Organised in collaboration with Alliance Française and the French Embassy, the 33rd annual French Film festival will take place from March 1 until April 26. There are over 42 films to choose from this year, covering a wide range of genres and including talents like Daniel Auteuil, Cécile de France, Fanny Ardant, Benjamin Voisin and many more.
Among the most highly anticipated films are Lost Illusions, The Young Lovers, and Farewell Mr. Hoffman.
Le Courrier Australien recently sat down for a chat with the general manager at Alliance Française, Valerie Nicolas, to find out more about what Francophiles can look forward to in this year’s selection.
The Alliance Française French Film Festival is the biggest French film festival in the world, so it’s great news that it will go ahead in 2022 after the pandemic! Do you have any idea of how many people might be attending this year?
We have around 200,000 Australian attendees which is very exciting. It is due to the fact that it’s now a nation-wide affair; we have attendees all around Australia. You may have also noticed in our banners that the festival not only takes place in the big capital cities, but also in smaller areas like Parramatta and Byron Bay, which is very exciting.
On that note, this is a massive event in different cities around the country: So what are the logistics behind organising such an event?
We have been working on the festival for one year now, and it took a while to select all the films. We have a lot of volunteers around Australia as well. If people would still like to get in touch to volunteer, they can email info@affrenchfilmfestival.org
Are there any regulations for the festival this year? Max capacity limits and social distancing, for example?
In Sydney, no! In WA though, there will be some restrictions for things like school screenings and the imposition of capacity limits whilst numbers are still high.
Why do you think it’s so important to promote the French culture and language in Australia through cinema, especially after a pandemic?
[Cinema] is a place where we can open ourselves up to new worlds and new ways of thinking. It allows us to travel, to go somewhere other than our own homes. We have suffered a lot recently, and I think this is a way to unlock, to ‘déconfiner,’ after everything we have been through, which is very important.
There’s also la semaine de la Francophonie coming up, which will take place from March 12-20. Is there anything our Aussie Francophiles should look out for?
Taking an interest in the French film festival is a great way to start. Sure, there will be films made by French people, but they also speak to much broader issues and span many different countries: from Lebanon and Mali to Senegal, Switzerland, Belgium, and Canada… So, you see, French is a language that we share. L’influence francophone inhabits many different places, and speaks to a French that is more vibrant than ever.
Une occasion à ne pas manquer, the festival will run until Tuesday, April 26.
For more information about films, times and prices, head to the following website: https://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/
You can also find out more about the Alliance Française and upcoming events by clicking on the following link: https://www.afsydney.com.au/
Bonne vision!
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