CELEBRATING 25 YEARS Canberra 6 – 25 Mar Gold Sponsor Exhibition Partner Festival Partners NATIONAL SPONSORS NATIONAL Official Airline Partner National Sponsors Supporting Sponsors Media Partners Charity Partner OPENING NIGHT FILM GIGGLE AND GRIN 6 The Finishers 43 Cycling with Molière 44 On the Other Side of CLOSING NIGHT CLASSIC CONTENTS the Tracks VOTED BY YOU! 45 Quai d’Orsay 7 Vote from a selection of 47 Under the Rainbow 6 movies by film director, 49 Wrestling Queens Jacques Tati FAMILY TIES LOVE IS IN THE AIR 50 A Castle in Italy 8 2 Autumns, 3 Winters 51 Attila Marcel 9 Bright Days Ahead 53 Family Matters 11 Folies Bergère 54 Going Away 12 Friends from France 55 Homeland 13 Grand Central 56 Taking Off 15 It Boy 57 True Friends 16 Just a Sigh 17 Populaire KIDDIES KORNER 19 Venus in Fur 59 Billy and Buddy 60 Kirikou and the Men LIFE STORIES and Women 20 Camille Claudel 1915 61 My Mommy is in America and 21 Domestic Life She Met Buffalo Bill 23 Jappeloup 25 Mademoiselle C. LOVE FROM THE FIFO, TAHITI 26 Me, Myself and Mum 62 And Sail to the Australes 27 Michael Kohlhaas 63 Jacques Brel, 28 Suzanne the Home Stretch 29 Violette 63 La Monique, a Caledonian Wound VENTURES AND ADVENTURES 31 11.6 66 FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS 32 Belle and Sebastian 70 SCREENING SCHEDULE 33 Möbius 34 Our Heroes Died Tonight 78 TICKETING INFORMATION 35 Tour de Force & FESTIVAL CONDITIONS 37 Turning Tide TRIBUTE TO A MASTER: FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT 38 Finally, Sunday! 39 Jules and Jim 39 The 400 Blows BIENVENUE! Stéphane Romatet Ambassador of France to Australia In 1989, the combined teams of the French Embassy, the Alliances Françaises of Australia and Palace Cinemas launched the first exhibition of a “little” festival of French films. Twenty-five years later, the “Alliance Française French Film Festival” has become one of the biggest events in the world for promotion of our cinema. Each year, the Festival spreads French culture throughout Australia and attracts ever growing audiences. It is a real success that is repeated year after year, supported by a viewing public of more than 130,000 moviegoers, to whom I offer my most sincere thanks for their faithful attendance. Therefore, this year we celebrate our 25th anniversary, for which we propose a selection of moving, funny and touching French films that will captivate all attendees. I am sure that Julia Zemiro, who does us the honour of being the Patron of our Festival, would agree whole-heartedly with the great selection. There will be special guests, a tribute to François Truffaut, exclusive films, renewed partnerships plus a seventh participating city, all of which are on the menu for this exceptional Festival year. We hope always that there will be many of you with us to blow out the 25 candles. These past 25 years would not have been possible without the support of our partners and sponsors, without the involvement of Palace Cinemas, without the professionalism of teams from the Alliances Françaises and the French Embassy, and without UniFrance films, Institut Français, the French and Australian cinema professionals and all of the volunteers who give of themselves, each year, with such passion. We wish to celebrate this greatly anticipated occasion with all of you, which is why we wanted you, the audience, to choose the closing night film. I therefore invite as many of you as possible to go to www.affrenchfilmfestival.org to vote for your choice. The Alliance Française French Film Festival carries high the colours of French cinema in Australia. It partners a changing industry, one founded on creativity and quality. The Festival bears witness to our strong points - passion serving excellence and diversity. After all, it embodies the richness and depth of the relationship that unites Australia and France. In this year, in which we will also commemorate the centenary of the First World War with Australia, it heartens me to see that our friendship is vibrant, strong and rooted as much in history as it is in culture. A very happy anniversary and a long life to the Alliance Française French Film Festival! Julia Zemiro, Festival Patron “Born in Aix-en-Provence and raised in Sydney, I was schooled in a little French primary school in the heart of Bondi. In the playground, I was an early translator between French kids and Aussie kids. I stopped fights. Didn’t everyone have two languages? It’s been a vital link to my French dad and my Australian mother’s passion for teaching it. French films and music have always been in my life in Australia, often the only way of keeping in touch with ‘over there’, so I am delighted to be the Patron of the Alliance Française French Film Festival. Now…turn your mobiles off, block out that world, sit back and enter a new one.” The Alliances Françaises Promotion of the French Language Promotion of the French Arts and