Magnifique! French Film Festival returns to Cork 

Now in its 37th year, the Alliance Française de Cork French Film Festival returns with a programme of 15 feature and short films from March 2-8.

As Ireland’s longest-running French film event, the festival offers Cork audiences a window into contemporary Francophone cinema, with this year’s selection spanning diverse styles, themes, and voices.

Valérie David-McGonnell, Director of the Cork French Film Festival and President of Alliance Française Cork, says this year’s selection of films showcases the best in French cinema.

“All the films in our programme are carefully selected; we don’t pick a film unless it has done well in France and abroad,” David-McGonnell said.

“If you see one of these films, you can be sure it either won an award or is up for several nominations, especially with the César Awards, the French equivalent of the Oscars coming up.

“You can’t go wrong: just pick a film that seems interesting to you, and you won’t be disappointed.”

This year’s line-up includes Couture, Angelina Jolie’s French-language debut. The film follows a director who faces a crisis while working at Paris Fashion Week. David-McGonnell says Jolie’s work in the film is superb.

“We were delighted to include Couture in our programme. Angelina Jolie is amazing in this film. She speaks French throughout, with only a bit of English.

“It’s fantastic to see such a talented actress work so well in a different language. Her mother was French Canadian, but French is not her first language, so it’s truly impressive.”

The festival will also mark the passing of French actress Brigitte Bardot with The Truth/La Vérité, which David-McGonnell says is one of her finest films.

“Bardot died recently, so we thought it would be fitting to screen what I think is her best film, The Truth/La Vérité is a 1960 classic that was nominated for an Oscar in the foreign-language category.

“It’s the story of a woman accused of killing her lover. Bardot was truly an incredible actress, and it is important for us to honour her.”

This year’s festival will also feature a special event to honour the career of Régis Wargnier, the celebrated French filmmaker. Wargnier will host a masterclass at UCC, followed by a Q&A with the director after a screening of his new film, Redress/La Réparation.

David-McGonnell explains why the festival chose to celebrate Wargnier’s work.

“Régis Wargnier is a very famous film director, known for several films, including the Oscar-winning Indochine with Catherine Deneuve. It makes perfect sense to have him at our festival, as he is renowned in the French-speaking world and beyond.

“We’ll be screening his latest film, Redress/La Réparation, which has just been released. Having a director who not only won an Oscar but has also just released a new film is truly special for the festival.”

The festival features a mix of genres, including Dog 51 / Chien 51, a science fiction film set in futuristic Paris where citizens are regulated by AI identification bracelets.

David-McGonnell describes it as “a very scary vision of what the future could be, and hopefully, that kind of situation will remain fiction for as long as possible.”

Case 137/Dossier 137 follows a woman who works in a special section of the French police that investigates violence committed by police officers. The story is set just after the 2018 French riots, as she investigates a case involving a young man who was injured during the unrest.

The film is a strong example of the French detective genre.

David-McGonnell says that Jean Valjean is a film that is close to her heart. It explores the origin of Victor Hugo’s iconic hero from his 1862 novel Les Misérables.

“They are all amazing films, and while we don’t pick favourites, Jean Valjean is very atmospheric. The photography is beautiful and deeply moving, but it is close to my heart because Jean Valjean is said to have been inspired by a real-life figure named Vidocq, who was from the town where I grew up, Arras, in the north of France.

“Vidocq was a former criminal who became a policeman and is known for creating techniques the police still use today, like lifting fingerprints.”

David-McGonnell says Colours Of Time / La Venue de l’avenir features beautiful images of another region close to her heart.

“While I’m from the north of France, part of my family is from Normandy, and this stunning film was shot across various locations in Normandy, showcasing its countryside and coastline.

“The story is also intriguing; it’s about distant cousins who don’t know each other but inherit a house and begin exploring their shared ancestry. The film unfolds across two eras: the present, with the cousins inheriting the house, and the past, revealing the life of their ancestor.”

This year’s festival also includes several short films, family films, and a special strand curated for post-primary students. David-McGonnell says the festival welcomes all attendees, regardless of whether they speak French.

“We have French-speaking people, but most of our audience does not have French as a first language, and many do not speak French at all. We welcome a mix of people: some who speak French, some who are learning, and others who are simply interested in good cinema. This festival is truly an opportunity to see great films, regardless of the language.

“While the films are in French because it is a French festival, what really matters is the quality of the stories and the films themselves.”

The Cork French Film Festival runs from March 2-8, https://corkfrenchfilmfestival.com