Rust and Bone De rouille et d'os Review Rust and Bone De rouille et d'os Review
I talk Rust and Bone with Audiard & Bidegain I talk Rust and Bone with Audiard & Bidegain
Plein Soleil DVD Review Plein Soleil DVD Review
Rebellion L'ordre et la morale Review Rebellion L'ordre et la morale Review

But it seems to be sneaking into UK cinemas. I only heard of its release this Friday in passing. Which is a shame as Claire Denis' films although fairly intense (Ok! harrowing) are each minor masterpieces.

Although I haven't watched it in its entirety I'm loving the trailer in no small part due to its electro synth backing track with dulcet vocal overlay ala  Drive - which I hope carries over into the film which seems to be a dark tale of revenge.

Anyway below is the poster and trailer for Claire Denis' Bastards or Les Salauds with a synopsis from Artificial Eye.

Bastards Les salauds film poster
Bastards Les Salauds film poster ZOOM

Restored version of René Clément's classic Plein Soleil brings life back to the best Ripley tale – Plein Soleil DVD Review

Plein Soleil Review

By my count there have 5 interpretations of Tom Ripley on screen John Malkovich in Ripley's Game, Matt Damon in the fantastic The Talented Mr. Ripley, Dennis Hopper in The American Friend, Barry Pepper in Ripley Under Ground and of course - still - the greatest Ripley of them all - Alain Delon in René Clément's Plein Soleil.

There is definitely something to be said for Patricia Highsmith's literary character Tom Ripley, a character that has fascinated the public enough to give birth to 5 successful novels, attracted the immense talent mentioned above, as well as top tier directors like; Wim Wenders, Anthony Minghella, Liliana Cavani, Roger Spottiswoode and of course René Clément for the original cinematic adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley his 1960 Plein Soleil. Thankfully Studiocanal have restored this classic to its original condition and are re-releasing it onto screens in both 4K & 2K as well as Blu-ray and DVD.

Alain Delon as Tom Ripley drinking the the best under the blazing sun in Plein Soleil
 Alain Delon as Tom Ripley drinking the the best under the blazing sun in Plein Soleil - FromPlein Soleil

Mathieu Kassovitz's new film Rebellion astounds & enthralls and is all the more powerful as it's based on actual events - Rebellion Review #mustsee

rebellion kassovitzI was absolutely and unequivocally blown away by Rebellion or L'ordre et la morale  as it is known in France. I saw it a while back but was so incredibly taken with Auteur Mathieu Kassovitz's engaging narrative - of a crack hostage negotiations team send to the island paradise of New Caledonia to sort out a native uprising - I wondered why none of his other recent films stuck in my mind with such impact or level of brilliance, he has after all been  been making a film every 3 years or so since he started. So to gain some context for his style and to frame my thoughts appropriately I went on an odyssey of Kassovitz and rewatched as many of his previous films as I could get hold of.

As a side note I recently have had  the opportunity to chat with Mathieu Kassovitz and he goes some of the way in  relaying why he isn't outputting films of the same level as Rebellion every couple of years - more about that later.

Mathieu Kassovitz comes to London this Sunday for special preview screenings of his absolutely outstanding film Rebellion & he'll also be doing QAs after the screenings

The Establishing ShotMathieu Kassovitz may have exploded onto the scene with his controversial 1995 film Le Haine or The Hate that set the film world alight, since then he has got to tangle with Hollywood mainstream as well as carve a respectable acting career out for himself, thankfully he is back covering similar ground to Le Haine both in front and behind the camera with his captivating and outstanding 7th feature film Rebellion.

I had the pleasure of seeing Rebellion a couple of months and have to say it absolutely blew me away and is currently my favourite film of 2013. Since seeing Rebellion I embarked on a voyage of Kassovitz and have tried to track down all of his film to see what I have been missing since Le Haine more about that later though.

Mathieu Kassovitz rebellion poster
Mathieu Kassovitz's Rebellion Poster (Click to enlarge)

See Mathieu Kassovitz's music video XY for rapper Kery James

Mathieu Kassovitz has directed a feature film, his first since his 2008 Vin Diesel starrer Babylon A.D.  He has been busy in between acting in a number of films - as he is one of those rare talents that is just as good behind the camera as in front of it. I enjoyed his new film Rebellion immensely and will have a full review up soon.

If feels a bit odd mentioning Babylon A.D. in the same post as the brilliant Rebellion - even though they are on opposite sides of the scale, they both share themes that run through all of Kassovitz's work; man against a broken system, corrupt state versus citizens and civil disobedience, the old school Thoreau kind of disobedience not the mindless destruction that is increasingly on the increase.

