Georgetown francophiles are humming like a well-oiled Renault this week with Wednesday night’s lecture from French Ambassador Jean David Levitte, along with the upcoming French Film Festival in Richmond, Va., this weekend. Held at Virginia Commonwealth University, the festival promises the best and the latest from France, sans Gerard Depardieu.
The VCU French Film Festival began in 1993 in efforts to promote French language cinema and culture in the United States, in addition to creating Franco-American cultural and corporate partnerships. Initially, the festival showed films otherwise not shown by American distributors, in conjunction with teleconferences with the actors and directors. Audience members were able to ask questions across the Atlantic, and filmmakers were able to get feedback on their work.
The support for the festival has grown so large that the film showing was moved to the historic Byrd Theatre, where an old man plays the Wurlitzer on Saturdays. Actors and directors are now crossing the pond to meet their larger audiences, and, in 2003, the French government formally declared the festival the largest of its kind in the United States.
In total there are 11 feature films and 14 courts m?tranges. One of the more interesting short films, entitled Gouille et Gar, is the story of a 786-year-old relationship between two bickering Notre Dame gargoyles. It’s distinctively French, as they wear no clothing.
The description of La Collection de Judica?l reads “A man sits at home, alone, surrounded by a collection of hundreds of glass jars, all empty. Or so it seems …” And if you just can’t shake that being-a-do-gooder thing ever since you saw Amelie guiding the blind man, Le Fabuleux Destin de Perrin Martin is a spin-off on the story of the girl who skipped stones, and, well, is all about someone like you.
The short film L’homme Sans T?te, the story of a man who decides to purchase a head for his “gentleman caller”, was the winner of the Prix du Jury Award at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival and also won a C?sar for Best Short Film.
The feature film La Petite Lili, the story of an aspiring actress who falls in love and runs away with her friend’s mother’s boyfriend, is best known for the breakout role of Julie Depardieu (much easier on the eye than the likes of good ol’ Cyrano). Her performance won her the C?sar for best female actor.
The VCU French Film Festival is being held Mach. 26-28 at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Va. Ticket information is available online at www.frenchfilm.vcu.edu.
