Cork French Film Festival is more vibrant than ever

FRANCE has one of the oldest filmmaking traditions in the world, with French filmmakers spearheading the art form since the latter half of the nineteenth century.

With some of the greatest writers, actors, and directors hailing from France, the filmmaking tradition is more vibrant than ever.

Some of the best French language films come to the Arc Cinema for the 35th Cork French Film Festival, which starts this Saturday, March 2.

Valérie David-McGonnell is the president of Alliance Française de Cork and co-directs the festival with Josselin Le Gall, the Honorary Consul of France in Cork. They are the festival directors and part of a four-person programming team, which includes Úna Feely and Mick Hannigan.

David-McGonnell says the line-up for the 35th edition of the festival is one of their best.

We are very proud of the programme. This year, we have selected 18 French language films, nine of which are Irish premieres, many of which are award nominees and award winners.

" We are fortunate to have some of this year’s César Awards winners. We have a very strong programme and can’t wait to share it with people.”

David-McGonnell also says it is essential for the team to programme good films showing the diversity of French cinema.

“We spend a long time watching and choosing the films. When we first watch them, it is before the awards season, so we never know which films will go on to be hugely successful. If they are award winners, that is a bonus, but what is important is that they are good films and that we pick a range of films that showcase not just cinema made in France but also other French language-speaking countries.”

The opening night film is Jeanne du Barry, which opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. It is a historical drama based on Jeanne Vaubernier (Maïwenn), who rises through the ranks of French society to become the last mistress of King Louis XV. The film also stars Johnny Depp and was directed by the film’s lead actor, Maïwenn.

David-McGonnell says the film’s rich photography and costumes add to the look and feel of 18th-century France.

2024 marks the 180th anniversary of the publication of Alexander Dumas’s epic swashbuckler, The Three Musketeers. To celebrate, the festival directors have selected two films focusing on the adventures of D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos.

As a fan of the story, Le Gall is particularly looking forward to audiences seeing the two epics, The Three Musketeers - Part 1: D’Artagnan and The Three Musketeers - Part 2: Milady.

“ The Three Musketeers is renowned; most people know the story, but we enjoyed the fact that the movie doesn’t just have great acting and costumes, but it is an invitation to travel through France. It was shot in the Chateau de Versailles and places like LaRochelle, so audiences can see these iconic French locations and experience the history on screen.”

Animal Kingdom (La règne animal) won six awards at this year’s César Awards, the French equivalent of the Academy Awards. The film, which has received high praise from critics, stars Romain Duris and Adèle Exarchopoulos as two people caught up in a mysterious happening which sees humans develop animal-like qualities.

Fans of classic cinema will be in for a real treat with a restored version of the 1950 masterpiece Orphée, directed by Jean Cocteau and starring Jean Marais. The film is a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and sees the action location from Ancient Greece to Paris following World War II.

War buffs will also be satiated with the documentary D-Day: Normandy 1944, which uses animation, CGI, and live-action to examine the extraordinary efforts of the Allied troops in Normandy from June 1943 to 1944. The film’s director, Pascal Vuong, and producer, Catherine Vuong, will participate in a post-screening Q&A.

The Taste of Things or ( La Passion de Dodin Bouffant) stars Juliette Binoche and is set in the world of French cuisine in the 1800s. Binoche’s character works as a chef for a famed foodie, Dodin (Benoît Magimel). It won Best Director at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, amongst other awards. France is synonymous with a rich culinary history, and Le Gall says it sums up the French passion for food.

“The film is rich in many ways, and you really see our famed passion for food. If you like food, this film will be a real treat, and Juliette Binoche is a favourite of our festival. We have programmed one of her films almost every year of the festival.”

David-McGonnell reminds us that French is an official language in 29 countries and that it is essential to represent the diversity of the French-speaking world in the programme.

“We are delighted this year to have the support of the French Embassy and the Canadian Embassy in Ireland to help us showcase the diversity of French in the world. We have programmed a Canadian film, Nadia, Butterfly, about an Olympic swimmer. We have a French film, Ride Above ( Tempête), by a French-Canadian director Christian Duguay. It follows a young girl who dreams of becoming a jockey, and the film will be screened three times for secondary school students.

We also have Omen, a film by a Belgian Congolese director, Baloji. It looks at culture and identity through Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man who returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa after years in Belgium.”

The 35th Cork French Film Festival takes place from March 2 to 10 at The Arc Cinema.

For more see www.corkfrenchfilmfestival.com