Alliance Française French Film Festival

In Australia

File:AF-FFF-2012 Image.jpg

Alliance Française French Film Festival 2012 Artwork

The Alliance Française

Alliance Française Logo

The Alliance française was founded in 1883 in Paris and is dedicated to promoting and encouraging a love of French language and culture around the world. The Paris Alliance was created in 1884 by a board of directors featuring illustrious names such as Jules Verne (writer) and Louis Pasteur (chemist and biologist). The first Alliance Française abroad was created the same year in Barcelona.

Today there are 1040 Alliance Françaises in 136 countries. Each Alliance Française is an independent, local, not-for-profit organisation. With over 30 Alliance Françaises in Australia this is a language and cultural network which reaches deep into the Australian community.

The Alliance Française French Film Festival is jointly organised by the Alliance Françaises of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide and is supported by the French Embassy.

The French Film Industry in Australia

The French film industry is one of the world’s most dynamic film industries, with over 300 films released commercially each year, including co-productions. This high level of production is assisted by the cinema agency of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, CNC (the equivalent of Screen Australia), tax revenue from cinema tickets, and a requirement that TV stations invest heavily in film production. Due to the strength of the film industry, many French stars are able to maintain successful careers in France, without needing to ‘make it’ in Hollywood.

A rich variety of genres is one of the main characteristics of popular French films. This is exemplified in the films of world famous directors, including Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Philippe Lioret, Jacques Audiard, Jean Becker, Cédric Klapisch.

Other examples include hit comedies such as Potiche (Trophy Wife) by François Ozon; biopics like the recent hit Gainsbourg or the world acclaimed La Vie en rose; romances like Heartbreaker or Mlle Chambon; thriving art house cinema by talented young directors such as Mia Hansen-Love (Father of my children), Catherine Corsini (Leaving), Alix Delaporte (Angèle & Tony).

Of course, that “French touch” can also be seen in big productions like Unknown, The Ghost Writer by Roman Polanski, The Concert or From Paris with love all of which are French productions.

In Australia, there has been a strong growth in audiences for French films over the past five years, with more than 1.3 million admissions in 2010, as compared to less than 500,000 in 2005. French films are the fourth most popular, preceded only by English language films from the USA, UK and Australia. Each year, between 25 and 32 French films are sold to Australian distributors for commercial release, not including films released on DVD. SBS buys the rights to distribute over 70 French films annually for broadcast on free-to-air TV, and generally screens one or two French films per week.

The Festival

The Alliance Française French Film Festival is the main French cultural event in Australia. The festival continues to grow from strength to strength, encapsulating a growing international interest in French cinema. French cinema has an appeal that reaches far beyond France’s local community. As one of Australia’s only national film events, it has great appeal to national media and sponsors. It is the largest foreign film festival in Australia showcasing the best of contemporary French cinema including action, romance, comedy, thrillers, children’s films, animation and documentaries.

What a remarkable outcome for the 22nd edition of the festival with 133,466 attendees, and 46 films presented in 977 screenings which makes this event the most important worldwide in its field.

Films are shown at Palace Cinemas Como, Balwyn, Westgarth and Kino in Melbourne; the Hayden Orpheum in Cremorne, Palace Chauvel, Verona and Norton Street in Sydney, Greater Union Cinema and NFSA in Canberra, Palace Barracks and Centro in Brisbane,Palace Nova in Adelaide and Cinema Paradiso, Luna on Essex and Windsor Cinema in Perth.

The Alliance Française French Film festival is used to welcome special guests : Catherine Deneuve in 2008, Gérard Jugnot in 2009, Jean-Pierre Jeunet for his movie Micmacs, Jan Kounen for Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky and Philippe Lioret for Welcome in 2010. For the 22nd edition of the Festival, Clotilde Hesme came, starring in Angèle & Tony.

2012 Line-up

This year, desire, heartache and passion are just words. Go beyond them with the Alliance Française French Film Festival 2012.

Opening Night

DECLARATION OF WAR LA GUERRE EST DECLAREE

Director: Valérie Donzelli Cast: Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm, César Desseix, Gabriel Elkaïm, Michèle Moretti, Béatrice de Staël

Based on real-life events experienced by filmmaker Valérie Donzelli and co-star/writer Jérémie Elkaïm, Declaration of War tells the powerful story of a young Parisian couplesuddenly dragged from their carefree existence by an unexpected twist of fate.