While looking into what he had been up to lately I discovered his music video for French rapper Kery James's song XY had finally made its way onto the net.

XY-Mathieu-Kassovitz-Kery-James
XY Mathieu Kassovitz Kery James
From its start it reads You're Warned and much like Gaspar Noé's Irreversible we follow a pair of hard hitting gangsters as the dark events of their evening unfolds in reverse.  Be warned it is fairly hardcore with violent adult themes.

We chat Rust and Bone with Director Jacques Audiard and writer Thomas Bidegain

Jacques Audiard interview rust and boneI am not going to lie to you I believe Jacques Audiard is a modern film legend, an Auteur talent that embodies and continues the great French legacy of original and challenging filmmaking. His latest film Rust and Bone his second collaboration with writer Thomas Bidegain is powerful and the most deeply moving film I have seen in a long time. It packs an emotionally charged punch as this romance for our times builds to crescendo with brave and absolutely outstanding performances from both Matthias Schoenaerts and the always brilliant Marion Cotillard.

The handful of Audiard's films that I have seen (I am always on the look out for his earlier works) have been exceptional, each one full of original & textured characters that inhabit a world much like our own, until Audiard slowly peels back the layers to reveal danger around many corners and hidden depth to his characters. Each of his films that I have seen are minor masterpieces of human emotion and decisions that have left me on the edge of my seat and marveling at how well constructed and performed they are.

While his films are original and unpredictable Audiard does not rely on high concept, gimmicks, slick visuals, special effects or even mind bending twists to tell his stories rather engaging characters brought to life by exceptional performances. His films are emotional tales about people and relationships under pressure and pushed to extreme behaviours by their environments - often entwined into the criminal underworld creating tension and friction between characters.

But the themes he addresses are not only universal, but linked to every day life, seemingly this approach is not set in stone as with his critically acclaimed A Prophet he added another dimension of bringing an underlying mysticism or spirituality to the fore.

In Jacques Audiard's 2001 film Sur mes lèvres or Read My Lips (Vincent Cassel, Emmanuelle Devos, Olivier Gourmet) is sublime and every bit as unpredictable and compelling as A Prophet (his 2009 hit). I was left near breathless by Audiard's 2005 De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté or The Beat That My Heart Skipped (Romain Duris, Aure Atika, Emmanuelle Devos and Niels Arestrup) The Beat That My Heart Skipped is absolutely astounding and as with his other films, we are given a uniquely credibly view into a seedy French underworld.

The agony & ecstasy of Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone - Rust and Bone Review

I should start by saying I love Jacques Audiard’s work. Each of his pieces is consistently fresh and original. His last film A Prophet won Best Film the London Film Festival 2009, rocketed him into the public’s eye and gave him international acclaim, many have been eagerly awaiting his next film Rust and Bone and I am one of them.

Rust and Bone Poster / De rouille et d'os Poster
Rust and Bone Poster / De rouille et d'os Poster

Rust and Bone
Jacques Audiard, acclaimed director of A Prophet and The Beat That My Heart Skipped, returns with this powerful, tender romantic drama about two people from very different worlds seeking redemption in each other.

Marion Cotillard(La Vie En Rose, Inception) stars as Stephanie, a killer whale trainer who late one night meets Alain (Matthias Schoenaerts, Bullhead) in a fracas at the nightclub where he works as a bouncer. Put in charge of his young son, Alain has come from Belgium to Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Alain’s bond with Stephanie grows deeper after she suffers a horrible accident, bringing the two together once more.

The Establishing Shot: Our Day Will Come Preview and Vincent Cassel & Romain Gavras QA

Our Day Will ComeAbsolutely outstanding news! Later this month the ICA are hosting the premiere screening of Our Day Will Come or Notre Jour Viendra. Directed by Romain Gavras, son of master Director Costa-Gavras, Social agitator, Writer, Actor and Director.

Our Day Will Come is Romain Gavras' debut feature and looks to be a feature length extension of his promo video for MIA's Born Free and stars none other than Vincent Cassel.
Our Day Will Come
Vincent Cassel plays Patrick, an older, style conscious, drifter who befriends a young inarticulate man for reasons best known to himself. Taking the boy under his wing, in a deeply ambiguous relationship, the pair set off in search of a place where they will be accepted for who they are – red hair and all. It’s a scabrous, erratic and very weird journey invoking the spirit of Beckett and Artaud fed forcibly through a food blender and spat out into the face of the bourgeoisie. A provocative Pandora’s box of ideas about the beginning of the 21st century.The Establishing Shot: See - The return to Krypton deleted scene from Superman Returns


Our Day Will Come preview and Director Q&A
On Thursday 28 July at 8.30pm there will be a Q&A with the protagonist Vincent Cassel and its provocative young director Romain Gavras.

