French Film Festival Canberra

words by annie brown

We have a lot to thank the French for. They gave us baguettes, they gave us camembert, alas they even gave us champagne!

It’s not just the culinary contributions we should be thankful for; the cultural and artistic contributions are just as rich.

Take French film for example- subtle, moody and full of innuendo- it has a certain je ne sais quoi, non?

Delightfully, this month sees the Alliance Francaise Film Festival come to Canberra- the largest film festival of French films outside France.

Running from 9 March- 4 April, the event will be held at Palace Electric in New Acton, a boutique-style cinema where you can bring in your food and drinks (it would almost be rude not to bring in some wine!) and incidentally a stones-throw from QT Canberra where you can head for a post-movie meal.

Our picks?

Lost in Paris
Prepare to accompany one kooky Canadian as she embarks on a whimsical trip through France’s great city in this charming and entirely unique comedy which stars the two long-time Brussels-based theatre actor-directors (and real life couple) Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel.

Fiona’s (Gordon) orderly and precise life in Canada is thrown into chaos when she receives a letter of distress from her 93-year-old Aunt Martha (Academy Award-nominee Emmanuelle Riva, Amour, 2012) who is living in Paris. Immediately jumping to action, Fiona arrives in the city of lights only to discover that Martha has disappeared. So begins a hysterical search crammed with one spectacular disaster after another as Fiona desperately scours the city with her oversized red backpack, all the while tailed by an infatuated Dom (Abel), an affable, but annoying tramp who won’t leave her alone.

Souvenir
The inimitable Isabelle Huppert graces this year’s Festival in this touching and endearing romantic comedy about a woman leading a secluded life who is hiding a secret past.

An unassuming model employee in a pâté factory, Liliane’s (Huppert) monotonous routine is thrown into disarray when one day at work she meets the 22-year-old aspiring boxer Jean, who excitedly recognises her from a European singing competition she almost won many years before. Jean’s enthusiasm encourages Liliane to rediscover her talents and glory, bringing her out of the shadows and back into the spotlight. However, as Liliane’s celebrity rises, Jean begins to learn the reasons that her past fame was so short-lived as old ghosts and bad habits from her bitter past resurface.

For your Frenchie fix, head on over here.