We Are One: A Global Film Festival starts tonight

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While festivals are cancelled around the world, YouTube has created a new festival during the COVID-19 period: We Are One: A Global Film Festival. This 10 day festival comes from the idea that the film community can come together during crises – celebrating cinema but also in support of COVID-19 efforts. It starts tonight Australian time.

 

While the festival is free, you can make donations to the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNHCR, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Leket Israel, GO Foundation and Give2Asia, among others. You can do so via a button marked “DONATE” on each film’s page.

 

Film festivals from around the world, including the Cannes Film Festival and Annecy International Animation Film Festival, have chosen films for We Are One.

 

FILMS FROM FRANCE IN THE WE ARE ONE FESTIVAL

 

Alteration

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/alteration-2020

A short film from Jérôme Blanquet about the study of dreams and artificial intelligence

 

And then the Bear/L’heure de l’ours

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/and-then-the-bear-2020

A animated short film from Agnès Patron in which houses burn, men and women tremble but children come together and howl as they dance on the ashes.

 

Isle of the Dead/ L’île des morts

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/isle-of-the-dead-2020

Isle of the Dead is a timeless, mythical voyage from an everyday apartment toward our final destination, guided by Charon, ferryman of the Underworld. This VR experience is a loose recreation of the eponymous work painted in 1883 by the Swiss symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin, which also inspired a symphonic poem by Sergei Rachmaninov, a perfect soundtrack to accompany the experience.

 

The Jump/Le Grand Saut
http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/jump-2020

Of all the daredevils who dive from the rocks of Marseille’s perilously steep Corniche speedway, 22-year-old Alain Demaria is the only one to jump headfirst to “break the water.”

 

Occidente

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/occidente-2020

Ana Vaz refracts the colonial history of Brazil and Portugal through objects, gestures, and contemporary customs.

 

On/Off 

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/on-off-2020

Many people live out their final days inside of a hospital, and in France, intensive-care personnel are becoming society’s undertakers. Going behind the closed doors of an intensive care unit, this project uncovers the rhythms of daily life for health-care professionals. As it moves through their routines, their atmosphere and their conversations, it immerses viewers in the intense demands of confronting and “managing” death on a day-to-day basis.

 

The Tear’s Thing/Le coup des larmes

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/tear-s-thing-2020

Florence (India Hair) is a film actress rattled by a tragic episode in her personal life. When she’s cast as an assassin in a new movie, her preparations take her to a shooting range in the French countryside. But what she finds there will challenge her in a way she could never have seen coming.

 

Sébastien Tellier on Paris’ rooftop | A Take Away Show

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/sebastien-tellier-on-paris-rooftop-a-take-away-show-2020

After two months of lockdown, French artist Sébastien Tellier serenades Paris from one of its highest point of view: the roof of Le Théâtre du Châtelet, in the heart of the city. In his unexpected celestial promenade at sunset, he shares a couple of new songs in their purest acoustic forms as well as a famous jewel from a past : La Ritournelle, recorded with beloved drummer Tony Allen, to whom Sébastien pays the most poetic tribute.

 

INTERVIEW

Rendez-vous with Alain Delon

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/rendez-vous-with-alain-delon-2020

Il gattopardo (The Leopard, 1963), La Piscine (The Swimming Pool, 1968), Le Clan des Siciliens (The Sicilian Clan, 1969), Borsalino (1970)…

Journalist Samuel Blumenfeld sets out to meet the man behind the legend. Speaking to a jam-packed Buñuel Theatre in the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, Alain Delon treated crowds to his insight over the course of a Masterclass. Delon pays tribute to the “talent of the muses who inspired me along the way, masters of their art, René Clément, Luchino Visconti and Jean-Pierre Melville”.

 

FILMS FROM CANADA AT THE WE ARE ONE FESTIVAL

 

The Procession/ Le cortège

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/procession-2020

After Catherine’s fatal car accident, she speaks from beyond the grave to her grieving husband, Philip, who must endure the family ritual of the funeral. The sparing colour palette and fluid rhythm of Pascal Blanchet and Rodolphe Saint-Gelais’s 2D-animated tone poem come to show us how, despite the pressure to keep up appearances, love finds a way.