Closing Night

THE LAST METRO LE DERNIER METRO

Director: François Truffaut Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Poiret, Andréa Ferréol, Jean-Louis Richard

Paris, 1942. Paris is under Nazi occupation. Catherine Deneuve plays Marion Steiner, who is left to manage a small theatre company, the MontmartrE, when her Jewish husband Lucas is forced into exile under the German occupation of Paris. Marion stars in the company’s new play, The Disappearance, alongside Bernard Granger (Gérard Depardieu), a womanising but talented actor who is also a member of the Resistance. As Bernard’s passion for Marion grows, emotional complications arise between the two and loyalties are compromised due to their respective connections.

It happened in your neighbourhood

• Point Blank

Director: Fred Cavayé Cast: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gérard Lanvin, Elena Anaya, Mireille Perrier

• 17 Girls

Director: Delphine et Muriel Coulin Cast: Louise Grinberg, Juliette Darche, Roxane Duran, Esther Garrel, Noémie Lvovsky, Florence Thomassin, Carlo Brandt, Solène Rigot, Frédéric Noaille

• Presumed Guilty

Director: Vincent Garenq watch trailer here Cast: Phillippe Torreton, Noémie Lvovsky, Wladimir Yordanoff, Raphaël Ferret, Michèle Goddet

• Omar killed me

Director: Roschdy Zem Cast: Sami Bouajila, Denis Podalydès, Maurice Bénichou, Salomé Stévenin, Nozha Khouadra

• Early one morning

Director: Jean-Marc Moutout Cast: Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Valérie Dréville, Xavier Beauvois, Yannick Renier, Laurent Delbecque

• Nobody else but you

Director: Gérard Hustache- Mathieu Cast: Jean-Paul Rouve, Sophie Quinton, Guillaume Gouix, Arsinée Khanjian, Olivier Rabourdin

• And if we all lived together

Director: Stéphane Robelin Cast: Guy Bedos, Daniel Brühl, Claude Rich, Pierre Richard, Géraldine Chaplin, Jane Fonda

It must be love

• The art of love

Director: Emmanuel Mouret Cast: Emmanuel Mouret, Pascale Arbillot, Ariane Ascaride, François Cluzet, Julie Depardieu, Gaspard Ulliel

• Silence of love

Director: Philippe Claudel Cast: Stefano Accorsi, Clotilde Coureau, Anouk Aimée, Neri Marcorè, Lisa Cipriani

• Romantics Anonymous

Director: Jean-Pierre Améris Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde, Isabelle Carré, Alice Pol, Lorella Cravotta, Pierre Niney

• Goodbye First Love

Director: Mia Hansen-Love Cast: Lola Créton, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Magne-Havard Brekke, Valérie Bonneton, Serge Renko

• A Happy Event

Director: Rémi Bezançon Cast: Louise Bourgoin, Pio Marmaï, Josiane Balasko, Thierry Frémont, Firmine Richard

• Against the Wind

Director: Jalil Lespert Cast: Benoît Magimel, Isabelle Carré, Audrey Tautou, Ramzy Bedia, Antoine Duléry

• Paris-Manhattan

Director: Sophie Lellouche Cast: Alice Taglioni, Patrick Bruel, Marie-Christine Adam, Louis-Do de Lencquesain, Woody Allen

• Delicacy

Director: David Foenkinos - Stéphane Foenkinos Cast: Audrey Tautou, François Damiens, Bruno Todeschini, Audrey Fleurot, Pio Marmaï

The power And the passion

• The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Director: Robert Guediguian Cast: Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gérard Meylan, Marilyne Canto, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet

• All our desires

Director: Philippe Lioret Cast: Vincent Lindon, Marie Gillain, Amandine Dewasmes, Yannick Rénier, Pascale Arbillot

• My piece of the pie

Director: Cédric Klapisch Cast: Karin Viard, Gilles Lellouche, Audrey Lamy, Jean-Pierre Martins, Raphaële Godin

• The Rabbi's Cat

Director: Joann Sfar & Antoine Delesvaux Voices: François Morel, Maurice Bénichou, Hafsia Herzi, François Damiens, Mathieu Amalric (Animated movie)

• The Conquest

Director: Xavier Durringer Cast: Denis Podalydès, Florence Pernel, Bernard Le Coq, Hippolyte Girardot, Samuel Labarthe

• Pater

Director: Alain Cavalier Cast: Alain Cavalier, Vincent Lindon, Bernard Bureau, Jonathan Duong, Hubert-Ange Fumey

• Free Men

Director: Ismaël Ferroukhi Cast: Tahar Rahim, Michael Lonsdale, Mahmud Shalaby, Christopher Buchholz, Lubna Azabal

Beware talent!

