The 2014 edition of the festival took place in Kazakhstan's cultural capital of Almaty from April 17 through 20.
Five feature films were presented to Kazakh audiences in premiere screenings, reflecting this festival's aim to create a buzz around French films prior to their commercial release. It is worth noting that the acquisition of foreign films for release in the Kazakh market remains under the control of Russian distributors, who continue to buy film rights for the entire CIS (despite the fact that Kazakhstan has been independent for more than twenty years).
The following five films were all screened to packed houses at the Arman Cinema, which has been a partner of the event since its inception and which acquires local distribution rights from Russian distributors: Hotel Normandy, screened in the presence of director Charles Nemes, Chinese Puzzle by Cédric Klapisch, Love Is the Perfect Crime by Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu, Tour de Force by Laurent Tuel, and The Volcano by Alexandre Coffre
This festival also stands out for its Short Film Night, which screens around twenty French shorts. This year's event was presented by Fabrice Bracq, director of Diagnosis. As confirmed by Kazakh journalists, the French Cinema Today Festival is the country's second most important movie event after the Eurasia International Film Festival.
