MyFrenchFilmFestival is back with 33 films on offer: feature films and shorts, as well as VR works, all subtitled in 10 languages and available worldwide from January 15 through February 15, 2021.
Discover the jury members, the film selection, and watch the trailer for the 11th edition of MyFrenchFilmFestival!
The 2021 International Jury:
- Monia Chokri: Canadian actress, screenwriter, and director Monia Chokri began her movie career in 2007 acting under the direction of Denys Arcand. She went on to play in films by Xavier Dolan, Claire Simon, Morgan Simon, and Katell Quillévéré. Her debut feature, A Brother's Love, won the Coup de Cœur award in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2019.
- Franco Lolli: Colombian director, screenwriter, and producer Franco Lolli premiered his first feature film, Gente de bien, at Critics' Week at Cannes in 2014. Four years later, his second feature, Litigant (released in France as Litigante), was screened as opening film at the 58th edition of the Cannes Critics' Week.
- Mounia Meddour: Franco-Algerian director Mounia Meddour made several documentaries before writing and directing her first feature-length fiction film, Papicha. An ode to freedom and women's resistance in Algeria during the dark decade of the Algerian Civil War, the film was presented at Un Certain Regard in 2019.
- Gianfranco Rosi: Italian documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi was awarded the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2016 for Fuocoammare, which was also nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category. His latest film, Notturno, was presented at Venice in 2020 and will represent Italy at the 2021 Oscars in the International Feature Film category.
- Rosalie Varda: A creator of costumes for the cinema, theater, and opera, Rosalie Varda has directed since 2008 Ciné-Tamaris, which distributes films by Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy. She produced Faces, Places by Agnès Varda and JR (nominated for César and Oscar awards) and Agnès Varda's final film, Varda by Agnès, presented at the Berlin Film Festival in 2019.
2021 International Press Jury:
- Susanne Burg, Germany: journalist for Deutschlandfunk Kultur
- Robbie Eksiel, Greece: journalist and film critic for www.flix.gr
- Zouhour Harbaoui, Tunisia
- Katie Parker, New Zealand: freelance journalist
- Daria Porycka, Poland: journalist for the Polish Press Agency
- Clarence Tsui, Hong Kong: director of the Broadway Cinematheque in Hong Kong and freelance journalist
- Veronika K. Zajdela, Slovenia: journalist for RTV SLO (Radio-Television Slovenia)
The film selection in 2021 is organized around themes that reflect the diversity and vitality of French-language cinema:
Forever Young – Coming-of-age stories about young people and the transition from adolescence to adulthood:
- Adolescentes by Sébastien Lifshitz
- You Deserve a Lover by Hafsia Herzi
- Intermission by Anthony Lemaitre
- First Goodbyes by Mathilde Profit
Crazy Loving Families – Moments of humor, tenderness, and complicated family situations:
- Enormous by Sophie Letourneur
- Felicità by Bruno Merle
- Just Kidsby Christophe Blanc
- Nuclear Family by Faustine Crespy (a Belgian film presented in partnership with Wallonie-Bruxelles Images (WBI))
- Sole Mio by Maxime Roy
True Heroines – Through heartrending, explosive, and unique portraits, this section celebrates female figures – women and girls who take full control of their destiny:
- Camille by Boris Lojkine
- Kuessipanby Myriam Verreault (a Canadian film presented in partnership with Telefilm Canada)
- Working Girls by Frédéric Fonteyne and Anne Paulicevich (a Belgian film presented in partnership with Wallonie-Bruxelles Images (WBI))
- Blue Fear by Marie Jacotey and Lola Halifa-Legrand
- Not a Word by Élodie Wallace
French Ghost Stories offers a panorama of ghostly tales à la française:
- Orpheus by Jean Cocteau
- Burning Ghost by Stéphane Batut
- Empty Places by Geoffroy De Crécy
- Life of the Dead by Arnaud Desplechin
On the Road evokes the migration of women and men portrayed in the cinema, as they flee international conflicts:
- Heroes Don't Die by Aude Léa Rapin
- Josep by Aurel
- Mutts by Halima Ouardiri (a Canadian film presented in partnership with Telefilm Canada)
In the Love is Love section, you will discover a documentary and three short films that question love in all its shapes and forms:
- Madame by Stéphane Riethauser
- Beauty Boys by Florent Gouëlou
- Friend of a Friend by Zachary Zezima
- Miss Chazelles by Thomas Vernay
With Kids Corner, you can share your love of French cinema with your youngest friends and family members in this program of animated shorts with no dialogue for young audiences:
- Dalia's World by Javier Navarro Avilés
- The Kindergarten Show by Loïc Bruyère
- Maestro by Illogic
- o28 by Otalia Caussé, Geoffroy Collin, Louise Grardel, Antoine Marchand, Robin Merle, and Fabien Meyran
- A Lynx in the Town by Nina Bisiarina
VR Experience invites you to discover new forms of images, new models of artistic creation and innovation in current French cinema:
The films presented will be available for viewing from January 15 on the MyFrenchFilmFestival.com platform and over sixty partner platforms around the world. Short films are available free of charge, with feature films available for a single viewing at €1.99 (or you can purchase a Festival Pack for €7.99). Free viewing of both short films and features will be available in Africa, Latin America, South Korea, South-East Asia, Poland, Romania, and Russia/CIS.
While you're waiting for the festival to start, check out our official trailer and download the festival catalog to find out all about this year's lineup and the new features in 2021.
And remember to follow us on YouTube Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok!
Long live cinema!