 

Shannon Amen

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/shannon-amen-2020

Shannon Amen unearths the passionate and pained expressions of a young woman overwhelmed by guilt and anxiety as she struggles to reconcile her sexual identity with her religious faith. Director Chris Dainty reanimates her artwork through arresting stop-motion animation of figures carved in ice, and crafts a loving elegy to a friend lost to suicide.

 

Ivory Burn

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/ivory-burn-2020

On April 30, 2016, the largest ivory burn in history took place in Nairobi National Park. Eleven pyres—comprised of 105 tons of confiscated elephant tusks and 1.35 tons of rhinoceros horn—were set on fire as a clarion call to halt all trade in ivory.

This film captures this deeply symbolic and visceral message to the poaching and illegal trade syndicates, and bears witness to the loss of animal life and the diversity it embodied.

 

FILMS FROM CANADA AND FRANCE AT WE ARE ONE FESTIVAL

 

Leon’s Animated Stories

Une série de 4 courts-métrages animés qui seront diffusés au festival We Are One.

 

Poppety in the Fall/ L’Automne de Pougne

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/poppety-in-the-fall-2020
A curse magically and mysteriously erases all of the books in the kingdom. The good king Balthazar is despondent and bored to death, and by proxy, plunges his subjects into a deep depression—until a grouchy hedgehog named Poppety heads up a rescue mission to save the day.

 

Bonifacio in Summertime/L’été de Boniface

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/bonifacio-in-summertime-2020

In the Kingdom of Skedaddle, a sweet-talking swindler romances Queen Héloïse, but the spell is broken when her daughter, Princess Molly, returns for summer vacation.

 

Molly in Springtime/Le Printemps de Mélie

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/molly-in-springtime-2020

While the spring carnival is in full swing in Balthazar’s kingdom, the “bloated belly” disease is spreading among the revelers. Princess Molly has her doubts about the true intentions of Bonifacio the storyteller, and so she teams up with Léon the bear to outwit the Machiavellian plans of the would-be doctor.

 

Léon in Wintertime/ L’Hiver de Léon

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/leon-in-wintertime-2020

As winter falls early on the kingdom, an ogre kidnaps Princess Molly Gingerbread. Before she ends up in a pea stew, her only hope may be a runaway teenage bear and two of his friends, a grumpy hedgehog and a fearful elephant.

 

FILMS FROM MULTIPLE COUNTRIES INCLUDING FRANCE AT WE ARE ONE FESTIVAL

 

Atlantics: A Ghost Love Story/Atlantiques

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/atlantiques-2020

France, Senegal

Mati Diop’s richly textured documentary—both her experimental debut, and a precursor to her Grand Prix–winning feature Atlantics—tells the story of a young boy’s (Serigne Seck) tragic migratory voyage in Senegal.

 

Electric Swan

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/electric-swan-2020

Argentina, France, Greece

Buildings are not supposed to move. But on Avenida Libertador 2050, a building moves and the ceiling shivers, causing a strange nausea that devours its residents. Those who live on the top are afraid they’ll fall – the ones who live beneath are afraid they’ll drown.

 

Late Marriage/Mariage tardif

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/late-marriage-2020

France, Israel

Hilarious and sexy comedy-drama about love versus tradition in a contemporary Jewish family… According to his parents, good-looking bachelor Zaza is long overdue for marriage. Little do they know, he’s already in love with a divorced single mother.

 

Love Chapter 2

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/love-chapter-2-2020

The winner of the FEDORA – Van Cleef & Arpels Prize for Ballet, Love: Chapter 2 pulses with the chaos and confusion of love. Six dancers, propelled by Ori Lichtik’s thrumming electronic score, circle each other with a livewire fluidity choreographed by Sharon Eyal.

 

The Van

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/van-2020

Albania, France

A man (Phénix Brossard) risks his life to pay his and his father’s (Arben Bajraktaraj) way out of Albania with winnings from startlingly violent underground fist fights.

 

Volubilis

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/volubilis-2020

France, Morocco, Qatar

In the Moroccan city of Meknes, recently married Abdelkader and Malika struggle to make ends meet. They dream of leaving the family house and finally start a life of their own together. But one day at work, Abdelkader experiences a violent incident that will turn their destiny upside down. Volubilis is a tale of love in a world of despair, of beauty among the ruins.

