A press conference for “A Rendez-Vous with French Cinema” was held March 1st in London in the presence of the producer Philippe Carcassonne, representing Unifrance president Margaret Menegoz.
This festival, presented by Unifrance, France’s international film promotion agency, promises to meet with great success considering the large number of journalists present at the event. At the close of the press conference, France’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Gérard Errera, presented a "Chevalier des Arts et Lettres" medal to the actor and producer Jude Law for his contribution to European cinema, just a few days after Law received an honorary award at the French Cesar Awards ceremony in Paris.
From Thursday, March 29, through Sunday, April 1st, British audiences will have the chance to sample some of the latest offerings from French cinema. La Môme (La Vie en Rose) by Olivier Dahan will open the festival. The other titles to be screened are: Ecoute le temps by Alanté Kavaïté, Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One) by Guillaume Canet, Dans Paris by Christophe Honoré, Je ne suis pas là pour être aimé (Not Here to be Loved) by Stéphane Brizé, Cœurs (Private Fears in Public Places) by Alain Resnais, Quelques jours en septembre (A Few Days in September) by Santiago Amigorena, Transylvania by Tony Gatlif, L'Héritage (Legacy) by Gela and Temur Babluani, Flandres (Flanders) by Bruno Dumont, Quand j’étais chanteur (The Singer) by Xavier Giannoli, and Mon meilleur ami (My Best Friend) by Patrice Leconte.
The directors and a number of leading cast members from these films will make the trip to London to present their films to the press and answer questions from audiences.
The delegation includes the following actors and actresses: Marion Cotillard, Gérard Depardieu, Emilie Dequenne, François Cluzet, Romain Duris, Joana Preiss, Louis Garrel, Anne Consigny, Patrick Chesnais, Sabine Azéma, Isabelle Carré, Lambert Wilson, Juliette Binoche, Sara Forestier, Tom Riley, Amira Casar, Georges Babluani, Sylvie Testud, Daniel Auteuil, and Dany Boon.
We can observe a growing interest in French films in Britain at this time, attributed to a renewed dynamism on the part of young producers who increasingly favor co-productions, and a rise in movie attendance figures. It therefore comes as no surprise that 12 French films are to participate in this year’s event, double the number of productions presented last year. These titles have all found a buyer in Britain and will be released in theaters in the lead-up to the 2007 fall season.
http://www.rendezvouswithfrenchcinema.com/