Produced by and starring the ever-unpredictable and charismatic Vincent Cassel, this is the blistering directorial feature debut of controversial young director Romain Gavras. Son of veteran director Costa Gavras (Z, Missing) and scourge of the current Right Wing French Establishment, Romain is perhaps best known to-date for his infamous MIA promo for her song Born Free.

Our Day Will Come suggests that the MIA promo was a dry run for this much more ambitious and edgy project, which similarly explores a world where having red hair becomes a symbol for a stand against persecution and a drive for personal freedom in an age of paranoia and right-wing xenophobia. Unashamedly confrontational, edgy and form-busting, Our Day Will Come bursts off the screen with a manic energy almost out of control. Yet through the anarchic, absurdist, adrenalin rush of the film’s form comes a thoughtful dissection of masculinity, identity, and yes… red hair.
Our Day Will Come
Our Day Will Come Poster

Our Day Will Come | Notre Jour Viendra
Director: Romain Gavras
Stars: Vincent Cassel, Olivier Barthelemy and Justine Lerooy

Our Day Will Come Preview and Vincent Cassel & Romain Gavras QA
Where:
The ICA Cinema
The Mall, London, SW1 GBR

When:
8:30pm, Thurs 28 July, 2011

More info:
Over at the ICA website

The Establishing Shot: Our Day Will Come Preview and Vincent Cassel & Romain Gavras QA

Upcoming: Future Cinema Presents Diva at ENO

Diva Jean-Jacques BeineixI cannot express how much I love Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva. It fits firmly in that category of films for that transcends it's time, genre and vision.

It's one of those films that feels small yet encompasses so many parts to make a complete whole. Often accused of being more style than substance Diva defined that very term for many- and became a meme that has influenced film-makers since. Looks like Future Cinema are giving us the opportunity to experience Diva in a wonderful, unique and immersive way.

Diva Jean-Jacques Beineix
Two tapes, two Parisian mob killers, one corrupt policeman, an opera fan, a teenage thief, and the coolest philosopher ever filmed. All these characters twist their way through an intricate and stylish French language thriller.

It epitomised everything I love about cinema, Europe & design. It's full of intrigue, passion interesting characters (menacing villains, hapless heroes, ultra cool philosophers), brilliant lighting and music . It was such an influence on me that I decorated my loft in the late 90s in a very similar fashion to one of the character's homes. In fact the only reason I liked the space was because it reminded me of Gorodish's pad in Diva.


Director Jean-Jacques Beineix launched the Cinema Du Look movement with this stylish cult thriller that remains as innovative today as when it premiered in 1981. Jules (Frederic Andrei), a young postal carrier, illegally tapes a concert of a reclusive opera singer (American soprano Wilhelmena Wiggins Fernandez). Jules' attempts to woo the diva are interrupted when Taiwanese bootleggers come after the recording. His problems become worse when a prostitute slips another tape, one that incriminates a police chief, into his bag. Jules must escape the police chief, the cop's henchmen and the bootleggers to keep both precious tapes safe - and to stay alive. Featuring critically acclaimed cinematography and a celebrated chase through the Paris Metro, DIVA earned Cesar Awards for Best Music, Best Cinematography and Best Directorial Debut.

Diva Jean-Jacques Beineix
On Monday 28th February at 18.30, Future Cinema the creators of Secret Cinema, bring Paris to St Martin's Lane with live adaptation and subsequent screening of Jean Jacques Beineix classic thriller Diva at the London Coliseum in partnership with ENO.

Following her spectacular debut as Mimi La Bohème for ENO, where the Daily Telegraph crowned her “best newcomer” 2010, Elizabeth Llewellyn stars as Cynthia Hawkins.

Tickets will be available from Thursday 3rd February at 13.00 here.

Join the facebook event page here.

Jean Saporta asks that if you see Jules in flight on his red moto in the coming weeks let him know on twitter #ouestjules

The police are are also interested, let them know on twitter #julesestou

Diva
Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
Starring: Dominique Pinon, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Frédéric Andréi.

