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7 November to 7 December 2013 www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk London I Edinburgh I Glasgow I Aberdeen I Dundee I Inverness I Bo'ness I Kirkcaldy I Warwick The Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, known locally as the “Caley ”, is one of Edinburgh’s most significant landmarks ... Located at the heart of the hotel, Peacock Alley is a stunning setting for The chic but informal Galvin Brasserie de Luxe brings guests and locals alike Parisian style to the heart of Edinburgh and the design to meet, relax and “to theme pays homage to the grand urban French bistros see and be seen” of Paris and Lyon, with its highly polished surfaces, ceramic tiles, archetypal lighting, and reflecting mirrors. Princes Street Edinburgh EH1 2AB T: (44) 131 222 8888 www.thecaledonian.waldorfastoria.com INDEX Crème de la crème! Sylvain Chomet goes live 4 After last year’s celebration of two decades of the crème de la crème of French and Francophone Attila Marcel gala premiere 5 cinema, this year’s French Film Festival UK (7 November to 7 December 2013) comes of age at 21. Among the delights, treasures and surprises in store for an equally auspicious anniversary Guests 6 –7 are more than 30 new films, UK premières, classics, documentaries, animation, shorts, and a wide range of guests. Preview 9 – 14 Highlights include the return of Sylvain Chomet , the Festival’s honorary patron who gave us the animated joy of Belleville Rendez-vous and The Illusionist , for the UK premiere of Attila Marce l, Maurice Pialat Tribute 15 – 17 his first live action feature. Actor turned director Daniel Auteuil takes a brief detour to London from his current stage Louis de Funès 18 – 19 appearance in Paris to support the impending UK release of the first two parts of the Marius-Fanny-César trilogy by Marcel Pagnol . This Marseille masterwork will be widely Panorama Horizons 21 – 26 seen including Marseille’s twin city Glasgow. A beautifully restored version of Lola , Jacques Demy ’s debut, is set to enchant all over again. Bernadette Lafont – in memory 27 Fondation Gan and Fondation Technicolor in collaboration with Demy’s widow Agnès Varda , his son Mathieu Demy and Ciné Tamaris have all helped to make it possible with screen Demy’s Lola reborn 30 – 31 legend Anouk Aimée set to appear in London. Jean-Pierre Améris , a previous festival guest for Romantics Anonymous , delivers in person Discovery Horizons 33 – 38 around the country a gloriously theatrical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel, The Man Who Laughs with Gérard Depardieu . Discovery Cult 38 The multi-faceted Belgian actress Yolande Moreau also makes an appearance – for her second film as a director Henri. Documentaries 41 Maurice Pialat , the seminal director who passed away ten years ago after working with some of the greats of French cinema, among them, Sandrine Bonnaire, Gérard Depardieu, Isabelle Philip French 42 Huppert, and Nathalie Baye, will be remembered in special tribute screenings of Loulou (with Depardieu and Huppert). Jean-Michel Frodon 43 Comedy genuis Louis de Funès receives a special focus to mark the 30th anniversary of his death with screenings of two of his greatest hits plus the world premiere of a documentary Short Cuts 44 – 45 Louis de Funès Forever , directed by Gregory Monro and Catherine Benazeth who will attend to talk about him. Learning 48 – 49 Meanwhile the late Bernadette Lafont , one of the most iconic actresses of the New Wave, will be seen in her final two memorable screen appearances in the popular hit Paulette as well What’s on, where and when 52 – 53 as Attila Marcel. Philip French , the doyen of film reviewers and now retired after 50 years, will present his Tickets and booking 54 – 55 favourite French film of all time while Jean-Michel Frodon (a former editor of film bible Cahiers du Cinéma ) has chosen his best Francophone Film of the Year. Cast and crew 58 – 59 Add in documentaries from the likes of Nicolas Philibert , the talents of tomorrow on show in an eclectic programme of award-winning short films, as well as a host of encounters with Thanks 60 actors and directors, and audiences have an embarras de richesses . Such a feast would not happen without the support of audiences, funders, sponsors, cinema Dordogne evening 61 and industry colleagues, volunteers, interns, and donors to whom we are pleased to record our sincere appreciation. Richard Mowe, Director French Film Festival UK Ilona Morison, Deputy Director French Film Festival UK Cover image Anouk Aimée in Lola © 2012 Ciné-Tamaris – Fondation Groupama Gan – Fondation Technicolor Certificates in this brochure are advisory FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL UK 2013 // 3 gala