FOR the first time in Davao City, the Embassy of France opens its French Film Festival on June 21 and 22 at the Abreeza Mall.
Every year, the French Film Festival offers the Filipino public a selection of contemporary and critically-acclaimed films that offer a glimpse into French society, culture, and language.
“French culture is often perceived as too intellectual, and our films sometimes too philosophical. There is a French way of telling a story, a unique formula – or maybe an absence of formula – that encourages the audience to think, and not just be entertained,” French Ambassador Nicolas Galey explained.
“The films that we will screen during the French Film Festival address themes that concern issues in our everyday life, at home, in relationships with our family, friends, or co-workers, and in society in general,” he added.
For its first edition in Davao City, the French Film Festival presents 8 films: the deeply emotional animated film Louise en Hiver (Louise by the Shore); Une Vie (A Woman’s Life), an adaptation of a novel by acclaimed French author Guy de Maupassant set in the early 1800s; Rock’n Roll, a parody of the film industry starring Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard; the thriller and opening film of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Personal Shopper, starring Kirsten Stewart and directed by Olivier Assayas; Polina, a coming-of-age drama on the life of a Russian ballerina; Epouse-moi mon pote (Marry Me, Dude), a comedic story of how an international student tries to remain in France after his visa expires; the psychological, feminist drama Orpheline; and La Prière (The Prayer), which narrates how a former drug addict in his 20s finds salvation and camaraderie through faith.
After Davao City, French Film Festival concludes its 23rd edition in the Philippines with screenings at the Ayala Center Cebu from June 25 to 27.
The 23rd French Film Festival in the Philippines is presented by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, Institut Français, UniFrance, the Alliance française de Manille, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Ayala Malls Cinemas, the SSI Group, Inc., Central Square, and with the support of Lacoste, L’Occitane, Diptyque, Peugeot Philippines, Marithé François Girbaud, Pioneer Films, CMB, Paris Délice, Don Papa, Le Cellier, Taters, Chimara, and media partners Expat Newspaper, Art Plus Magazine, and Spot.ph.
For the film line-up and screening schedule, visit www.ph.ambafrance.org or www.facebook.com/FrenchEmbassyManila. Share your French Film Festival story on social media using the hashtag #FrenchFilmFest23.
For inquiries, contact the Embassy of France to the Philippines at frenchfilmfest@gmail.com or 0966-389-9119. (PR)