6th edition of the Young French Cinema program

05 JANUARY 2020

The 6th edition of the Young French Cinema program was launched in January 2020. The aim of the program remains the same as in past years: to offer a simple and flexible programming model for bringing a selection of contemporary French films that have not yet secured distributors to movie theaters and universities in North America, accompanied in some cases by master classes and debates with the filmmakers.

The Young French Cinema program, presented by UniFrance and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, will once again throw the spotlight on rising young French filmmakers whose works offer a blend of visually innovative approaches and cultural influences.

With a selection of independent films, high-profile documentaries, quirky discoveries, and a range of short films, the 2020 Young French Cinema program will showcase a large number of films that were selected throughout 2019 at the major film festivals around the world, with the goal of making them accessible to American audiences outside New York and Los Angeles.

Summary of the 2019 Young French Cinema program

In 2019, just under 130 screenings were organized in 40 cities and venues across 20 states of the USA, including New York State, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arizona and Oregon. The majority of screenings were held in art house theaters during film festivals, with the remaining events held at universities and theaters belonging to the Alliance Française. There was a 45% increase in the number of screenings held compared to 2017, and a 10% increase compared to 2018.

--> View the complete report of the 2019 program here

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—which is also available in Canada—presents a selection of 12 feature films and 8 shorts. Since 2016, thanks to a partnership with Telefilm Canada, the selection has also included an independent film from Quebec. This year, it will be Genèse by Philippe Lesage. Since 2017, through a partnership with L'ACID - Association du Cinéma Indépendant pour sa Diffusion, the program has included one or more films from the ACID selection at the Cannes Film Festival. This year will feature Vif argent by Stéphane Batut, Rêves de jeunesse by Alain Raoust, and Kongo by Hadrien La Vapeur & Corto Vaclav.

The 18 titles presented in the 2020 program (10 features and 8 shorts) are available to all commercial art house theaters, universities, theaters belonging to the Alliance Française network, and non-profit organizations for a period of one year (from January 1 to December 31, 2020). It is possible to rent films individually ($300 per screening, with a maximum of two screenings) or as a complete program. Short films are also available for rental individually ($40 per screening, with a maximum of two screenings) or as a complete program, with accompanying promotional material (brochure and trailers) also provided. This "à la carte" system for film rentals allows theaters to program regular events or film programs in the form of a mini-festival.

Thanks to our partnership with Eclair, all of the films are available in DCP quality on Eclairplay, an online content management platform in the United States that makes it possible to send digital and traditional physical DCPs to American theaters. Blu-Ray media is available on demand.

For information, please contact adeline.monzier@unifrance.org