premiere Chomet on the fast track When the French Film Festival’s patron Sylvain “There is something really nice about live Chomet attended the 20th edition last year action,” Chomet said. Previously he had made and received an honorary degree from the a live-action short as part of Paris, je t’aime University of Edinburgh he promised to return (a portmanteau film with a range of directors this year with the UK premiere of his new film shooting in different parts of the city and shown Attila Marcel . As good as his word, his first live at the French Film Festival UK in 2007. “I really action feature is this year’s gala opening in his discovered the magic of working with actors presence. Emmerick West finds out about the while I was shooting it, and I appreciated the transition from animation. relationship between a director and the actors. They really bring so much to the film.” The title of Attila Marcel came from a song director Sylvain Chomet wrote for his animated Chomet also said on his animated films he hit The Triplets of Belleville . He describes it prefers to hand each major character off to a as an ersatz Edith Piaf number, which he different animator so that they become deeply discovered many people cover straight-faced involved with the character in the same way an on YouTube. actor would with a role. He explains: “I had the title and I knew it was “I’ve always made animation as if it was a going to be a film but at that time I didn’t know live-action film. I try to make it look almost real, if it would be an animated film or a live-action the way it’s edited is not really like an animated film. When I started to write the script it was film,” he said. “I try to have continuity in definitely going to be live action,” he continued. between the shots like live action. “I hadn’t been used to writing dialogues in my “I was always thinking of live action but came to animated films – I don’t like to write lip-synced live action through animation. That was a way material – but soon realised how nice it was to for me to get into live action. Animation is film- write dialogues for real actors.” making, it’s the same thing. And you really train Chomet said he did not storyboard his shots as a director when you do animation. You get Sylvain Chomet – "I really discovered in advance and tried to keep post-production the eye, the sense of composition and timing.” the magic of working with actors..." tinkering to a minimum. Working with Chomet doesn’t think of Attila Marcel as a cinematographer Antoine Roch along with musical but rather “a film with a lot of music.” production designer Carlos Conti, he tried to He had a hand in composing the music for the keep what was captured on the day as close as film himself, along with Franck Monbaylet. possible to what audiences would see. Among the film’s most arresting images are raindrops Recalling the long production process of The falling on a ukulele, gently plucking notes from Illusionist he said: “Live action is very similar to its strings. animation apart from the fact that animation takes ages and live action goes really fast.” FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL UK 2013 // 4 gala premiere Attila Marcel (15) Sylvain Chomet evokes memories of Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati in his first live-action film, about a mute, sweet-natured man-child whose reawakened childhood memories unleash marvellous musical fantasies. With The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist , Chomet created animated films of unusual wit and delicacy, charming audiences with stories and characters that seemed to emerge from some gentler era. Now for his first live-action feature film, Chomet recreates that era with all the visual invention of his animated work. Paul is a sweet man-child, raised – and smothered – by his two eccentric aunts in Paris since the death of his parents when he was a toddler. Now 33, he still does not speak. Paul's aunts have only one dream for him: to win piano competitions. Although Paul practices dutifully, he remains unfulfilled until he submits to the interventions of his upstairs neighbour. Suitably named after the novelist, Madame Proust offers Paul a concoction that unlocks repressed memories from his childhood and awakens the most delightful of fantasies. Guillaume Gouix (a guest at last year’s French Film Festival UK for Mobile Home ) plays Paul as an innocent lifted from a silent comedy, his face welcoming the strangest of sights with simple, open curiosity. And Chomet gives Paul much to witness. The rails of a staircase become a musical instrument. Ukuleles take on totemic force. A tango-dancing scene between Paul's parents shifts to wrestling, and back again.

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