From February 29 through March 9, Unifrance and the Film Society of Lincoln Center will host the 13th Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York.
Fifteen French films will be showcased in American preview screenings at the Walter Reade Theater and at the IFC Center: Those Who Remain (in the presence of the director and lead actress Anne Le Ny), Love Songs (in the presence of Christophe Honoré), Trivial by Sophie Marceau, Her Name is Sabine (in the presence of Sandrine Bonnaire), The Feelings Factory (in the presence of its director Jean-Marc Moutout and lead actress Elsa Zylberstein), Let’s Dance (in the presence of its director Noémie Lvovsky), The Grocer’s Son (in the presence of its director Éric Guirado), Paris (in the presence of its director Cédric Klapisch), the collective film Fear(s) of the Dark (in the presence of its directors Charles Burns and Richard McGuire), Heartbeat Detector (in the presence of its director Nicolas Klotz), Ain’t Scared (in the presence of its director Audrey Estrougo), All is Forgiven (in the presence of its director Mia Hansen-Love), Shall We Kiss? (in the presence of its director Emmanuel Mouret), and A Secret (in the presence of its director Claude Miller). Roman de Gare will be screened as festival opener, with Claude Lelouch in attendance.
Four of the films presented at the event (Love Songs, Her Name is Sabine, Heartbeat Detector, and Roman de Gare) have already found a buyer in the United States. This festival offers the remaining films the chance of wider exposure to American industry professionals and the hope of a distribution deal. Some fifteen producers and sales agents will join the French artistic delegation, who will take advantage of the event to take part in interviews with American media representatives.
This year’s New York Rendez-Vous coincides with a highly favorable period for French films in the USA. Three French productions have been nominated in several categories at the upcoming Academy Awards: Persepolis, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and La Vie en Rose. The latter film incidentally debuted its American run as festival opener at the 2007 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, and now boasts a running total of $10 million in receipts. Hopes are high that this year’s festival selection will attract similar acclaim.
