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FRENCH CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES HIGHER EDUCATION, ARTS, FRENCH LANGUAGE For Immediate Release The 5th Annual Films on the Green Festival A series of free French screenings adapted from French and American literature in NYC parks Screening of “Two Days in Paris” (Deux Jours à Paris) by Julie Delpy at Columbia University, 2011 New York, May 2, 2012—The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the City of New York Parks & Recreation announce the return of its popular free outdoor series of French screenings. For the fifth consecutive year, Films on the Green will present French films in New York City parks in June and July, as well as a special screening at Columbia University in September. The 2012 Films on the Green Festival will feature 8 free French screenings all adapted from French and American literature. Through an array of different cinematic genres – thriller, comedy, drama, romance and musical, the 2012 line-up includes films adapted from a wide range of literary styles – fairy tale (“Donkey Skin”), poetry (“The Snows of Kilimanjaro”) and graphic novel (“Persepolis”) – and highlights how great French directors like François Truffaut, Jacques Demy or Costa-Gavras have adapted works of literature. The series begins on Friday June 1st in Central Park with the screening of the comedy “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” by the 2012 Oscar winning director of “The Artist,” Michel Hazanavicius. The film stars the talented Bérénice Bejo Press Contact: Kathryn Hamilton Tel: (646) 316 6926 — [email protected] FRENCH CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES HIGHER EDUCATION, ARTS, FRENCH LANGUAGE and 2012 Oscar winning actor Jean Dujardin who plays a James Bond-type with rather unorthodox methods. The film is based on the series of novel “OSS 117” by French writer Jean Bruce which was in fact the inspiration for the character “James Bond”. The festival continues in Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village, on Friday June 8th with the recent drama “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Robert Guédiguan – adapted from Victor Hugo’s poem “How Good are the Poor”– and on Friday June 15th with the family-movie “War of the Buttons” by Yves Robert, which was the first of many film adaptations of Louis Pergaud’s novel. Screenings in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village will feature the dark thriller “The Axe” by acclaimed director Costa-Gavras, adapted from the bestselling novel by Donald Edwin Westlake, on Friday June 22nd; and the classic musical “Donkey Skin” by Jacques Demy based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale on Friday 28th. The festival continues in Riverside Park – Pier I, Upper West Side, on Friday July 6th with the thriller “Tell No One” by Guillaume Canet starring François Cluzet, also known for his lead role in this year’s hit, “Intouchables” (Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache) and on Friday July 13th with the animation movie “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, which tells the story of Satrapi’s childhood in Iran and Austria. The series will conclude on Thursday September 6th on the campus of Columbia University with an iconic film of La Nouvelle Vague, “Jules and Jim” by François Truffaut presented in partnership with the Maison Française of Columbia University. All films are in French with English Subtitles and are free of charge. A full film description is available below. The youngest of the outdoor film festivals, Films on the Green is already a much-loved event of New York summers. The festival reached over 3,000 viewers in 2011 and, with the support of its official sponsors, Air France, BNP Paribas and TV5 Monde, the 2012 series will features 8 classic and contemporary French films in 5 different locations. DJs from New York University’s radio, WNYU 89.1 FM, will spin tunes before screenings. “The Parks Department is delighted to continue our partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy to bring this summer’s series of free, outdoor French film screenings to New York City parks,” said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “I encourage all New Yorkers to take advantage of this global cinematic tour and experience the joie de vivre of viewing films en plein air amid the tranquility and beauty of nature in New York City’s parks.” “Films on the Green is part of our continuing mission to make French cinema more accessible for the public,” said Antonin Baudry, Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy. “Our partnership with the Parks Department, The Maison Française of Columbia University, and the New York University’s radio, WNYU 89.1 FM, strengthens our commitment to increase student and younger-audience access to French art and culture.” Press Contact: Kathryn Hamilton Tel: (646) 316 6926 — [email protected] FRENCH CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES HIGHER EDUCATION, ARTS, FRENCH LANGUAGE The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the City of New York Parks & Recreation would like to thank their official sponsors: Air France, BNP Paribas and TV5 Monde. Films on the Green Festival Schedule Screenings at dusk June 1 - 