Culture 142 Cultural events nationally 9,061 Students Festival organised by the AF of Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. “A FEEL-GOOD SPORT FILM WHERE THE IMPOSSIBLE HAPPENS ” The Film Stage OPENING NIGHT FILM NIGHT OPENING AUSTRALIAN PREMIÈRE THE FINISHERS De toutes nos forces FRANCE DRAMA 95 MINS 2014 PG DIRECTOR NILS TAVERNIER CAST JACQUES GAMBLIN, ALEXANDRA LAMY, FABIEN HÉRAUD, SOPHIE DE FÜRST, PABLO PAULY, XAVIER MATHIEU Wheelchair-bound teenager Julien (Fabien Héraud) is the apple of his mother’s eye, but he yearns for the approval of his brooding and bitter father, Paul (Jacques Gamblin). With his youth as an Ironman champion behind him, Paul distances himself from his disabled son. When Julien suggests the seemingly crazy idea that they join forces to compete in a triathlon in Nice, an incredible journey of persistence and determination begins. The characters are inspired by a true story in this emotionally involving film that will melt the hardest heart. It features moving and fully committed performances from a terrific cast, including Alexandra Lamy as Julien’s mother, Claire. With Rocky-esque training montages and nail-biting sequences in the stunning mountains of Nice (shot at the actual 2012 Ironman competition), director Nils Tavernier turns the conventions of the sports film on its head. You might even be inspired to run yourself after seeing this stirring family story! 6 OPENING NIGHT FILM CLOSING NIGHT CLASSIC VOTED BY YOU! BE A FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER! Vote online for one of the following Jacques Tati classics to be screened on the closing night! VOTE BY 12 FEBRUARY MIDNIGHT. FILM NIGHT CLOSING ONE SCREENING ONLY www.affrenchfilmfestival.org RESTORED VERSIONS CLOSING NIGHT CLASSIC - VOTED BY YOU! 7 “A ROM-COM FULL OF CHARM” Télérama LOVE IS IN THE AIR 2 AUTUMNS, 3 WINTERS 2 Automnes, 3 Hivers FRANCE COMEDY, ROMANCE 90 MINS 2013 CTC DIRECTOR SÉBASTIEN BETBEDER CAST VINCENT MACAIGNE, MAUD WYLER, BASTIEN BOUILLON, THOMAS BLANCHARD, JEAN-QUENTIN CHÂTELAIN Thirty-three year old Aman (Vincent Macaigne) decides to start his new life with an evening jog – and literally runs into the love of his life, Amélie (Maud Wyler). Aman’s best friend Benjamin (Bastien Bouillon) suffers from a mild stroke – which leads him to physical therapist Katia (Audrey Bastien). So begins this fresh and surprising comedy about love, accidents and memories by exciting young director Sébastien Betbeder. 2 Autumns, 3 Winters combines cool performances from its good-looking, hipster cast with an unpredictable freewheeling style that is utterly charming. Vincent Macaigne is fast becoming one of the most recognisable and sought- after actors in French cinema. A Gondry-esque talent to watch, director Sébastien Betbeder loves to make sly and hilarious references to anything from Robert Bresson to Judd Apatow, but still gives his story a genuinely romantic heart. Snappy, poignant and above all entertaining, 2 Autumns, 3 Winters is a feel-good blast. 8 LOVE IS IN THE AIR “THOUGHTFUL AND TOUCHING OLD AGE DRAMEDY THAT FEATURES STRONG PERFORMANCES FROM A SEASONED CAST” The Hollywood Reporter AUSTRALIAN PREMIÈRE BRIGHT DAYS AHEAD Les beaux jours FRANCE COMEDY, DRAMA, ROMANCE 94 MINS 2013 CTC DIRECTOR MARION VERNOUX CAST FANNY ARDANT, LAURENT LAFITTE, PATRICK CHESNAIS, JEAN-FRANÇOIS STÉVENIN, FANNY COTTENÇON Bright Days Ahead is a tender and frank romantic comedy about taking control and enjoying your life at any age – even if it means breaking the rules and subverting expectations. When Caroline (Fanny Ardant) retires she finds that her newfound freedom quickly turns to boredom. Taking the plunge and joining a seniors’ club, she strikes up a relationship with a young computer science teacher and local ladies’ man, Julien (Laurent Lafitte), who is half her age. This soon turns into a passionate amour fou, complicated by their age difference, Caroline’s marriage and Julien’s string of other lovers. French cinema favourite Fanny Ardant is radiant as the spirited Caroline embracing a second chance at life, and Laurent Lafitte, also seen in this year’s On the Other Side of the Tracks, is both smouldering and smitten as the young man in love. The superb cast of older actors includes Patrick Chesnais who gives a heartbreaking and restrained supporting performance as Caroline’s wronged yet understanding husband. LOVE IS IN THE AIR 9 7 SEATS 360° CAMERA VIEW PANORAMIC TOUCH SCREEN INTERNATIONALLY WINDSCREEN ACLAIMMED WORLD PREMIÈRE FOLIES BERGÈRE Folies Bergère FRANCE COMEDY 98 MINS 2014 CTC DIRECTOR MARC FITOUSSI CAST ISABELLE HUPPERT, JEAN-PIERRE DARROUSSIN, MICHAEL NYQVIST, PIO MARMAÏ, AUDREY DANA, ANAÏS DEMOUSTIER A new comedy starring the fabulous Isabelle Huppert is always worth celebrating, and the Festival is thrilled to present the World Première screenings of the wonderfully charming and poignant Folies Bergère.