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
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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. Donkeyskin, published in the United States by Echo Library, 2006.
The queen dies. Before her last breath, she makes her husband promise that he will only marry a woman more beautiful than herself. The king finds only one person that meets these conditions: the princess, his own daughter.
“Donkey Skin” is told with the simplicity and beauty of a child’s fairy tale, but with emotional undertones and a surrealistic style that adults are more likely to appreciate.” –Chicago SunTimes
DATE: Friday, June 29th – 8:30PM (at dusk) LOCATION: Tompkins Square Park
TELL NO ONE | NE LE DIS A PERSONNE Directed by Guillaume Canet, 2006, France, Drama/Thriller, in French with English Subtitles, Not Rated, 131m Starring François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, André Dussollier, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Nathalie Baye, Jean Rochefort, François Berléand Based on the novel Tell No One by Harlan Coben, Dell Publishing, 2002, United States.
Alexandre Beck hasn’t gotten over the death of his wife, Margot, murdered eight years ago. While the memory of their relationship continues to haunt him, he receives an anonymous email with a link to an image of a crowd. In the image he sees a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Margot… Is she still alive?
Awards: 2007 César Awards, France – including Best Director, Best Actor
“Beautifully written and acted, “Tell No One” is a labyrinth in which to get deliriously lost… pure, nasty fun. I watched it twice. It was even better the second time.” –New York Times
DATE: Friday, July 6th – 8:30PM (at dusk) LOCATION: Riverside Park – Pier I at 70th Street
PERSEPOLIS Directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, 2007, France-USA, Animation/Drama, in French with English Subtitles, Rated PG-13, 95m With the voices of Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian, Gabrielle Lopes Benites Based on the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, L’Association, 2000, France. Persepolis, published in the United States by Random House, 2005.
A coming-of-age story told through the eyes of Marjane, a young Iranian girl growing up in Tehran and Vienna. She avidly follows the events that lead to the Iranian revolution and the downfall of the Shah’s regime. With the establishment of the Islamic Republic, Marjane comes to see herself as a revolutionary…
Awards: 2008 César Awards, France – including First Film, Best adapted Screenplay; 2007 Cannes Festival, France – Jury Prize
Press Contact: Kathryn Hamilton Tel: (646) 316 6926 — [email protected] french Culture in the united states
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“It’s striking how much emotion Satrapi is able to convey through these blocky drawings, which are simple but powerfully chosen.” –San Francisco Chronicle
DATE: Friday, July 13th – 8:30PM (at dusk) LOCATION: Riverside Park – Pier I at 70th Street
JULES AND JIM Directed by François Truffaut, 1962, France, Drama/Romance, in French and German with English Subtitles, Not Rated, 105m Starring Jeanne Moreau, Oscar Werner, Henri Serre, Vanna Urbino Based on the novel Jules et Jim by Henri-Pierre Roché, Gallimard, 1979, France. Jules and Jim, published in the United States by Marion Boyars, 2000.
Jules and Jim are inseparable friends who come to meet the free-spirited and capricious Catherine. The three become instant companions, determined to live their lives to the fullest despite the war around them. When Jules declares his love for Catherine, Jim agrees to let Jules pursue her, despite his own feelings…
“With this 1961 film Truffaut comes closest to the spirit and sublimity of his mentor, Jean Renoir, and the result is a masterpiece of the New Wave.” –Chicago Reader
DATE: Thursday, September 6th – 7:30PM (at dusk) LOCATION: Columbia University - Low Library Steps
Press Materials Photos: http://www.frenchculture.org/PR/Films-on-the-Green/Images_2012.zip Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FilmsontheGreen Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ #!/ FilmsontheGreen Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/FilmsontheGreen Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRUzQS9FeWg
About the Cultural Services of the French Embassy The French Cultural Services provides a platform and resources for cultural exchange between French and American artists, intellectuals, curators, and arts professionals. It is dedicated to creating new models for international dialogue in the arts and education from French and American perspectives. Based in New York City, Washington D.C., and eight other cities across the US, the Cultural Services’ principal fields of action are the arts, literature, cinema, French language programs and higher education.
Press Contact: Kathryn Hamilton Tel: (646) 316 6926 — [email protected]