• The Well Digger's daughter

Director: Daniel Auteuil Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Kad Merad, Sabine Azéma, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Nicolas Duvauchelle

• Jo's Boy

Director: Philippe Guillard Cast: Gérard Lanvin, Olivier Marchal, Vincent Moscato, Jérémie Duvall, Karina Lombard

• Butterfly Kiss

Director: Karine Silla-Perez Cast: Valeria Golino, Elsa Zylberstein, Vincent Perez, Cécile de France, Gérard Depardieu

• Sideway

Director: Jean-Luc Perréard Cast: Fred Testot, Leila Bekhti, Jean-François Stévenin, Catherine Gandois, Clément Aubert

• 18 years old and rising

Director: Frederic Louf Cast: Pierre Niney, Audrey Bastien, Lou de Laâge, Ali Marhyar, Thomas Chabrol

Happy families

• The day I saw your heart

Director: Jennifer Devoldère Cast: Mélanie Laurent, Michel Blanc, Florence Loiret-Caille, Claude Perron, Guillaume Gouix

• The Skylab

Director: Julie Delpy Cast: Lou Avarez, Julie Delpy, Eric Elmosnino, Aure Atika, Bernadette Lafont

• You will be my son

Director: Gilles Legrand Cast: Niels Arestrup, Lorànt Deutsch, Patrick Chesnais, Nicolas Bridet, Anne Marivin

• Beloved

Director: Christophe Honoré Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni, Ludivine Sagnier, Louis Garrel, Miloš Forman

"Sex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll"

• House of tolerance

Director: Bertrand Bonello Cast: Hafsia Herzi, Iliana Zabeth, Alice Barnole, Céline Sallette, Jasmine Trinca, Noémie Lvovsky

• American translation

Director: Pascal Arnold & Jean-Marc Barr Cast: Lizzie Brocheré, Pierre Perrier, Jean-Marc Barr, Djédjé Apali, Laurent Delbecque

• The kids of today

Director: Jérôme de Missolz & Jean-François Sanz Cast: Yves Adrien, Mathieu Chausseron, Lio, Aurélie Benchekri, Antoine Capet

A French touch around the World

• Nothing to declare

Director: Dany.Boon Cast: Dany Boon, Benoît Poelvoorde, Julie Bernard, Karin Viard, François Damiens

• Elles

Director: Malgorzata Szumowska Cast: Juliette Binoche, Anaïs Demoustier, Joanna Kulig, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Krystyna Janda

• Café de Flore

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée Cast: Vanessa Paradis, Kevin Parent, Hélène Florent, Evelyne Brochu, Joanny Corbeil-Picher

• The giants

Director: Bouli Lanners Cast: Zacharie Chasseriaud, Martin Nissen, Paul Bartel, Karim Leklou, Didier Toupy, Gwen Berrou

Not only for kids

• Tales of the night

Director: Michel Ocelot Voices: Marine Griset, Julien Beramis, Yves Barsacq, Michel Elias, Isabelle Guiard

• Ducoboo

Director: Philippe Chauveron Cast: Vincent Claude, Elie Seimoun, Bruno Poladydès, Joséphine de Meaux, Helena Noguerra

• The war of the buttons

Director: Yann Samuell Cast: Alain Chabat, Eric Elmosnino, Mathilde Seigner, Fred Testot, Salomé Lemire

A life devoted to the arts

• The Look

Director: Angelina Maccarone Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Paul Auster, Barnaby Southcombe, Cynthia Fleury, Peter Lindberg, Jürgen Teller

• A life for ballet

Director: Marlène Ionesco Cast: Pierre Lacotte, Ghislaine Thesmar

External links

• The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival
• Alliance Française
• Alliance Française de Sydney
• Alliance Française de Melbourne
• Alliance Française de Brisbane
• Alliance Française de Perth
• Alliance Française de Canberra
• Alliance Française d'Adelaide
• La France en Australie