The 2018 edition of the Young French Cinema initiative will be launched in January. The aim of the program remains the same as in past editions: to offer a simple and flexible programming model for bringing a selection of contemporary French films to movie theaters and universities in North America, accompanied in some cases by master classes and debates with the films' directors.
The Young French Cinema program will once again be throwing the spotlight on rising young French filmmakers, presenting works that offer a blend of visually innovative approaches and cultural influences.
Offering a selection of independent films, high-profile documentaries, and quirky discoveries, the 2018 edition of Young French Cinemawill once again showcase a large number of films that have been selected throughout 2017 at major film festivals around the world, with the aim of making them accessible to American audiences outside New York and Los Angeles.
An initiative that was created in 2014 by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States and UniFrance, the Young French Cinema program is also accessible to Canadian audiences thanks to a partnership established between Telefilm Canada and UniFrance. Since 2016, in partnership with Téléfilm Canada, the film selection presented includes an independent film from Quebec. In 2018, it will be Pays by Chloe Robichaud. In addition, since 2017, a partnership with ACID - Association du Cinéma Indépendant pour sa Diffusion has also made it possible to include a film from their Cannes selection in the Young Cinema lineup.
The 20 films included in the 2018 Young French Cinema program (12 feature films and 8 short films) are available to all commercial movie theaters, universities, theaters belonging to the Alliance Française network, and non-profit organizations. It is possible to rent films individually ($300 per screening) or as a complete program. Short films are also available for rental individually ($40 per screening) or as a complete program, as is the event's accompanying promotional material (brochure and trailers). This "à la carte" system for film rental allows theaters to program regular events or programs in the form of a mini-festival.
Thanks to our sponsor Eclair, all of the films will be available in DCP quality on the Eclair CineConductor, an online content management platform provider. Blu-Ray media is available on demand.
87 film screenings in 2017
Since the launch of the 3rd edition of the Young French Cinema program by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States and UniFrance, 87 film screenings have been held to date in organized 39 cities or sites in various locations across 21 states of the USA.
Swagger is by far the most popular title from the event's 2017 selection, confirming the interest shown by American programmers in bold new-generation French cinema that ventures into political territory and explores social issues in France today. A number of screenings of Swagger were held at schools, accompanied by discussions, including screenings held at middle schools and high schools in San Francisco, Greenwich (Connecticut), and Chicago. The film's director Olivier Babinet made two trips to the USA to present his film.
Struggle for Life and Tomorrow are the two other films that attracted the most interest from movie theaters and universities in North America. Antonin Peretjatko, director of Struggle for Life, and Orelsan, director and lead actor of Uncompleted Song, also took part in tours of North America to meet with young audiences at screenings held as part of the Young French Cinema program.
Feature films from the 2018 Young French Cinema program available for screening
- Montparnasse Bienvenüe by Léonor Serraille
- Until the Birds Return by Karim Moussaoui
- Diamond Island by Davy Chou
- The Prince of Nothingwood by Sonia Kronlund
- Wùlu by Daouda Coulibaly
- Heaven Will Wait by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar
- Before Summer Ends by Maryam Goormaghtigh (photo)
- Paris Prestige by Hamé, Ékoué
- In Bed with Victoria by Justine Triet
- Kiss Me! by Océan, Cyprien Vial
- Speak Up by Stéphane De Freitas, Ladj Ly
Short films selected
- Just Before Losing Everything by Xavier Legrand
- Grandpa Walrus by Lucrèce Andreae
- What Tears Us Apart by Wei Hu
- Les Misérables by Ladj Ly
- A Gentle Night by Qiu Yang
- You Will Be Fine by Céline Devaux
- Marlon by Jessica Palud
- Martin Cries by Jonathan Vinel
Film screened in partnership with Téléfilm Canada
- Pays by Chloé Robichaud
Please download the YFC 2018 program below.
