A scene from 'Impasse du desir'. Courtesy Cinéfranco.
French auteurs Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard redefined cinema by challenging traditional conventions and creating films that were uniquely original and energizing. Their works have inspired and influenced countless directors internationally, such as Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and Brian De Palma. French language cinema continues to be highly regarded and renowned worldwide, and next weekend the 2011 Cinéfranco film festival begins, celebrating everything francophone from across the globe (France, Algeria, Belgium) to close to home (Quebec).
Running from March 25 to April 3, this year’s lineup includes 27 feature films, 7 documentaries, and 10 shorts. Screenings will take place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and at the NFB Mediatheque.
Cinéfranco’s opening night film is Impasse du desir, a psychological thriller about a psychiatrist (Quebec actor Rémy Girard) suffering from the discovery that his wife is having an affair. He hatches a dark scheme to relieve his pain – looking to a psychotic and depressed patient as the perfect solution.
Director Michael Rodde will present the film and Rémy Girard will be in attendance at the screening.
Films to look out for:
Unleashed (Dir. Raymond Vouillamoz) – a 19-year-old intern sees footage of herself in a 1970s broadcast and when she talks to her grandparents about it, they get tense and tight-lipped…
Mammuth (Dir. Gustave Kervern & Benoît Delépine) – a recently retired man (Gérard Depardieu) discovers that he is ineligible for his pension because he is missing paperwork from his past employers. He journeys across France on his 1970 Mammuth bike, having a series of adventures along the way.
5 Brothers (Dir. Alexandre Arcady) – a man on the run from the Marseille Mafia seeks shelter from his family and reveals a secret about the death of their father. This is the closing film of the Cinéfranco festival.
Tickets to Cinéfranco are $12 for adults, $10 for students. For more information, visit the Cinéfranco website at cinefranco.com.
Fraser Turnbull is a Toronto-based blogger.
