When I say “French Cinema” what do you think of?
It’s probably not Luis Bunuel’s bizarrely fantastic Un Chien Andalou or the haunting violence bubbling on the surface of Guillaume Canet’s Ne Le Dis à Personne that you’re thinking about, right?
Nope. I knew it!…I know you’re all thinking about all those lovely naked girls on a balcony in the fifth arrondissement, daintily smoking their cigarettes after a strenuous afternoon making love by the open window. You may laugh, but I know that’s how many people see the French cinema. And in some sense, there’s nothing wrong with that…
Whether we like it or not, we all have a certain voyeurism that pulses through our bloodstreams. We are enthralled by the lives of others. We go to the cinema to step out of our lives for a hundred minutes or so and into someone else’s. Whether it’s out of our own insecurities, fear, jealousy, hope, triumphs or failures, we go to the movies to do just that; to take a peek at someone else’s life.
This year the fifth annual French Film Festival bursts onto the New Zealand screens to, quite simply, celebrate the lives of others – the meals they cook, the music they listen to, the people they kiss, the heavy heartache, the happiness, and the bizarre volatility of their lives and ours in this world we live in. The magical thing about this festival is that we can discover a bit about someone else by escaping into another culture. Let’s face it, there’s nothing that a pinch of excitement, emotion, and amour can’t solve.
From Canet’s star-studded ‘dramedy’ Little White Lies, to Michel Gondry’s intimate The Thorn in the Heart, to the sugar-coated chick-flick All That Glitters – there’s certainly a little snippet of life for everyone at the French Film Festival this year. There’s a range of characters to fall in love with (pity Canet’s behind the camera), as well as their love for life, and commitment to family values and living.
I know for a fact that I will never become a Burlesque dancer. But in the dazzling, award-winning On Tour (Tournée) the fabulous Mathieu Almaric gives me a magical two and a half hours to catch a glimpse of what life could have been, had I chosen that particular path. For that mere twelfth of my day I forget about the deadlines at work, what to cook for dinner, and the dire state of my bank balance, and I become a girl transported into the wings of a world bursting with colour, imagination, and exuberance. That, my friends, is the magic of cinema. So, go and get your tickets to the Festival today to step out of your shoes and into someone else’s. “La France va vous ADORER!”
L’Oréal Paris presents the fifth annual French Film Festival
Wellington: February 8 – 17 at the Penthouse Cinema
Auckland: February 16 – 24 at the Academy Cinema and Victoria Picture Palace
Christchurch: February 22 – March 2 at the Regent on Worcester
Ticket prices and screening times can be found here.
Or follow the Festival on Twitter.
Article written by: Sarah Reese, Festival Coordinator, French Film Festival 2011
Other articles by Sarah just click on this link.
I want my naked girls on the balcony DVD please! As for you becoming a burlesque dancer, don ‘t give up on your dreams yet!
Maybe we could put a Travel Bloggers show on in Paris in the summer. Any takers!!??? Jools?
Great article – Wish you every success. Have attended
a few French Film Festivals in Auckland – Great education
but suffer with sub-titles so concentration is a must, so much going on. Took photo in July 2010, while staying in Reese’s
Apartment of Polly Maggoo’s just down the road – is that
the balcony where the girls smoke and relax after a hectic
work out ??? Its a busy place, great to people watch. Did not see the girls though. Wonderful memories of our
night attending the Moulin Rouge in 2008 – Oh the joys of Paris, and any other City of the World – great experiences.
I’m not allowed to watch this sort of stuff….
Ooh la la! I didn’t see any of those “lovely naked girls on a balcony” during my stay in the 5th arrondissement — too cold, I think!
I also agree with Jools that you shouldn’t give up on a burlesque career — anything is possible.
Enjoy the festival!
Yes, hold on to those dreams John. Never give up!!
When I think of French Film Festivals, how do you not think of Cannes? As for Paris, I watched an actual movie there once in Montparnasse. Other than that, I know nothing of French Film Festivals or naked girls on balconies! Both sound…interesting!
Thanks Jeremy. Yes Cannes is the focal point for French films, but also films from all over the world – even films about love stories in Estonia!! Keep watching the balcony!
French films are my absolute favourite…these sound brilliant. Too bad we aren’t in the cities on the right dates! =(
I love french films! Will keep this in mind!
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