8:30pm OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies, Central Park – Cedar Hill (79th St. & 5th Ave.) June 8 - 8:30pm The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Washington Square Park June 15 - 8:30pm War of the Buttons, Washington Square Park June 22 - 8:30pm The Axe, Tompkins Square Park June 29 - 8:30pm Donkey Skin, Tompkins Square Park July 6 - 8:30pm Tell No One, Riverside Park – Pier I (at 70th St) July 13 - 8:30pm Persepolis, Riverside Park – Pier I (at 70th St) Sept 6- 7:30pm Jules and Jim, Columbia University – Low Library Steps Film Descriptions OSS 117: CAIRO, NEST OF SPIES | OSS 117, LE CAIRE NID D’ESPIONS Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, 2006, France, Comedy Adventure, in French with English Subtitles, Not rated, 99m Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, Aure Atika, Philippe Lefebvre, Constantin Alexandrov, Saïd Amadis, Claude Brosset Based on OSS 117, a series of novels by Jean Bruce, Fleuve Noir, 1949-1963, France. In 1955, following the death of agent OSS 283, Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, agent OSS 117, is sent to Cairo to investigate and “secure the Middle East.” The deposed King Farouk wants to reclaim his throne while a group of religious fanatics called the “Eagles of Kheops” are on the verge of a holy war. Then, a Soviet ship loaded with weapons mysteriously disappears... Awards: 2006 Seattle International Film Festival – Audience Award “This inspired piece of silliness boasts gorgeous period design, deftly tweaks French colonial smugness and, in Jean Dujardin’s self-mocking playfulness as Agent 117, offers a charging comic turn, closer in spirit to Cary Grant than Mike Myers.” Vogue– DATE: Friday, June 1ST – 8:30PM (at dusk) – OPENING NIGHT LOCATION: Central Park, Cedar Hill at 79th Street and 5th Avenue Press Contact: Kathryn Hamilton Tel: (646) 316 6926 — [email protected] FRENCH CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES HIGHER EDUCATION, ARTS, FRENCH LANGUAGE THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO | LES NEIGES DU KILIMANDJARO Directed by Robert Guédiguian, 2011, France, Drama/Romance, in French with English Subtitles, Not rated, 107m Starring Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Ariane Ascaride, Gérard Meylan, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Anais Demoustier, Julie-Marie Parmentier Based on the poem Les Pauvres Gens from La Légende des Siècles by Victor Hugo, Lévy et Hetzel, 1859, France. How Good are the Poor from The Legend of the Ages, published in the United States by Oxford University Press, 2004. Despite losing his job, Michel lives happily with his wife Marie-Claire and their loving family and friends in Marseille. His happiness is shattered when he and his wife are robbed at gunpoint of their life savings by two mask-wearing thieves. The shock is even more devastating when they discover who the perpetuators are…. “[A] richly textured and hearty yet fable-like view of domestic intimacy and social conflict” New– Yorker DATE: Friday, June 8th – 8:30PM (at dusk) LOCATION: Washington Square Park WAR OF THE BUTTONS | LA GUERRE DES BOUTONS Directed by Yves Robert, 1962, France, Comedy, in French with English Subtitles, Not Rated, 90m Starring André Treton, Jacques Dufilho, Jean Richard Based on the novel La Guerre des Boutons by Louis Pergaut, Editeur Mornay, 1912, France. War of the Buttons, published in the United Kingdom by Walker Publishing House, 1968. With every new school year, children from the village of Longeverne quarrel with those from Velrans. One year, Braque and his friends come up with the idea of pulling the buttons off from their rivals’ clothes so that they will get punished by their parents. Inevitably, war breaks out between the two groups of kids... “It is too bad that all the hostilities in this world cannot be as harmless and droll as those represented in “The War of the Buttons.” –New York Times DATE: Friday, June 15th – 8:30PM (at dusk) LOCATION: Washington Square Park THE AXE | LE COUPERET Directed by Costa-Gavras, 2005, France-Belgium-Spain, Drama/Thriller, in French and Dutch with English Subtitles, Not Rated, 122m Starring José Garcia, Karin Viard, Olivier Gourmet, Yolande Moreau Based on the novel The Ax by Donald Edwin Westlake, Mysterious Press, 1997, United States. Bruno Davert, a business executive in a paper company, is fired when his company downsizes. Still jobless two years later, he is willing to do anything to get a job - even if it means killing his more qualified rivals… “A jet-black social comedy marbled with delectably handled close calls, “The Ax” puts the merciless world of downsizing, outsourcing and other capitalist trends on the chopping block.” –Variety DATE: Friday, June 22nd – 8:30PM (at dusk) LOCATION: Tompkins Square Park Press Contact: Kathryn Hamilton Tel: (646) 316 6926 — [email protected] FRENCH CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES HIGHER EDUCATION, ARTS, FRENCH LANGUAGE DONKEY SKIN | PEAU D’ANE Directed by Jacques Demy, 1970, France, Fantasy/Musical, in French with English Subtitles, Not Rated, 90m Starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Marais, Jacques Perrin, Delphine Seyrig, Micheline Presle Based on the fairy tale Peau d’Ane by Charles Perrault, Les Coignard, 1694, France.