By Travis Johnson
If you can’t get to France, France will come to you – at least between January 19 – February 19, when UniFrance’s MyFrenchFilmFestival, now in its eigth year, is running.
A streaming film festival designed to showcase the best that Francophone cinema has to offer, MyFrenchFilmFestival offers a fantastic range of French shorts and features – 30 in all, organised into six categories: What the F…rench!?, Hit the Road!, Teen Stories, French and Furious, Love A la Française, and New Horizons.
Titles this year include:
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Written and directed by Guillaume Canet and starring Marion Cotillard, Gilles Lellouche, and Johnny Hallyday (in his final role), Rock ‘n’ Roll sees Canet and Cotillard play themselves into a parodic meta-fiction that sees Canet grappling with a severe mid-life crisis after a co-star tells him he’s not “rock ‘n’ roll” enough.
Ava
Directed by Léa Mysius and starring Noée Abita, Laure Calamy, Juan Cano, and Tamara Cano, Ava tells the stroy of a 13 year old girl who learns she is going blind while on a summer vacation.
Before Summer Ends
Written and directed by Maryam Goormaghtigh. A young man who has decided to return to Iran after five years in Paris is taken on a countryside trip by two friends.
Swagger
Directed by Olivier Babinet, this documentary takes us into the minds of eleven children and teenagers growing up at some of France’s most underprivileged housing projects.
Into the Forest
Directed by Gilles Marchand and starring Jérémie Elkaïm, Timothé Vom Dorp, Théo Van de Voorde, and Mika Zimmerman. Two young boys vacationing with their divorced father at a remote cabin become concerned when it becomes apparent their father does not want to leave.
In Bed With Victoria
Written and directed by Justine Triet and starring Virginie Efira, Vincent Lacoste, Melvil Poupaud, and Laurent Poitrenaux. A frenetic screwball comedy in which a criminal defence attroney gets caught up in the life of a former client who has been accused of murder.
All the films are available to stream for the duration of the festival, with short films available for free, while features cost €1.99 each, or €7.99 to access all available films.
A jury headed by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Youth) and including directors Julia Ducournau (Raw), Kim Chapiron (Sheitan, Dog Pound), Nabil Ayouch (Les Chevaux de Dieu, Much Loved), and Brillante Mendoza (Kinatay, Captive, Ma’ Rosa) will give out the Filmmaker’s Jury Award, while audience members can cast their lot in the Lacoste Audience Awards (feature film and short film) and be in the running for a trip for two to Paris. Meanwhile, the International Press Award (feature film and short film) will be judged by a jury of foreign film journalists.
For more information, head to the official site.
