Murders and tears, laughs and kisses—that’s what awaits you in our 6th edition of MyFrenchFilmFestival, which kicks off today. Discover our jury members and the films selected!
Yesterday evening at the festival’s launch party at the Eiffel Tower, this year’s jury president Nicolas Winding Refn officially opened the 6th edition of MyFrenchFilmFestival. Yes, you read that correctly: the Danish director of the cult movie Drive and the unsettling Bronson is the first non-French personality to lead our Filmmakers’ Jury. There’s no doubt he’ll up the excitement quotient of this year’s festival!
Nicolas Winding Refn will be accompanied on the jury by equally talented French and foreign directors, including the Flemish filmmaker Felix Van Groeningen, director of the high-voltage The Misfortunates and the magnificent The Broken Circle Breakdown, and Marjane Satrapi, the Franco-Iranian director of the acclaimed Persépolis, Chicken With Plums, and The Voices. Also joining the team are Valérie Donzelli, director of Declaration of War, the hit film of 2012, and her more recent film Marguerite et Julien, and David Robert Mitchell, the American director of the horror phenomenon It Follows which has already risen to cult status, who will complete this eclectic and high-energy jury. We can't wait for these directors to meet up and discuss the films in this year’s lineup.
Speaking of which, now you can find out about the 2016 film selection! The lineup is structured around several unconventional themes that represent the diversity of French cinema:
What could be more French than a "French kiss"?
Even if nobody knows whether or not the French kiss was invented in France, we do know that it has been refined to a certain level of perfection. A kiss shared by two or even three people, between women, between lovers... there's something to please all tastes!
Films in the French Kiss Section:
- All About Them by Jérôme Bonnell
- Summertime by Catherine Corsini
- Sand Castles by Olivier Jahan
- Henri Henri by Martin Talbot (out of competition, a film from Quebec presented in partnership with Telefilm Canada)
Who said French-language films didn't have "punch"?
Through the years, French-language cinema has always managed to reinvent itself through an exploration of transgressive themes and aesthetic approaches. The "In Your Face" Section will knock you out!
Films in the In Your Face Section:
- Alleluia by Fabrice Du Welz (a Belgian film, presented in partnership with Wallonie-Bruxelles Images (WBI))
- French Blood by Diastème
What better backdrop for a romantic comedy than the world's most beautiful city?
Paris is by no means a sleepy museum city, nor is it just a town for tourists. No way! The true Parisians, the artists, intellectuals, and even the grouchy locals fall in love in stunning apartments, in the streets, at the theater, or when visiting museums... How French is that?
Films in the Paris Comedy Section:
Crime scenes, gripping investigations...
If France is the land of lovers and artists, it is also the theater of terrifying crimes. Deep in the countryside in the midst of a heat wave or in Paris in the dark of night, danger is in every direction.
Films in the Crime Scene Section:
- SK1 by Frédéric Tellier
- Elevator To The Gallows by Louis Malle (out of competition, a French cinema classic)
- Heatwave by Raphaël Jacoulot
What could be more cinephile-friendly than a lineup composed entirely of documentaries about the cinema?
A doc on what actors and directors from around the world think about French cinema, another one about the status of women in movie-making today… two highly instructive and refreshing documentaries are on the program this year!
Films in the Cinema, Cinemas Section (out of competition):
- Cinéast(e)s by Julie Gayet and Mathieu Busson
- French Cinema mon amour, a film produced by UniFrance and Beall Productions (Anne-Solen Douguet and Damien Cabrespines)
French animations at the top of their game!
If there's one country in the world whose animated films are taking the world by storm at this time, it's France! This year, to illustrate French animated filmmakers' savoir faire, we present a selection of the best animated shorts to be seen right now.
Films in the Animation Section:
- M Seeking W by Marina Moshkova
- Sunday Lunch by Céline Devaux
- Last Door South by Sacha Feiner (a Belgian film, presented in partnership with Wallonie-Bruxelles Images (WBI))
French youth, the lost generation
While young French filmmakers are often overflowing with talent and promise, they sometimes portray a sad reality: that of an aimless and tormented youth… a lost generation.
Films in the Lost Generation Section:
- The Wanderer by Peter Dourountzis
- Try to Die Young by Morgan Simon
- Life's a bitch by François Jaros (out of competition, a film from Quebec presented in partnership with Telefilm Canada)
Tales of women today
Not only are women more and more active behind the camera nowadays, but they are also even more present in front of the lens. 5 short films showcase 5 portraits of women today.
Films in the Women’s Tales Section:
- Grounded by Alexis Michalik
- Summer of Sarah by Emma Benestan
- Monsters Turn Into Lovers by Yann Delattre
- The Dragon's Demise by Marina Diaby
- Girls by Alice Douard
You can already start watching all of these films here!
The film selection and all details about this year's festival can be found in the catalogue available here.