 

Bridges of Sarajevo/Les Ponts de Sarajevo

http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com/events/bridges-of-sarajevo-2020

Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland

13 European directors including Sergei Loznitsa (Maidan), Angela Schanelec (I Was at Home, But…), Ursula Meier (Sister), Cristi Puiu (Sieranevada) and even Jean-Luc Godard, explore the theme of Sarajevo; what this city has represented in European history over the past hundred years, and what Sarajevo stands for today in Europe. These eminent filmmakers of different generations and origins offer exceptional singular styles and visions.

 

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WHEN: We are One : A Global Film Festival is on from this morning, Friday 29 May until 7 June (but given that YouTube is based in the USA, the festival is only starting tonight Australian time).

NOTE: We don’t know whether the films are only available at the time given or from that time. We Are One Global Festival doesn’t have a press contact and their FAQ sheds no light. It only says that many films are available on demand throughout the festival. Unfortunately, we don’t know which ones!

 

If you want to watch more French films after the festival, you might be interested in the following articles:

7 French films from the AFFFF 2019 on Kanopy

11 French films from the AFFFF 2019 on SBS on Demand

 

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11 French movies from the 2019 Alliance Française French Film Festival to watch on SBS on Demand

Reading Time: 6 minutes

SBS on Demand has 11 movies from 2019 Alliance Française French Film Festival available for you to stream at home for free. After all, while stuck at home is the perfect time to watch some French movies! Find out about them below.

Sink or Swim / Le Grand Bain

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1627103299769/sink-or-swim

One of the great hits from the 2019 Alliance Française French Film Festival was this film which also achieved greatness in France – 4 million tickets sold and a standing ovation when it premiered at Cannes.

This film from actor Gilles Lellouche in his first directorial role has a fantastic cast of French stars: Mathieu Amalric, Jean Hugues Anglade, Guillaume Canet and Benoît Poelvoorde, and the list goes on!

The film tells the story of a group of men in their 40s all of whom are in the midst of mid-life crises who are brought together in a male-only synchronised swimming team. Coached by fallen champion Delphine (Virginie Efira) with the support of her former swim partner Amanda (Leïla Bekhti), the team set out on a quest to compete in the competition in Sweden, all the while redeeming some of their self-worth.

 

Amanda

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1559051331661/amanda

This film is a family drama told via David (Vincent Lacoste), who lives a life without worries with his romantic partner Lena (Stacy Martin). That is until he is forced to assume guardianship of his niece, Amanda (Isaura Multrier), just 7 years old, after a violent incident.

While the subject matter may be one of mourning and the road to recovery, the film is also a delight for francophiles with it also being an ode to the beauty of Paris.

 

Girl

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1587898947852/girl

Girl marks the debut feature film for Flemish filmmaker Lukas Dhont but also for the 15 year old, Victor Polster, who portrays the protagonist, Lara, a teenage transgender girl from Belgium who struggles not with her gender identity but her desire to become a professional ballerina.

 

With the support of her father father (Arieh Worthalter) and younger brother (Oliver Bodart), Lara starts the process of gender reassignment but teenage impatience and pressures of the world of ballet push her to the edge.

 

Rolling to you/Tout le monde debut

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1563198531712/rolling-to-you

Rolling to you is the directorial debut for Franck Dubosc, who we are more accustomed to seeing on screen than behind the scenes (but don’t worry in this film he does both).  He plays Jocelyn, a serial liar and womaniser. Caught sitting in a wheelchair at his relative’s house, a carer mistakes him for a paraplegic. Does he explain himself? No, of course not! He goes along with it, even after falling in love with the carer’s sister Florence (Alexandra Lamy).

A romantic comedy with a difference!

 

Memoir of War/La Douleur

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1605873219679/memoir-of-war

La Douleur by Marguerite Duras was published in 1985 and has since been translated into 15 languages. It is viewed as one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century. It tells of her experiences during World War II in Paris.

This however is its first screen adaptation and one which has seen a lot of controversy for director Emmanuel Finkiel. Set in 1944, Marguerite Duras (Mélanie Thierry) reflects of her memories of being a Resistance member in Nazi-occupied France with her husband, Robert Antelme, and the heart-wrenching pain of waiting after his deportation by the Gestapo. Marguerite will do anything to get him back to Paris including a relationship with Rabier (Benoît Magimel), a suspicious local Vichy collaborator.

Memoir of War is about the lengths to which we will go for love.