Future Cinema Presents Diva at ENO
Where:
The London Coliseum, St. Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4ES

When:
6:30pm, Mon 28 Feb, 2011

More info:
Over at here tickets over here!

The Horde Film Review

Brand Thumbnail The Horde Film Review - Zombies vs Cops vs Gangs I really had no idea of what to expect from The Horde. I knew it involved gangsters, police and zombies. I had visions of some sort of zombie holocaust with the terror quotient turned all the way up to 11 as only the French can do. Similar in terror as recent original French hardcore horror films like; Martyrs, Switchblade Romance, Frontier(s) and Ils all absolutely horrible and engaging at the same time.

QA Romain Duris & Heartbreaker / L'arnacoeur Screening & Review

Alex is charming, funny, effortlessly cool, and most importantly, irresistible to women. He offers a professional service – to break up relationships.

With his resourceful sister Mélanie and her eccentric husband Marc, Alex offers a professional service – to break up relationships. In just a few weeks, for a fee equivalent to his reputation, he promises to transform any husband, fiancé or boyfriend into an ex. Hideouts, phone-tapping, fake identities, a devastating smile, anything goes when it comes to fulfilling his contract.

Juliette is a young, beautiful, free-spirited and independent heiress. In ten days she’s due to marry the man of her dreams, much to her father’s disapproval.

When Alex is hired to break up this seemingly perfect couple he is thrown into a action-filled race against time, taking him through the sun-drenched streets of Paris to the fast cars and high fashion of Monaco, in his own hilarious seduction “mission impossible” that risks him being caught by his ruthless personal creditors, an army of angry exes, and Juliette herself.

But worst of all, will he discover to his own cost that when it comes to love, the perfect plan doesn’t exist?

Already a record-breaking hit in Europe, Heartbreaker is a wildly funny and passionate tale that is set to be the romantic comedy event of the year.


The Everyman is delighted to welcome Mr. Heartbreaker himself to Hampstead for this special screening! Star of the movie, Romain Duris, will be in attendance for a live Q&A alongside a preview screening of the film. The event will be hosted by Electric Sheep's Virginié Selavy, who will also provide an introduction to the film.

We have seen Heartbreaker / L'arnacoeur and it may be the perfect way for the ladies to escape the heat this Summer. But here are four things that should be noted to give some context to my thoughts on Heartbreaker:

1 - I think the lead Romain Duris is an immense talent. He was absolutely astounding in De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (The Beat That My Heart Skipped) an earlier masterpiece from Jacques Audiard (Director of A Prophet / Un prophète) so my expectations are very high for his performance. There is actually sweet nod to My Heart Skipped in Hearbreaker.

2 - Even though I have been known to be a hopeless romantic I do lean heavily towards psychological, action and crime films.

3 - I thought Dirty Dancing was lame the first time I saw it.

4 - I represented half the male audience for the screening I - it was date night OK!. Come to think of it this was a very similar scenario to when I saw Dirty Dancing.

If you cannot relate to any of the points above you'll probably love Heartbreaker.

As far as sweet romantic chick flicks go I thought it was OK. I do prefer my films slightly darker and deeper but once I let go - Duris's charisma carries most of the film. There are many laugh out loud moments in the film. The audience were laughing and generally happy & buzzing the whole way through the film.

My biggest issue with the film may actually be put down to cultural nuances or subtleties being lost in translation, as I struggled to gain emotional traction in the shift in Duris's character from the start to the finish. I saw what what was happening I just didn't feel it.

To be fair I'll probably watch it again on DVD at some point so that like Dirty Dancing I'll see it as a good girl film. I do think there is a gap for light European romances and hope that Heartbreaker fills that gap because I would like to see more from both Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis.



Director: Pascal Chaumeil
Starring: Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Andrew Lincoln, Julie Ferrier, François Damiens

France 2010, 105 mins, French with English subtitles

QA Romain Duris & Heartbreaker / L'arnacoeur Screening & Review

Where:
Everyman Hamstead, 5 Hollybush Vale, NW3 6TX

When:
6:30pm, Mon 28 Jun, 2010

More info:
Over at the Everyman website

Breathless: 50th Anniversary release

Breathless (A Bout De Souffle), has been digitally restored and is being re-released in cinemas by Optimum Releasing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of it's original release.

The film debut of Jean Luc Godard started the French new wave of filmmaking -recognised as one of the most stylish and influential movements in film history.

Cigarettes, hats, sunglasses and determined unconformity make Michel Poiccard (Belmondo) a true cinematic icon. Playing against the stunning Jean Seberg he smokes his way through a series of sexy gallic exchanges in the ultra cool Paris of the 1960's.



