Ambassade de France en Nouvelle-Zélande
Media Release
The French Film Festival is back and better than ever!
Wellington, Penthouse cinema: February 8 – 17
Auckland, Academy Cinemas & Victoria Picture Palace: February 16 – 24
Christchurch, Regent on Worcester: February 22 – March 2
The French Film Festival is back and better than ever! This year a total of 20 films from 2009 and 2010 will be screened
in the nation’s three major centres. There is something for everyone in the fifth edition of the French Film Festival:
Contemporary stories of revenge, identity, crime, burlesque dancers on tour and friendship all feature in this year’s
line-up.
Moviegoers who prefer to be taken on an historical journey will not be disappointed either! AO the Last Neanderthal
transports the viewer back to the pre-historic age in the quest to discover whether the blood of a species that ruled
the Earth more than 300,000 years ago still runs in our veins. Princess of Montpensier set in 16th century France, looks
at the way in which the country tore itself to shreds over religion, but also deals with mankind’s age old affliction –
jealousy. The audience is thrown into the 18th century and the life of Mozart’s older sister, nicknamed, as the title of
the movie suggests Nannerl – a child prodigy forgotten by history.
Love, always encompassing the cinematography of a country reputed for romance, is at the forefront in the 2011 French
Film Festival. But movies such as Love like poison surprise the audience with a new spin on a timeless theme. In this
particular instance, illustrating the consequences of seeking solace in the most unlikely of places…. Another romance
with a twist is A Perfect Date which highlights the very different ideas two childhood friends Michel and Vincent have
about the perfect love story….
Immigration issues are also brought under the spotlight with films like Turk’s Head - the story of a devastating chain
of events that unfolds when a 14-year-old Turk hurls a Molotov cocktail at a car. In My Father’s Guests an 80-year-old
Frenchman marries a young Moldavian woman so she won’t be deported.
However, his family questions his true motives believing that he may have succumbed to the charm of his new wife!
Politics and comedy are thrown together in The Names of Love when protagonist Bahia Benmahmoud shows her commitment to
her cause by sleeping with her enemies in order to change their minds about their political affiliations!
Fashionistas will delight in Yves St Laurent – P. Berger – L’Amour fou which speaks of the two men’s love for one
another but also the way in which the pair revolutionised the fashion industry.
Documentary lovers will be equally satisfied with their lot. Just a beginning is the footage taken from an experiment in
which philosophy classes were held in a Parisian kindergarten class. It grants fascinating insight into the inner most
thoughts of young children. Thorn in the heart is Michel Gondry’s latest and most personal film. It takes a look into
the life of his aunt Suzette and her relationship with her son Jean-Yves while also examining Suzette’s life as a school
teacher in rural France.
There is truly a film to suit the tastes of every New Zealand moviegoer in the 2011 French Film Festival, so don’t miss
it!
ENDS