 

Through the fire/Sauver ou Perir

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1559892547861/through-the-fire

Frédéric Tellier’s film tells the story of Franck (Pierre Niney)’s long journey back to health after being badly burned fighting a fire. Franck lived (and could have died) by the motto “to save or perish” both in his job but also in his family life with Cécile (Anaïs Demoustier) and their children.

Tellier shows the physical and psychological toll Franck faces to rebuild himself, all the while exploring existential questions about the meaning of humanity.

 

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir/L’extraordinaire voyage du Fakir

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1729687107643/the-extraordinary-journey-of-the-fakir

Aja (Bollywood actor Dhanush)’s world exists solely in Mumbai and his life performing stunts on the streets under the guise of a fakir. That is until he goes to France after the death of his mother. There he meets Marie (Erin Moriarty), a Franco-American stranger outside of an Ikea store, shortly before he is unwittingly shipped across Europe together with some Ikea furniture. An animated map shows his route with a particular French focus from Paris to the Côte d’Azur.

 

This feel-good comedy is based on Romain Puertolas’ best-seller The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe and is suitable for the whole family.

NB: This 2019 Alliance Française French Film Festival film is in English.

 

 

Girls of the Sun/Les filles du soleil

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1700938819693/girls-of-the-sun

Girls of the Sun shows combat from a solely female perspective. Based on the Yazidi women’s true life feats, it shows their kidnapping and trauma and their subsequent escape to join the Kurdish army and take on the Islamic State. Baha (Golshifteh Farahani), together with her Kurdish army called Girls of the Sun, plans the liberation of her Kurdistan village and the freeing of her son (Tornike Alievi) taken hostage by extremists.

 

French journalist Mathilde (Emmanuelle Bercot), herself traumatised by the recent death of her husband in Libya, arrives to cover the story of Baha and the Girls of the Sun. While on assignment, spending time with the all-female unit of former ISIS captives, Mathilde faces her own inner demons and finds strength through adversity.

 

Girls of the Sun pays respect to largely unacknowledged Kurdish female warriors who have played a monumental role in the fight against Daesh in an unashamedly emotional film.

 

Pearl

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1569543747546/pearl

Elsa Amiel, writer-director of the film Pearl describes it thus:

“When a female athlete fights to achieve excellence, she also represents a woman’s fight to simply BE.”

It’s three days before Miss Heaven, a female bodybuilding competition and Léa Pearl (played by professional bodybuilder Julia Föry) is preparing to compete. Her ex-lover Ben (Arieh Worthalter) resurfaces together with the 6 year old son that she barely knows, asking her to look after him. This and training pressures pushes Léa to the edge.

In Pearl, Elsa Amiel challenges traditional notions of femininity and beauty.

 

Dilili in Paris/Dilili à Paris

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1585451587697/dilili-in-paris

In Dilili in Paris, Michel Ocelot, master of animation, takes us on a journey back to Belle Époque Paris in this animated kidnapping investigation by 6 year old Dilili. She is assisted by local delivery boy, Orel, who knows all the important people from the Belle Époque such as Marie Curie, Picasso, Renoir, Louis Pasteur, Gustave Eiffel and Colette. These characters as well as the famous Parisian landmarks that remain today all have a role to play in Dilili’s investigation.

 

Dilili in Paris is an animated masterpiece with colourful 2D animated characters placed over photo-realistic backdrops but also a lesson in French cultural history. When this film opened the 2018 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, it sold out in five minutes!

 

 

Remi, Nobody’s boy/Remi sans famille

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1541366339960/remi-nobodys-boy

Remi, Nobody’s Boy tells the story of Remi, an orphan entrusted to a peasant woman who is then taken and put into the care of Vitalis (Daniel Auteuil) an eccentric, wandering musician.

Plenty of star performers in this film: Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivigne Sagnier, and Maleaume Paquin as the protagonist, Remi.

Making a living as a street performer is difficult but Remi is not alone and does so with his dog, Capi, and a little monkey, Joli-Coeur. Together, they criss-cross a re-imagined France from a bygone era, meeting new people, making new friends and helping others.

These adventures all lead to Remi’s ultimate revelation – where does he really come from? Remi, Nobody’s Boy is an enchanting family film based on Hector Malot’s 1878 book of the same name.

Want to stream more French films? Take a look at AFFFF 2019 films available to stream via Kanopy 

 

Have you watched any good French films lately? If so, Which ones?

 

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2019 Alliance Française French Film Festival