Celebrating 50 years of cool, Jean-Luc Godard’s BREATHLESS premiered at Berlin before receiving a digital re-release in UK cinemas June 25th. With Godard still going strong and about to release a new film: Socialisme, we celebrate where it all began, with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg effortlessly stylish and in love in Paris: he a petty criminal on the run from the police, she a wide-eyed American student selling the New York Tribune on the Champs-Elysées.

BREATHLESS: 50th Anniversary will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 13th September 2010.

Director: Jean Luc Godard
Starring: Jean Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg

France 1960, 87 mins, French with English subtitles

Breathless: 50th Anniversary release

When:
In cinemas June 25th 2010

Yes! Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) English trailer here! Now!

From a child in Nazi-occupied Paris to the sultry crooner who bedded Brigitte Bardot and married Jane Birkin, Serge Gainsbourg's is one of France's greatest mavericks. This imaginative and visually flamboyant debut feature from one of France's greatest cartoonists brings back to life one of the world's most influential popular musicians – an artistic icon and a provocateur.




Director:
 Joann Sfar

Starring:
 Laetitia Casta, Eric Elmosnino

France 2010, 135 mins, French with English subtitles

Yes! Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) English trailer here! Now!

QA Joann Sfar & Laetitia Casta & Preview of Gainsbourg

Curzon is proud to be one of the hosts of 2010’s Rendez-Vous With French Cinema showcasing a selection of the best new French films yet to be released in the UK. All screenings will be introduced and followed by a post-screening discussion with filmmakers and talent.



From a child in Nazi-occupied Paris to the sultry crooner who bedded Brigitte Bardot and married Jane Birkin, Serge Gainsbourg's is one of France's greatest mavericks. This imaginative and visually flamboyant debut feature from one of France's greatest cartoonists brings back to life one of the world's most influential popular musicians – an artistic icon and a provocateur.



Director:
 Joann Sfar

Starring:
 Laetitia Casta, Eric Elmosnino

France 2010, 135 mins, French with English subtitles

QA Joann Sfar & Laetitia Casta & Preview of Gainsbourg

Where:
Curzon Soho
99 Shaftesbury Avenue W1D 5DY

When:
6:15pm, Tues 8 Jun, 2010

More info:
Over at the Curzon website

English trailer The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc Sec

Luc Besson's The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc Sec now has an English trailer. Well a trailer with English subtitles. When I was a kid I spent some time in Belgium and was exposed to European comics for the first time. Naturally European comics were more weighty than the US flavours I had been reading up to then. I tried to read the Adele Blanc series but at the time did not enjoy the renoir'esque art work and opted for the easier to digest Tintin, Lucky Luke, Blueberry and a little Dylan Dog. Actually Tintin is fairly similar in many respects to Adele Blanc and I wonder if Spielberg's upcoming adaptation of Tintin had anything to do with Besson bringing Adele Blanc to the screen.

The adventures of Adele Blanc Sec were serialised in 8 stories focused on our heroine Adele Blanc Sec. Adele Blanc-Sec is a writer based out of Paris around the time of WWI. In her adventures, she faces mad scientists, secret sects of demon worshippers, Egyptian mummies brought back to life, and a host of other creatures.


The official synopsis of Besson's Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc Sec is as follows:

"The year is 1912. Adèle Blanc-Sec, an intrepid young reporter, will go to any lengths to achieve her aims, including sailing to Egypt to tackle mummies of all shapes and sizes.

Meanwhile, in Paris, it's panic stations! A 136 million-year old pterodactyl egg on a shelf in the natural history museum has mysteriously hatched, and the bird subjects the city to a reign of terror from the skies. But nothing fazes Adèle Blanc-Sec, whose adventures reveal many more extraordinary surprises...

Set in the carefree world before World War I, Adèle Blanc-Sec's adventures see the brave young woman fearlessly battling crooks, corrupt politicians, demon worshipers and mad scientists. Legendary cartoonist Jacques Tardi's original stories perfectly recreate the intrigue, romance and excitement of one of the most tumultuous periods in history."

It looks like the film is based on the first comic "Adele And The Beast" in which a prehistoric pterodactyl egg has has somehow hatched and Paris is terrorized. The political establishment responds by passing the buck. But when a reward is offered for pictures of the beast a series of conspiracies comes to light!






English trailer for The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc Sec

Expected release date:
14 Aprial, 2010
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