France the birthplace of cinema is taking a new leap in the field of cinema. The recent silent film, The Artist directed by Michel Hazanavicius is the best example of this.
Alliance Française, Panaji is promoting French cinema in Goa by way of a film festival that will start from February 23. NT BUZZ delved further to find out more about French cinema and the other events planned by Alliance Française
By Arti Das | NT BUZZ
Cinema is a visual medium of communications that also reflects the society and culture it represents. When we speak about cinema, it is incomplete without mentioning the contribution of France - the birthplace of cinema.
During film festivals movie buffs are naturally inclined towards French cinema as these are films that speak about people, relationships, and issues and convey the story in a most simple manner, but with a deeper philosophy.
To celebrate this cinema, Sunaparanta, Goa Centre for the Arts in association with Alliance Française, Panaji, Institut Français and République Fraçaise are hosting the French Film Festival, which will be held from February 23 to 26.
“Through this film festival we are trying to promote the French film culture as we know, in India, French cinema is not very popular,” says Karine Christophe, deputy director, Alliance Française, Panaji.
During this festival they are showing four films, for consecutive days, of different genres. “These are all recent movies with the oldest from the year 2004 and latest from 2010. They are of various genres like comedy, romance comedy, drama and animation. We want people to come in and have a good time while watching this cinema,” adds Karine.
Elaborating about French cinema she maintained that though it is not as big as Hollywood or Bollywood, it is still the third largest market for cinema after USA and India. “It is the first country in Europe to produce movies and it is most successful in Europe. In the year 2010, 261 films were produced. Additionally, 206 million tickets sold in 2010 and 215 million in 2011. The French love to go to the cinema as it is more part of the culture there,” informed Karine.
Along with this film festival Alliance Française, Panaji is also planning other events in to celebrate French Language Day, which falls on March 20. “We will be hosting a photo exhibition of French photographer, Naiade Plante at our centre. She has featured Goa in her photographs. It will be inaugurated on March 2,” says Karine.
On March 18 they are hosting a dance-talk event by a French artiste, Celine Pradeu where she will perform Bharatnatyam and contemporary dance. She will also explain how she arrived at this choreography,” concludes Karine.
Synopsis of the movies
February 23
Film: Les soeurs fachees - French with English subtitles
Director: Alexandra Leclere
Duration: 93 mins
Louise, younger sister, natural and straightforward, lives in province; Martine, older sister, beautiful and aloof, lives in the Parisian upper middle class. Louise has written a novel. On Monday she will go for an appointment with a publisher in Paris. She comes to live with Martine for three days. During three days, Louise and her happiness exasperate Martine and set her life in glares.
February 24
Film: Copie Conforme - English with French subtitles
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Duration: 106 mins
Binoche plays a gallery owner living in a Tuscan village who attends a lecture by a British author on authenticity and fakery in art. Afterward, she invites him on a tour of the countryside, during which he is mistaken for her husband. They keep up the pretence and continue on their afternoon out, discussing love, life and art. But are they play-acting on a whim, or is there more to their seemingly new relationship than meets the eye?
February 25
Film: L’illusionniste - English
Director: Sylvain Chomet
Duration: 80 mins
‘The Illusionist’ is a story of an outdated, aging magician, forced to wander from country to country in search of a stage to perform his act, meets a young girl at the start of her life’s journey. Alice is a teenage girl and she plays at being a woman. She doesn’t know yet that she loves The Illusionist like she would a father; he already knows that he loves her as he would a daughter.
February 26
Film: Welcome - English with French subtitles
Director: Philippe Lioret
Duration: 110 mins
Bilal is 17-year-old, a Kurdish boy from Iraq. He sets off on an adventure-filled journey across Europe. He wants to get to England to see his love who lives there. Bilal finally reaches Calais, but how do you cover 32-kilometers of the English Channel when you can't swim? The boy soon discovers that his trip won't be as easy as he imagined…
The Film Festival will be held from February 23 to 26 at Open-air amphitheatre of Sunaparanta, Goa Centre for the arts, Altinho, Panaji. All screenings will start at 6.30 p.m. It is open to all.
