New York: The Rendez-Vous with French Cinema celebrates its 10th anniversary!

17 MARCH 2005

Catherine Deneuve, Claire Denis, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Isild Le Besco, Yolande Moreau, Laura Smet, Olivier Assayas, Yvan Attal, François Favrat, Benoît Jacquot, Bernard Jeanjean, Arthur Joffé, Olivier Marchal, Orso Miret, Bertrand Tavernier, Arnaud Viard and Jean-Jacques Zilbermann are in New York for the 2005 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema (March 11-20, 2005)

The Rendez-Vous with French Cinema celebrates its 10th anniversary in March this year. This French Film Festival has been presented annually for the past ten years by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Unifrance and the French Film Office/Unifrance USA, in association with the Cultural Services Department of the French Embassy in the United States.

From March 11 through 20 this year, 17 French films are being presented to New York audiences at the Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater. The films are as follows: "Les Temps qui changent" ("Changing Times") by André Téchiné, "36 quai des Orfèvres" by Olivier Marchal, "A tout de suite" ("Right Now") by Benoît Jacquot, "Clean" by Olivier Assayas, "Clara et moi" ("Clara and Me") by Arnaud Viard, "La Demoiselle d'honneur" ("The Bridesmaid") by Claude Chabrol, "Les Fautes d'orthographe" ("Bad Spelling" aka "Spelling Mistakes") by Jean-Jacques Zilbermann, "Holy Lola" by Bertrand Tavernier, "Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants" ("Happily Ever After") by Yvan Attal, "Innocence" by Lucile Hadzihalilovic, "L'Intrus" ("The Intruder") by Claire Denis, "J'me sens pas belle" ("Tell Me I'm Pretty") by Bernard Jeanjean, "Ne quittez pas" ("Local Call") by Arthur Joffé, "Les soeurs fâchées" ("Me and My Sister") by Alexandra Leclère, "Le Silence" ("Rules of Silence" aka "The Silence") by Orso Miret, "Quand la mer monte..." ("When the Tide Comes In" aka "When the Sea Rises") by Yolande Moreau and Gilles Porte, and "Le Rôle de sa vie" ("The Role of Her Life") by François Favrat. So far, three films have already secured a buyer for North America: "Clean," "Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants" and "A tout de suite."

Each year, this festival sparks numerous film sales, with, on average, over one third of films screened finding a buyer. The Rendez-Vous serves as an occasion for North American distributors to gauge audience reactions to films, and for this reason numerous French international sales companies make the trip to New York for the event (10 companies will be present this year).

Included in the Rendez-Vous will be a tribute to Catherine Deneuve, with the French Institute/Alliance Française programming 5 of their films on March 11 and 13: "Peau d'âne" ("Donkey Skin" aka "Magic Donkey") by Jacques Demy, "Les Voleurs" ("Thieves" aka "The Child of the Night") by André Téchiné, "Place Vendôme" by Nicole Garcia, "8 Femmes" ("8 Women") by François Ozon and "Princesse Marie" by Benoît Jacquot.

The French Institute/Alliance Française are also presenting a program of 4 French films from March 18 through 20, including the U.S. premieres of "Arsène Lupin," presented by its director Jean-Paul Salomé, "Mariages!" by Valérie Guignabodet, "Eros Thérapie" ("Eros Therapy") by Daniele Dubroux and "Violence des échanges en milieu tempéré" ("Work Hard, Play Hard") by Jean-Marc Moutout.

Screenings will also be held in the following American universities: the New York University (NYU), as is the case each year, at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the School of Visual Arts (SVA).

The New York Festival - Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Today (2005) is sponsored by Air France and TV5, with additional support provided by The Florence Gould Foundation, France 2, Janus Films and The Criterion Collection, Agnès b., Laura Mercier, Pernod-Ricard and L.V.T. (Laser Video Titles).

For further information, contact:
In Paris: Antoine Khalife, Director of Festivals and Films Office – Tel: (33 1) 47 53 27 16
In New York: Catherine Verret-Vimont - Deputy Director, Unifrance - Executive Director, Unifrance USA – Tel: (1 212) 832 8860