Francophone films take leading role
The often painful and invariably dramatic life of Edith Piaf opens the 8th Francophone Film Festival at the Attikon cinema this Thursday. Directed by Olivier Dahan and starring Marion Cotillard, Gerard Depardieu and Sylvie Testud, the film (which also acted as curtain raiser at the Berlin Film Festival) opens the annual event which this year is set to present no fewer than 76 films in Athens (at the Apollon and Attikon cinemas as well as the French Institute in Athens until April 1) and Thessaloniki (at the Olympion, March 26 – April 4). The event, which is held under the aegis of the City of Athens, is organized by Francophone embassies in Athens, Unifrance (the organization for the promotion of French cinema worldwide), the French institutes of Athens and Thessaloniki and Emporiki Bank. Besides the basic core of 40 Francophone films (all produced during the 2006-2007 period), the festival is adding more sections, including a collaboration with Premiere Nights for a series of after-hours screenings destined for a younger crop of cinema-goers. In this part of the festival, films include «No Body Is Perfect,» a documentary by Swiss filmmaker Raphael Sibilla focusing on body transformations and sadomasochism, as well as the presence of HPG, a well-known porn star-turned-director who will come to Athens for the screening of «On ne devrait pas exister» (We Should Not Exist). The festival features four major tributes – to French animation, the nouvelle vague of contemporary Romanian cinema, French comedian Pierre Richard and producer Jacques Perrin. The latter, principally known as an actor and director, will be honored in Athens at the festival’s opening. Another well-known man of French film, Claude Brasseur, will also make the trip to Athens, along with a long list of directors and actors who will accompany the films during the festival. Among them are actors Nathalie Baye (marking her second appearance at the festival), Emilie Dequenne, Franck Dubosc and Julie Depardieu as well as directors Catherine Corsini, Frederic Schoendoerffer, Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. Fierce promotion Over the last 15 years, French governments have ferociously promoted local film production in other countries. Judging from the figures, it seems that the policy is working: In 2006 alone, about 60 million people around the world watched French films outside of their country of origin, with ticket sales reaching 322 million euros – impressive figures which resemble similar records set in 2002 and 2005. All in all, 298 French films were screened around the world, 24 fewer than the previous year. At a press conference that took place last week, it emerged that France’s efforts are concentrating on developing a more commercial profile for its film industry. This is a sector willing to compete against industry giant Hollywood, while trying to get rid of the «artistic» label often applied to some French films destined to more cinephile audiences. ‘Fresh air’ «This year’s event brings a gust of fresh air and hopes to prove that French cinema is neither boring nor some kind of brain twister, but the kind of cinema based on action, movement and an upbeat mood,» said Lannig Stervinou, the festival’s artistic director, at the press conference. A variety of French films are scheduled for screening during the festival, including comedies «Camping» (directed by Fabien Onteniente and starring Gerard Lanvin and Mathilde Seigner) and «Prete-moi ta main» (directed by Eric Lartigau and starring Alain Chabat and Charlotte Gainsbourg), thrillers such as «Ne le dis a personne» (directed by Guillaume Canet and starring Francois Cluzet), action such as «Truands» (directed by Frederic Schoendoerffer and starring Benoit Magimel and Beatrice Dalle), as well as historical subject matter such as «Moliere» (directed by Laurent Tirard and starring Romain Duris and Fabrice Luchini). Also on the program are films from other Francophone countries, such as Robert Favreau’s «Un Dimanche a Kigali» (Sunday at Kigali), an adaptation of the novel «Un dimanche a la piscine a Kigali,» written by Canadian journalist/author Gil Courtemanche, narrating two periods, the before and after of the Rwandan genocide. Eighth Francophone Film Festival screenings will take place at the following venues in Athens: French Institute in Athens, 31 Sina, tel 210.339.8600; Attikon, 19 Stadiou, tel 210.322.8821; Apollon, 19 Stadiou, 210.323.6811.
