10th Alliance Française French Film festival

The 10th edition of the Alliance Française French Film festival : A creative and refreshing cinematic event not to be missed!

Embassy of France to New Zealand

9 February 2016

In less than two weeks now, the Alliance Française French Film festival will be kicking off its festivities in Wellington before travelling throughout New Zealand for the next two months!

2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the festival in New Zealand. France is the birthplace of cinema and its film industry remains as creative as ever. Our country is the second largest exporter of films worldwide. At least one new French film is screened per day across the world. This makes for a highly impressive audience of 65 million viewers of French films every year, the same figure as the population of France!

“ A creative and refreshing cinematic event not to be missed, the French Film Festival has over the past ten years provided an outstanding opportunity to explore and experience Francophone cinema and culture, becoming a landmark cultural event. ” said Ambassador of France to New Zealand, Florence Jeanblanc-Risler

Incorporating feature films, animation, documentaries, both mainstream and art-house, the Festival has offered to cinema lovers many French movies that would not have otherwise been seen in New Zealand. And following a record attendance of 36,000 spectators in 2015, the Festival continues to expand with a total of 37 films to be presented across 12 cities in New Zealand this year.

The Festival will open in Wellington on 17 February, followed by Auckland on the 25 February and Christchurch on 3 March. Timaru, Nelson, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Arrowtown, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Havelock North and Dunedin will then follow suit.

This 10th edition will be even more creative: the 'Le Festival de Cannes en Nouvelle-Zélande' section will feature the New Zealand premières of Palme D’Or winner Dheepan

, the extraordinary Valley of Love, starring Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu, Samuel Benchetrit’s bewitching Macadam Stories, Pascale Ferran’s modern tale Bird People, and the poignant Mon Roi, which earned Emmanuelle Bercot the Best Actress Award at the 2015 Cannes International Film Festival.

Other highlights include Eva Husson’s directorial debut and TIFF sensation Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story), Piero Messina’s The Wait, starring Juliette Binoche and Lou de Laâge, and Michel Gondry’s latest film, Microbe & Gasoline.

Moving into new territory, the line-up will also feature two French television series in the ‘TV Out of the Box’ section. Helmed by a star-studded cast and produced by Studiocanal, The Last Panthers is a thrilling crime drama based on real events. Rounding out the section is the award-winning historical drama Un Village Français, which is set in the small town of Villeneuve during the Second World War.

These and many other fantastic titles await you in the 2016 programme. Tickets and printed programmes are now available from Festival venues.

2016 also marks the debut of the festival’s brilliant new director, Sébastien Donnadieu, who has put his talent, enthusiasm and precise knowledge of French cinema to bring you the very best.

Have a spectacular cinematic journey, and happy viewing to you all.

ends

© Scoop Media