Los Angeles's annual French Film Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Held at the Directors' Guild of America from April 3 through 9, the event will showcase a selection of 18 feature films and 18 shorts that reflect current French film production, screened for the first time in public in Hollywood.
Directed primarily to American movie professionals (directors, screenwriters, distributors, producers, and artists' agents), COL COA has grown over 10 years to become one of the key post-Academy award industry events, and one of the world's largest events dedicated to French films.
The week will kick off with the world premiere of Francis Veber's new film, "La Doublure" ("The Valet"), which will hit the screens the same week in France, and will close with the world premiere of Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano's film, "Ces Jours Heureux" ("Those Happy Days").
Audiences will have the chance to discover "Enfermés Dehors" ("Locked Out") by Albert Dupontel, presented in a world premiere three days prior to its French release, as well as "Fauteuils d’orchestre" by Danièle Thompson, included in a special 10th anniversary screening.
The diversity and dynamism of the current French film production scene will be in the spotlight, with screenings of "Papa" by Maurice Barthélemy, "Not Here to Be Loved" by Stéphane Brizé, "How Much Do You Love Me?" by Bertrand Blier, "Grey Souls" by Yves Angelo, "La Fille du Juge" by William Karel, "Works" by Brigitte Roüan, "Edy" by Stéphane Guérin-Tillié, "The Black Box" by Richard Berry, "In His Hands" by Anne Fontaine, "Royal Palace!" by Valérie Lemercier, "Sky Fighters" by Gérard Pirès, "Gabrielle" by Patrice Chéreau, "Heading South" by Laurent Cantet, and "Love Is In The Air" by Rémi Bezançon.
Also aimed at promoting young French actors and directors in Hollywood, COL COA has programmed 18 short films selected with support from Unifrance: "C’est Dans l’Air," "Au Petit Matin," "Soyons Attentifs," "Le Serment," "Play The Game," "Les Volets," "Bhaï-bhaï," "T'as d'beaux yeux, tu sais," "Kitchen," "Le Baiser," "La Petite Flamme," "Undo," "Overtime," "La Bourde," "Suzanne," "Mort à l’écran," "Comme James Dean," and "À bras le corps". Each short film will be screened along with a feature film, prior to being presented in a special program entitled "A Short Afternoon" at the end of the week.
As was the case last year, an Audience Choice Award will be presented to one of the feature films screened. An artistic delegation will be in Los Angeles for the event, and includes Brigitte Roüan, Danièle Thompson, Maurice Barthélemy, Bertrand Blier, Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, Stéphane Brizé, Francis Veber, Yves Angelo and Gérard Pirès.
COL COA is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, which includes, on the French side, the SACEM, and, in the United States, the DGA (Directors' Guild of America), the WGA (Writers' Guild of America) and the MPA (Motion Pictures Association), with support from the ARP (France's Authors', Directors' and Producers' Association), Unifrance and the Cultural Services Department at the French Embassy in the United States.
For all information about the event: www.colcoa.com
Contacts in Los Angeles: Claudia Durgnat, Festival Director: colcoa@dga.com
Francois Truffart, Program Director: truffe@pacbell.net
In Paris: Alejandra Norembuena Skira, Franco-American Cultural Fund: alejandra.norambuena.skira@sacem.fr
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