The Helvetia French Film Festival (FFFH - Festival du Film Français d'Helvétie) presented its 17th edition this year in Biel/Bienne from September 15 through 19, then in seven other cities in the four major German-speaking regions of the canton of Bern. An occasion to meet with a high-profile delegation of festival guests and to discover around 60 films in Swiss premiere screenings.
As always, the five-day event were dedicated to French-language films from France and Switzerland, showcasing this year a wide slate of feature films and a selection of shorts, including numerous major premieres of titles that have not yet been released in France (Haute couture, Mi iubita mon amour, Jane by Charlotte, Robust, A Good Man, among others). To focus on films in the Official Selection, eleven "Podium" discussions were held between artistic crew members and the public.
The festival also included four other sections. One of these, the Discovery section, presented a selection of short films in competition and a number of French or French-language productions that had not yet been screened in Switzerland.
With a program put together in partnership with Swiss distributors and UniFrance, the festival continues to give international exposure to French cinema and its artists. Among the actors and directors in attendance this year are Nathalie Baye, Stéphane Brizé, Bernard Campan et Alexandre Jollien, Catherine Corsini & Aïssatou Diallo Sagna, Julien Rappeneau, Pascal Elbé, Charlotte Gainsbourg (on video conference) and Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar.
This year's festival trailer (see below) stars actor Bruno Todeschini in a hilarious sketch following in the tradition of recent trailers for the event, which the FFFH has down to a fine art. You can watch Patrick Bruel in the 2015 trailer, Ariane Ascaride in the trailer for the 2016 festival, and Camille Chamoux, Estéban, and Paul Minthe in the 2019 trailer.
All pictures from this 2021 edition to be found here.
French films at the 2021 FFFH
Official Selection
- The Braves by Anaïs Volpé
- France by Bruno Dumont
- Petite Maman by Céline Sciamma
- Good Mother by Hafsia Herzi
- Drift Away by Xavier Beauvois
- A Good Man by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar
- The Divide by Catherine Corsini
- Benedetta by Paul Verhoeven
- Petite Solange by Axelle Ropert
- Délicieux by Eric Besnard
- Hold Me Tight by Mathieu Amalric
- Annette by Leos Carax
- Mi iubita mon amour by Noémie Merlant
- Deception by Arnaud Desplechin
- The Big Hit by Emmanuel Courcol
- Anaïs in Love by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet
- Our Men by Rachel Lang
- The Unsophisticated Lady by Antonin Peretjatko
- The Crusade by Louis Garrel
- The Translator by Rana Kazkaz, Anas Khalaf
- The Man in the Basement by Philippe Le Guay
- Haute couture by Sylvie Ohayon
- Aline, the Voice of Love by Valérie Lemercier
- Spoiled Brats by Nicolas Cuche
- Him by Guillaume Canet
- Another World by Stéphane Brizé
- Love Song for Tough Guys by Samuel Benchetrit
- Jane by Charlotte by Charlotte Gainsbourg
- Peaceful by Emmanuelle Bercot
- Black Box by Yann Gozlan
- Little Nicholas' Treasure by Julien Rappeneau
- Eiffel by Martin Bourboulon
- Some Like It Rare by Fabrice Eboué
- Lynx by Laurent Geslin
- A Little Lesson in Love by Ève Deboise
- Titane by Julia Ducournau
- Beautiful Minds by Bernard Campan, Alexandre Jollien
- Animal by Cyril Dion
- Robust by Constance Meyer
- Hear Me Out by Pascal Elbé
Horizon Section
- The Translator by Rana Kazkaz, Anas Khalaf
- Annette by Leos Carax
- Night of the Kings by Philippe Lacôte
Podium Section
- Lynx by Laurent Geslin
- Little Nicholas' Treasure by Julien Rappeneau
- The Divide by Catherine Corsini
- A Good Man by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar
- Hear Me Out by Pascal Elbé
- Jane by Charlotte by Charlotte Gainsbourg
- Haute couture by Sylvie Ohayon
- The Translator by Rana Kazkaz, Anas Khalaf
- Beautiful Minds by Bernard Campan, Alexandre Jollien
- Another World by Stéphane Brizé
Children's Day
Discovery Section
- The Braves by Anaïs Volpé
- Hold Me Tight by Mathieu Amalric
- Good Mother by Hafsia Herzi
- A Little Lesson in Love by Ève Deboise
Clin d'œil au CInéma Suisse (A Nod to Swiss Cinema)
- Lynx by Laurent Geslin
- A Little Lesson in Love by Ève Deboise
- The Translator by Rana Kazkaz, Anas Khalaf
- Beautiful Minds by Bernard Campan, Alexandre Jollien
Short Films - Discovery Section
