Sneak peek at the first 10 films of the Alliance Française French Film Festival 2022

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Take a sneak-peek at the program of the Alliance Française French Film Festival 2022 with 10 films. Read on to find out about these films including the opening night film, the special restored feature, and many more in between.

Alliance Française French Film Festival 2022

OPENING NIGHT FILM

Lost Illusions (Illusions perdues, working title: Comédie humaine)

Featuring all-star line-up of French cinematic talent (Benjamin Voisin, Cécile de France, Vincent Lacoste, Xavier Dolan, Salomé Dewaels, Jeanne Balibar, Gérard Depardieu, André Marcon, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Jean-François Stevenin), director Xavier Giannoli’s Lost Illusoins is the Alliance Française French Film Festival 2022 opening night film.

 

Scandal brews when Lucien de Rubempré, a young, lower-class poet, falls in love with the Baroness Louise de Bargeton. They flee to Paris hoping to live and love freely but Lucien is soon rejected and loses his love’s support. Alone, poor, hungry and humiliated, Lucien seeks revenge by writing controversial – yet banal – articles. Inside the Paris he so coveted, he finds a cynical world where everything – and everyone – can be bought and sold. Can he find his way and remain faithful to his hopes and dreams…?

 

FILMS FOR ROMANTICS AT THE ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2022 

 

The Young Lovers (Les jeunes amants)

Directed by Carine Tardieu (Australian premiere)

Cast: Cécile de France, Fanny Ardant, Melvil Poupaud

The Young Lovers is Carine Tardieu’s eagerly anticipated follow-up to Just to Be Sure. Starring Fanny Ardant, Melvil Poupaud and Cécile de France, the film is a modern and nuanced romantic drama about a woman who embarks on an affair with a younger man.

 

Elegant, retired architect Shauna (Fanny Ardant) crosses paths with Pierre (Melvil Poupaud), a happily married doctor in his 40s, who first made an impression on her in a brief meeting 15 years previously. Both are quite troubled to meet again and begin an affair. While Pierre’s family life is soon turned upside down, Shauna struggles with feelings she thought belonged to the past.

 

 

Waiting for Bojangles

Directed by Régis Roinsard (Australian premiere)

Cast: Virginie Efira, Romain Duris, Grégory Gadebois

Spirited and eccentric, Waiting for Bojangles is a passionate love story adapted from Olivier Bourdeaut’s international bestselling novel of the same title.

Seen through the eyes of their son, Gary, Camille (Virginie Efira) and Georges (Romain Duris) dance to their favourite song Mr Bojangles in their magnificent Parisian flat. Their love is magical, dazzling, a perpetual party. Camille sets the tone, an unpredictable and extravagant will-o’-the-wisp. One day however, she goes too far, obliging Georges and Gary to go to extreme lengths to avoid the inevitable, at all costs.

Enjoy a whimsical and melancholic tale of un amour fou, bright and tender, an enchanting film with elegant cinematography.

 

CANNES HIGHLIGHTS AT THE ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2022

 

La Traviata, My Brothers and I (Mes frères et moi)

Directed by Yohan Manca

Cast: Maël Rouin Berrandou, Judith Chemla, Dali Benssalah

In his feature debut, French filmmaker Yohan Manca breaks down the barriers surrounding art and culture with a touching story of hope, chance and overcoming adversity.

La Traviata, My Brothers and I is the story of 14-year-old Nour, who dreams of becoming the new Luciano Pavarotti. Between his work and rising tensions at home, Nour dreams of escaping to a faraway place. When he crosses paths with an Opera singer who is teaching summer classes, he finally finds the opportunity to come out of his shell and explore new horizons.

Avoiding clichés, Yohan Manca presents an inspiring slice-of-life film filled with tender, touching moments.

 

Love Songs for Tough Guys (Cette musique ne joue pour personne)

Directed by Samuel Benchetrit

Cast: François Damiens, Vanessa Paradis, Bouli Lanners

READ OUR REVIEW OF THIS FILM HERE

Featuring a delicious ensemble cast led by the fabulous François Damiens and Vanessa Paradis, the hilarious new romantic comedy from Samuel Benchetrit is a charmingly-affectionate fable of a disparate group of ordinary people finding love and fulfillment through an unexpected source: the arts.

 

In the port city of Dunkirk, weary crime boss Jeff has a big problem: young punks are muscling in on his turf. But Jeff is distracted: he’s fallen for Roxane, a supermarket cashier he adores from afar. Taking a leaf from the Cyrano playbook, he tries to win her heart by writing love poems, but doesn’t have the courage to deliver them.

