French cinema is celebrated UK-wide in 24 leading cinemas and especially at Ciné Lumière for
the 25th French Film Festival UK (at Ciné Lumière from 2 to 9 November and nationwide until 10 December).
Presenting an unparalleled selection of French and Francophone cinema, this 25th edition features a wealth of genres to suit all tastes and impressive performances from an array of stellar names and emerging talents.
Festival goers will have a chance to catch some of the most anticipated movies by first class directors, from François Ozon’s erotic thriller Amant Double (2 Nov) to Lover For a Day (L’Amant d’un jour, 7 Nov), Philippe Garrel’s exquisite black & white exploration of the human desire, from Laurent Cantet’s latest opus, The Workshop (L’Atelier, 4 Nov) tackling contemporary social issues to Jacques Doillon’s take on the French sculptor Rodin (3 Nov), with Vincent Lindon in the title role.
This year’s edition features other major biopics, such as Gauguin (5 Nov) with Vincent Cassel focusing on the Tahitian years of the French painter and inspired by his own book of journeys and Redoubtable (8 Nov) in which Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) charts the relationship of Jean-Luc Godard with his actress Anne Wiazemsky around May 1968 riots in Paris.
On the 150th birthday of the scientist, we’ll be showing a preview of Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge 7 Nov), recounting the life of the first woman to receive, not only one, but two Nobel prizes. We’ll also pay tribute to two absolute icons of French song, Barbara (9 Nov) embodied by Jeanne Balibar, a film within a film directed by Mathieu Amalric, and Dalida (9 Nov), reviving the splendour and misery of the pop star.
Several talents will be attending the Festival, including directors Nicolas Silhol (Corporate, 2 Nov), Raja Amari
(Foreign Body, 5 Nov), Marie Noëlle (Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge, 7 Nov) and Lisa Azuelos (Dalida, 9 Nov). Blandine Lenoir will be joined by her lead actress, the multi-talented Agnès Jaoui for the UK Premiere of Aurore (3 Nov).
Classics are also on the menu with the special screenings on restored prints of Joseph Losey’s Monsieur Klein (5 Nov) and Claude Berri’s Jean de Florette (8 Nov) and Manon des sources (9 Nov).
