March showers bring April flowers…
For the third year running, Unifrance organized its French Film Festival in Japan, held in Tokyo and Osaka from March 13 through 17, an event presided by Sophie Marceau.
Unifrance operated a stand at the center of the 12th annual Filmart (the Hong Kong International Film and Television Market) to receive the 21 French film export company working with Hong Kong.
As part of festivities organized to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the City of Quebec, French films took center stage through the month of March.
For the first time in her career, French screen icon Catherine Deneuve traveled to Australia to support the commercial release of one of her films.
Claude Lelouch was in Moscow from March 20 through 23 to promote the release of his film Roman de Gare in Russia, and to lead a master class at the VGIK, as part of the On Set With French Cinema program.
Festivals/Delegations
In March, Unifrance provided assistance for 41 artists and 104 films traveling to 7 feature film festivals: the Alliances Francaises French Film Festival, the UK French Film Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the New Directors New Films Festival in New York, the Richmond French Film Festival, the Sofia International Film Festival, and the French Film Festival in Japan.
Unifrance also provided assistance for 2 artists and 40 films traveling to 5 short film festivals: the Brussels International Fantasy Film Festival, the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Richmond French Film Festival, the Tampere Film Festival, and the French Film Festival in Japan.
Festivals/Awards
French Film Festival in Japan
The Maiden and the Wolves by Gilles Legrand – Audience Award
Cleveland International Film Festival (Short films)
Hésitation by Virginia Gilbert – Special Mention
Support for commercial release
Unifrance supported the release of 4 films abroad by providing travel grants to 6 artists.
Barbet Schroeder for the release of Terror's Advocate in the UK
Pierre Salvadori for the release of Priceless in the UK
Olivier Marchal, Daniel Auteuil, and Olivia Bonamy for the release of MR73 in Belgium
Nada Baou Farhat for the release of Under the Bombs in the UK
Interviews with foreign media in France
To promote the release of Hunting and Gathering in Hungary, Audrey Tautou was interviewed by journalists from the women’s magazine Elle and the arts monthlies Pesti Músor and Magyar Narancs.