[Unable to find a subtitled trailer at time of publishing]

 

REMASTERED: Classic focus on Alain Delon – The Legend

Purple Noon (Plein Soleil)

Directed by René Clément

Cast: Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Marie Laforêt

A brand-new remastered version of this masterpiece.

Alain Delon was at his most impossibly beautiful when Purple Noon was released and made him an instant star. This ripe, colourful adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s vicious novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, directed by René Clément, stars Delon as Tom Ripley, a duplicitous American charmer in Rome on a mission to bring his privileged, devil-may-care acquaintance Philippe Greenleaf back to the United States.

What initially seems a carefree tale of friendship soon morphs into a thrilling saga of seduction, identity theft, and murder. Purple Noon is crafted with a light touch that allows it to be at once suspenseful and erotic, and it gave Delon the role of a lifetime.

OTHER FILMS SHOWING AT THE ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2022

 

The Kitchen Brigade (La Brigade)

Directed by Louis-Julien Petit (Australian premiere)

Cast: Audrey Lamy, François Cluzet, Chantal Neuwirth

The follow-up movie to Petit’s box-office hit Invisibles, The Kitchen Brigade (La Brigade), explores the world of French gastronomy, while also tackling issues of social justice and inclusion through the story of Cathy, an inflexible 40-year-old sous-chef, finally fulfilling her lifelong dream of opening her own high-end restaurant.

Things do not go to plan. Facing serious financial difficulties, she reluctantly accepts a job in the cafeteria of a shelter for young migrants. Though she hates the new job at first, Cathy’s remarkable skill and passion for cuisine start to change the kids’ lives. And it turns out they also have a lot to teach her.

 

Hear me out (On est fait pour s’entendre)

Directed by Pascal Elbé (Australian premiere)

Cast: Pascal Elbé, Sandrine Kiberlain, François Berléand

Antoine (Pascal Elbé) is a history teacher in his 50s who refuses to own up to his newly discovered handicap – that he is very hard of hearing. Living in his bubble, his friends and colleagues find his behaviour increasingly odd. However, in this romantic comedy, Antoine’s meeting with Claire a widow and mother of a young daughter who has stopped speaking will help Antoine open up to the world again.

[We were unable to find a subtitled version at time of publishing]

 

Happening (L’évènement)

Directed by Audrey Diwan (Australian premiere)

Cast: Anamaria Vartolomei, Luàna Bajrami, Pio Marmaï, Sandrine Bonnaire

Set in 1963 France, Anne is a bright young student with a promising future ahead of her. Pregnancy however causes her to see the opportunity to finish her studies and escape the constraints of her social background disappearing.

As final exams fast approach, and her belly grows, Anne resolves to act, even if she has to confront shame and pain, even if she must risk prison to do so…

Winner of the Golden Lion and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Venice film Festival.

 

The Velvet Queen (La panthère des neiges)

Directed by Marie Amiguet

This documentary takes us to the heart of the Tibetan highlands, where photographer Vincent Munier has brought writer Sylvain Tesson on his quest to find the snow leopard. He introduces him to the subtle art of waiting from a blind spot, tracking animals and finding the patience to catch sight of the beasts. Through their journey in the Tibetan peaks, inhabited by invisible presences, the two men engage in a conversation on our place among the living beings and celebrate the beauty of the world.

 

KEY INFO FOR ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2022

Tickets on-sale and the full programme to be revealed from February 3rd at www.affrenchfilmfestival.org

 

Dates for your diary:

  • All cities: 3rd February – full program released and all tickets on sale
  • Adelaide: 24thMarch to 24th April (Encore screenings: 25th to 26th April)
  • Brisbane: 16thMarch to 13th April (Encore screenings: 14th to 18th April)
  • Byron Bay: 30thMarch to 14th April (Encore screenings: 15th to 16th April)
  • Hobart: 9thto 20th March
  • Canberra: 2nd March to 6th April (Encore screenings: 7th to 10th April)
  • Melbourne: 3rd March to 6th April (Encore screenings: 7th to 10th April)
  • Parramatta: 7thto 10th April
  • Perth: 9th March to 6th April (Encore screenings: 7th to 10th April)
  • Sydney: 1stMarch to 6th April (Encore screenings: 7th to 10th April)

 

Discover French films on streaming via the following articles:

 

Sydney and Melbourne will also host Europa! Europa, a new film festival showcasing European cinema, including some films from France, in February. Find out more about that in our article tomorrow.

 

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