A very fine edition of the 22nd Rendez-Vous With French Cinema in New York

The twelve days of the festival (March 1 through March 12) allowed 24 French films to be presented to New York audiences in six partner venues, with the Walter Reade Theater of the Lincoln Center as the central venue, where the films played to packed houses. In all, 10,000 spectators attended the event (generating $101.000 in box office revenues), among whom 600 school students who came to a special screening of Boudu Saved from Drowning - for many it was the first French film they had seen in their lives. Audiences also had the opportunity to listen to Agnès Varda and Christophe Honoré, and to ask them about their films during fascinating discussions.

Fifty French artists, producers and exporters traveled to New York to present their films and respond to questions during the many Q&A sessions that followed the screenings. And this is not forgetting another French contingent (DJs, journalists and talent agents) who also attended the event. Parallel to the screenings, eight masterclasses were organized in various New York venues (Reda Kateb, Katell Quillévéré, Rebecca Zlotowski, etc.).

As has been the case for the last few editions, although cinema remains the main axis of the event, other aspects of French creation were also highlighted, such as music (with the presence of musicians and DJs Busy P and Jacques), photography, with the exhibition Fellini, 8 1/2 in Color, photographs by Paul Ronald, in partnership with Les Rencontres d'Arles (and in the presence of its director Sam Stourdze), as well as contemporary art with Agnès Varda's exhibition at the Blum & Poe Gallery.

We look forward to meeting again at another Rendez-Vous!